President Trump’s CPAC speech

Great to be back at CPAC.

It's a place I have really — I love this place. I love you people. So thank you very much. First of all, I want to thank Matt Schlapp and his very, very incredible wife and boss, Mercedes, who have been fantastic friends and supporters and so great when I watch them on television defending me; nobody has a chance. So I want to thank Matt and Mercedes.

When Matt called and asked, I said absolutely I'll be there with you.

The real reason I said it, I didn't want him to go against me, so I said absolutely. And it really is an honor to be here. I wouldn't miss a chance to talk to my friends. These are my friends. And we'll see you again next year and the year after that. And I'll be doing this with CPAC whenever I can, and I'll make sure that we're here a lot.

If you remember, my first major speech — sit down, everybody, come on.

You know, the dishonest media, they'll say he didn't get a standing ovation. You know why? No, you know why? Because everybody stood and nobody sat. So they'll say he never got a standing ovation, right?

They are the worst.

So sit down. Donald Trump did not get a standing ovation. They leave out the part they never sat down. They leave that out. So I just want to thank you.

But you know, my first major speech was at CPAC, probably five or six years ago. First major political speech, and you were there. And it was — I loved it. I loved the people, I loved the commotion, and then they did these polls where I went through the roof and I wasn't even running, right? But it gave me an idea. And I got a little bit concerned when I saw what was happening in the country, and I said let's go to it. So it was very exciting.

I walked the stage on CPAC; I'll never forget it, really. I had very little notes and even less preparation. So when you have practically no notes and no preparation and then you leave and everybody was thrilled, I said I think I like this business.

I would have come last year, but I was worried that I'd be at that time too controversial. We wanted border security, we wanted very, very strong military. We wanted all of the things that we're going to get, and people consider that controversial, but you didn't consider it controversial. So I've been with CPAC for a long time. All of these years we've been together, and now you finally have a president, finally. Took you a long time. Took you a long time. And it's patriots like you that made it happen, believe me. You did it because you love your country, because you want a better future for your children, and because you want to make America great again.

The media didn't think we would win. The pundits — you're right — they had an idea. The pundits didn’t think we'd win. The consultants that suck up all that money — oh, they suck it up — they're so good. They're not good at politics, but they're really good at sucking up people's money. Especially my opponents’, because I kept them down to a minimum. But the consultants didn't think we would win. But they all underestimated the power of the people, you, and the people proved them totally wrong. This is so true, and this is what's been happening. Never underestimate the people. Never. I don't think it will ever happen again.

And I want you all to know we are fighting the fake news. It's fake. Phony. Fake. A few days ago I called the fake news the enemy of the people, and they are. They are the enemy of the people. Because they have no sources, they just make them up when there are none. I saw one story recently where they said nine people have confirmed. There are no nine people. I don't believe there was one or two people. Nine people. And I said give me a break because I know the people. I know who they talked to. There were no nine people. But they say nine people. And somebody reads it and they say, oh, nine people, they have nine sources. They make up sources.

They're very dishonest people. In fact, in covering my comments, the dishonest media did not explain that I called the fake news the enemy of the people — the fake news. They dropped off the word “fake”. And all of a sudden the story became the media is the enemy. They take the word “fake” out. And now I'm saying, oh, no, this is no good. But that's the way they are. So I'm not against the media, I'm not against the press. I don't mind bad stories if I deserve them, and I tell you, I love good stories, but we won't talk — I don't get too many of them. But I am only against the fake news media or press. Fake. Fake. They have to leave that word.

I'm against the people that make up stories and make up sources. They shouldn't be allowed to use sources unless they use somebody's name. Let their name be put out there. Let their name be put out. A source says that Donald Trump is a horrible, horrible human being — let them say it to my face. Let there be no more sources. And remember this, and not in all cases. I mean, I had a story yesterday written about me in Reuters by a very honorable man that was a very fair story. There are some great reporters around, they are talented and honest as the day is long; that is great. But there are some terrible, dishonest people that do a tremendous disservice to our country, and to our people.

They are very dishonest people, and they shouldn't use sources. They should put the name of the person. You will see stories dry up like you've never seen before. You have no idea how bad it is because if you are not part of the story — and I put myself in your position sometimes because many of you, you're not part of the story — and if you're not part of the story, you know, then you sort of know if you are part of the story, you know what they're saying is true or not.

So when they make it up and they make up something else, and you saw that before the election — polls, polls. They come out with some of these polls — and some of them got it right. I must say, Los Angeles Times, shocking, they did a great job. We had a couple of others that were right. Generally speaking, I can tell you the network. Somebody said, "A poll came out." I said what network is it?

And they'll say a certain — let's not even mention names, right? Shall we? Well, you have a lot of them. The Clinton News Network is one. Totally. Take a look, honestly. Take a look at their polls over the last two years. You'd think they'd fire the pollster, right? After years and years of getting battered. I mean, who knows, maybe they're just bad at polling. Or maybe they're not legit. But it's one or the other. Look at how inaccurate. Look at CBS, look at ABC also. Look at NBC.

Take a look at some of these polls. That were so bad, so inaccurate. And what that does is it creates a false narrative. It creates this narrative that it's just like we're not going to win. People say I love Trump but I'm not feeling great today. He can't win, so I won't go and vote. It creates a whole false deal, and we have to fight it, folks. We have to fight it. They're very smart, they're very cunning, and they're very dishonest.

So just to conclude, it's a very sensitive topic, and they get upset when we expose their false stories. They say that we can't criticize their dishonest coverage because of the First Amendment. They always bring the the First Amendment. I love the First Amendment. Nobody loves it better than me. Nobody — who uses it more than I do? But the First Amendment gives all of us — it gives it to me it gives it to you, it gives it to all Americans — the right to speak our minds freely. It gives you the right and me the right to criticize fake news and criticize it strongly.

And many of these groups are part of large media corporations that have their own agenda. And it's not your agenda and it's not the country's agenda, it's their own agenda. They have a professional obligation as members of the press to report honestly, but as you saw throughout the entire campaign and even now, the fake news doesn't tell the truth. Doesn't tell the truth. So just in finishing, I say it doesn't represent the people, it never will represent the people, and we're going to do something about it because we have to go out and we have to speak our minds and we have to be honest.

Our victory was a win like nobody has ever seen before. And I'm here fighting for you, and I will continue to fight for you. The victory and the win was something that really was dedicated to a country and people that believe in freedom, security and the rule of law. Our victory was a victory and a win for conservative values. And our victory was a win for everyone who believes it's time to stand up for America, to stand up for the American worker, and to stand up for the American flag. Yeah, there we should stand up. There we should stand up. And, by the way, we love our flag.

By the way, you folks are in here, the place is packed. There are lines that go back six blocks, and I tell you that because you won't read about it, okay? But there are lines that go back six blocks. There is such love in this country for everything we stand for. You saw that on Election Day and you're going to see it more and more. So we're all part of this historic movement, a movement the likes of which the world has never seen before. There's never been anything like this.

There's been some movements, but there's never been anything like this. There's been some movements that petered out, like Bernie. Petered out. But it was a little rigged against him. Superdelegate, Superdelegate. She had so many delegates before the thing even started. I actually said to my people, how does that happen?

Not that Bernie — but a lot of Bernie people voted for Trump because you know why? He was right about trade. Our country is being absolutely devastated by trade deals, so we got a lot of support. So actually I like Bernie.

I'm here to tell you what this means for the future of the Republican Party and the future of America. First, we need to define what this great, great, unprecedented movement is and what it actually represents.

The core conviction of our movement is that we are a nation that will put its own citizens first.

For too long we've traded away our jobs to other countries, so terrible. We've defended other nations’ borders while leaving ours wide open — anybody can come in. Oh, we're going to build a wall, don't worry about it. We're building the wall. We're building the wall. In fact, it's going to start soon. Way ahead of schedule. Way ahead of schedule. Way, way, way ahead of schedule.

Gen. Kelly, by the way, has done a fantastic job. Fantastic, the job he's done. And remember, we are getting the bad ones out. These are bad dudes. We're getting the bad ones out. Okay? We're getting the bad — if you watch these people, it’s like oh, gee, that's so sad. We were getting bad people out of this country. People who shouldn't be, whether it's drugs or murder. We're getting bad ones out. They're the ones that go first. I said it from day one.

Basically all I've done is keep my promise. We've spent trillions overseas while allowing our own infrastructure to fall into total disrepair and decay. In the Middle East we've spent, as of four weeks ago, $6 trillion. Think of it.

And, by the way, the Middle East is in what — I mean, it's not even close —it's in much worse shape than it was 15 years ago. If our presidents would have gone to the beach for 15 years, we would be in much better shape than we are right now. That I can tell you. Could have been a hell of a lot better. We could have rebuilt our country three times with that money.

This is the situation I inherited. I inherited a mess, believe me.

We also inherited a failed health care law that threatens our medical system with absolute and total catastrophe. Now, I've been watching and nobody says it, but Obamacare doesn't work, folks. I could say, I could talk. And now people are starting to develop a little — but the people that you're watching, they're not you. They're largely, many of them are the side that lost. They lost the election. It's like, how many elections do we have to have? They lost the election.

But I always say Obamacare doesn't work, and these same people two years ago and a year ago were complaining about Obamacare. And the bottom line, we're changing it. We're going to make it much better, we're going to make it less expensive, we're going to make it much better.

Obamacare covers very few people. And remember, deduct from the number all of the people that had great health care that they loved that was taken away from them. Was taken away from them. Millions of people were very happy with the health care. They had their doctor, they had their plan. Remember the lie? 28 times. You can keep your doctor. You can keep your plan. Over and over and over again, you heard it. So we're going to repeal and replace Obamacare.

And I tell Paul Ryan and all of the folks that we're working with very hard, Dr. Tom Price — very talented guy — but I tell them from a purely political standpoint, the single best thing we can do is nothing. Let it implode completely. It's already imploding. You see the carriers are all leaving. It's a disaster. But two years, don't do anything. The Democrats will come to us and beg for help. They'll beg. And it's their problem. But it's not the right thing to do for the American people. It's not the right thing to do.

We inherited a national debt that has doubled in eight years. Think of it, $20 trillion. It's doubled. And we inherited a foreign policy marked by one disaster after another. We don't win anymore. When was the last time we won? Did we win a war? Did we win anything? Do we win anything? Do we win anything? We're going to win. We're going to win big, folks. We're going to start winning again. Believe me.

But we're taking a firm, bold, and decisive measure. We have to, to turn things around. The era of empty talk is over. It's over. Now is the time for action. So let me tell you about the actions that we're taking right now to deliver on our promise to the American people and on my promise to make America great again.

We've taken swift and strong action to secure the southern border of the United States and begin the construction of a great, great border wall. By doing this and with the help of our great border police, with the help of ICE, with the help of Gen. Kelly and all of the people that are so passionate about this. Our border patrol, what they do — they came and endorsed me, ICE came and endorsed me — they never endorsed a presidential candidate before. They might not be allowed to, but they were disgusted what they saw.

We'll stop it, we'll stop the drugs from pouring into our nation and poisoning our youth. Pouring in. Pouring in. We get the drugs, they get the money. We get the problems. They get the cash. No good. No good. Going to stop.

By stopping the flow of illegal immigration, we will save countless tax dollars. That's so important because the dollars that we're losing are beyond anything that you can imagine. And the tax dollars that can be used to rebuild struggling American communities, including our inner cities. We are also going to save countless American lives. As we speak today, immigration officers are finding the gang members, the drug dealers, and the criminal aliens and throwing them the hell out of our country. And we will not let them back in. They're not coming back in, folks. They do, they're going to have bigger problems than they ever dreamed of.

I'm also working with the Department of Justice to begin reducing violent crime. I mean, can you believe what's happening in Chicago, as an example? Two days ago, seven people were shot. And I believe killed. Seven people. Seven people. Chicago. A great American city. Seven people shot and killed.

We will support the incredible men and women of law enforcement. Thank you and thank them.

I've also followed through on my campaign promise and withdrawn America from the Trans-Pacific Partnership so that we can protect our economic freedom. And we're going to make trade deals, but we're going to do one-on-one — one-on-one — and if they misbehave, we terminate the deal, and then they come back and we'll make a better deal. None of these big quagmire deals that are disaster.

Just take a look at NAFTA, one of the worst deals ever made by any country having to do with economic development. It's economic underdevelopment as far as our country is concerned.

We're preparing to repeal and replace the disaster known as Obamacare; we're going to save Americans from this crisis and give them the access to the quality health care they need and deserve.

We have authorized the construction one day of the Keystone and Dakota Access pipeline and issued a new rule — this took place while I was getting ready to sign — I said who makes the pipes from the pipeline? Well, sir, comes from all over the world, isn't that wonderful? I said, nope, comes from the United States or we're not building it. American steel. If they want a pipeline in the United States, they're going to use pipe that's made in the United States. Do we agree?

But can you imagine — I told this story the other day. Can you imagine the gentleman, never met him, don't even know the name of his country — I sort of know it, but I want to get it exactly correct.

Big, big company. They spend hundreds of millions on the pipeline. They got their approvals, everything in the case of Dakota, then all of a sudden they couldn't connect it because they had people protesting that never showed up before. Before with the Keystone — so they spend hundreds of millions of dollars with bloodsucker consultants, sucking the blood out of the company: Don't worry, I used them all my life, okay? Don't worry, I'm going to get it approved, I'm connected, I'm a lobbyist, don't worry.

Bottom line, Obama didn't sign it. Could be 42,000 jobs, somewhere around there. Didn't sign it. But can you imagine? He gave up. A year ago, it was dead. Now he's doing nothing, calling his wife, hello, darling, I'm a little bored, you know that pipeline project, that has killed us, that has killed our company. Knock, knock. Mr. So and so. The Keystone pipeline, sir, out of nowhere has just been approved. Can you imagine the expression? You know the sad part?

The same bloodsucking consultants that hit him for all the money and failed, they're now going to go back to him and say didn't we do a great job? We want more money. That's the way the system works — a little bit off — but that's the way the system works.

We're preparing bold action to lift the restrictions on American energy, including shale oil, natural gas, and beautiful, clean coal, and we're going to put our miners back to work. Miners are going back to work. Miners are going back to work, folks. Sorry to tell you that, but they're going back to work. We have begun a historic program to reduce the regulations that are crushing our economy. Crushing.

And not only our economy, crushing our jobs because companies can't hire. We're going to put the regulation industry out of work and out of business. And, by the way, I want regulation. I want to protect our environment, I want regulations for safety, I want all of the regulations that we need, and I want them to be so strong and so tough, but we don't need 75 percent of the repetitive regulations that hurt companies, hurt jobs, make us noncompetitive overseas with other companies from other countries, that we don't need. But we're going to have regulation. It's going to be really strong and really good, and we're going to protect our environment and we're going to protect the safety of our people and our workers, okay.

Another major promise is tax reform. We are going to massively lower taxes on the middle class, reduce taxes on American business, and make our tax code more simple and much more fair for everyone, including the people and the business. In anticipation of these and other changes, jobs are already starting to pour back into our country. You see that.

In fact, I think I did more than any other president. They say president-elect. President-elect is meeting with Ford, he's meeting with Chrysler, he's meeting with General Motors. I just wanted to save a little time because Ford and Fiat Chrysler, General Motors, Sprint, Intel, and so many others are now because of the election result making major investments in the United States, expanding production and hiring more workers. And they're going back to Michigan and they're going back to Ohio and they're going back to Pennsylvania and they're going back to North Carolina and to Florida.

It's time for all Americans to get off of welfare and get back to work. You're going to love it. You're going to love it. You are going to love it.

We're also putting in a massive budget request for our beloved military. And we will be substantially upgrading all of our military, all of our military, offensive, defensive, everything. Bigger and better and stronger than ever before, and hopefully we'll never have to use it, but nobody's going to mess with us, folks. Nobody. It will be one of the greatest military buildups in American history. No one will dare question, as they have been, because we're very depleted, very, very depleted sequester. Nobody will question our military might again.

We believe in peace through strength, and that's what we will have. As part of my pledge to restore safety for the American people, I have also directed the defense community to develop a plan to totally obliterate ISIS. Working with our allies, we will eradicate this evil from the face of the earth.

At the same time, we fully understand that national security begins with border security. Foreign terrorists will not be able to strike America if they cannot get into our country. And, by the way, take a look at what's happening in Europe, folks. Take a look at what's happening in Europe. I took a lot of heat on Sweden. And then a day later I said, has anybody reported what's going on? And it turned out that they didn't — not too many of them did.

Take a look at what happened in Sweden. I love Sweden. Great country, great people, I love Sweden. They understand I'm right. The people there understand I'm right. Take a look at what's happening in Sweden. Take a look at what's happened in Germany. Take a look at what's happened in France. Take a look at Nice and Paris.

I have a friend, he's a very, very substantial guy, he loves the city of lights. He loves Paris. For years, every year during the summer he would go to Paris. It was automatic. With his wife and his family. Hadn't seen him in a while. And I said, Jim, let me ask you a question, how's Paris doing? Paris? I don't go there anymore. Paris is no longer Paris. That was four years, four, five years, hasn't gone there. He wouldn't miss it for anything. Now he doesn't even think in terms of going there.

Take a look at what's happening to our world, folks. And we have to be smart. We have to be smart. We can't let it happen to us. So let me state this as clearly as I can: We are going to keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country.

We will not be deterred from this course, and in a matter of days we will be taking brand new action to protect our people and keep America safe. You will see the action. I will never, ever apologize for protecting the safety and security of the American people. I won't do it. If it means I get bad press, if it means people speak badly of me, it’s okay, it doesn't bother me.

The security of our people is number one, is number one. Our administration is running with great efficiency, even though I still don't have my Cabinet approved. Nobody mentions that. Do you know I still have people out there waiting to be approved. And everyone knows they're going to be approved. It's just a delay, delay, delay. It's really sad. It's really sad. And these are great people. These are some great people.

We still don't have our Cabinet. I assume we're setting records for that. That's the only thing good about it, we're setting records. I love setting records. But I hate having a Cabinet meeting and I see all these empty seats.

I say Democrats, please, approve our Cabinet and get smart on health care, too, if you know me. But we're taking meetings every day with top leaders in business, in science and industry. Yesterday I had 29 of the biggest business leaders in the world in my office. Caterpillar Tractor, Campbell Soup, we had everybody. We had everybody. I like Campbell Soup. We had everybody. And we came to a lot of very good conclusions, and a lot of those folks that are in that room are going to be building big, big, massive new plants and lots of jobs. You know what? They're going to be building them in this country and not in some other countries. We're meeting with unions, meeting with law enforcement and leaders from all around the world. They're going to be building them in this country and not in some other countries.

We're meeting with unions, meeting with law enforcement and leaders from all around the world. Where the White House doors — they were closed, folks, you don't realize that, they were closed — they're now wide open, and they're open for people doing business for our country and putting people to work. And when they come into the White House, we're translating these meetings into action.

One by one, we're checking off the promises we made to the people of the United States. One by one. A lot of promises. And we will not stop until the job is done. We will reduce your taxes, we will cut your regulations, we will support our police, we will defend our flag.

We will rebuild our military. We will take care of our great, great veterans. We're taking care of our veterans. We will fix our broken and embarrassing trade deals that are no good. None of them. You wonder where did the people come from that negotiated these deals? Where did they come from?

Well, they came also from campaign contributions, I must be honest with you. They're not as stupid as you think. We will cut wasteful spending. We will promote our values. We will rebuild our inner cities. We will bring back our jobs and our dreams. So true. So true. And, by the way, we will protect our Second Amendment.

You know, Wayne and Chris are here from the NRA, and they didn't have that on the list. It's lucky I thought about it. But we will indeed. And they're great people. And, by the way, they love our country. They love our country. The NRA has been a great supporter. They love our country.

The forgotten men and women of America will be forgotten no longer. That is the heart of this new movement and the future of the Republican Party. People came to vote and these people, the media, they said where are they coming from? What's going on here? These are hard-working, great, great Americans. These are unbelievable people who have not been treated fairly. Hillary called them deplorable. They're not deplorable. Who would have thought that a word was going to play so badly? That's the problem in politics. One wrong word and it's over. She also said irredeemable, but we won't mention that.

The GOP will be from now on the party also of the American worker. You know, we haven't been as a group given credit for this, but if you look at how much bigger our party has gotten during this cycle, during the early days when we had 17 people running, the primaries, millions and millions of people were joining. I won't say it was because of me, but it was, okay? And we have an amazing, strong, powerful party that truly does want to see America be great again, and it will see it, and it's going to see it a lot sooner than you think, believe me.

A lot sooner than you think. We will not answer to donors or lobbyists or special interests, but we will serve the citizens of the United States of America, believe me. Global cooperation, dealing with other countries, getting along with other countries is good. It's very important, but there is no such thing as a global anthem, a global currency, or a global flag. This is the United States of America that I'm representing. I'm not representing the globe. I'm representing your country.

There's one allegiance that unites us all, and that is to America. America. It's the allegiance to America. No matter our background or income or geography, we're all citizens of this blessed land, and no matter our color or the blood, color of the blood we bleed, it's the same red blood of great, great patriots. Remember great patriots. We all salute with pride the same American flag, and we all are equal, totally equal in the eyes of almighty God. We're equal.

Thank you. And I want to thank, by the way, the evangelical community, the Christian community, communities of faith. Rabbis and priests and pastors, ministers because the support for me was a record, as you know, not only in terms of numbers of people but percentages of those numbers that voted for Trump. So I want to thank you folks. It was amazing, an amazing outpouring and I will not disappoint you. As long as we have faith in each other and trust in God, then there is no goal at all beyond our reach.

There is no dream too large, no task too great. We are Americans, and the future belongs to us — the future belongs to all of you. And America is coming about, it's, and it's coming back and it's roaring and you can hear it. It's going to be bigger and better. It is going to be, it is going to be. Remember. And it's roaring. It's going to be bigger and better and stronger than ever before.

I want to thank you, and Matt and Mercedes, I want to thank the two of you, and all of the supporters I have all over the place, you are really great people. I want to thank you. And I want to say to you God bless you and God bless the United States of America.

Thank you, folks. Thank you. Thank you.

Year of The Rooster 2017

Daughter From Danang

Một bé gái 6 tuổi di tản khỏi Sài Gòn tháng Ba, 1975 đã gặp lại mẹ ruột sau 22 năm xa cách, câu chuyện ngắn gọn chỉ có vậy. Nhưng thông điệp của bộ phim lại mang một ý nghĩa thâm sâu hơn và nhân bản hơn về những hệ lụy của chiến tranh.

“Chiến tranh không kết thúc cùng với tiếng súng đạn, với các bản hiệp ước được ký kết mà phải mất hàng thế hệ để hàn gắn lại vết thương chiến tranh,” đạo diễn Gail Dolgin nói với truyền hinh PBS.

Câu chuyện thật về Heidi Bub, một người con lai được đưa ra khỏi Việt Nam trong chiến dịch Operation Babylift cùng với 2,500 em mồ côi khác, gặp lại mẹ ruột Mai Thị Hiệp tại Đà Nẵng tháng Ba năm 1997 đã được Hollywood ghi vào phim nhựa dưới tựa đề Daughter from Đà Nẵng. Ý nghĩa của bộ phim và cốt truyện sống thực đã khiến phim đoạt được nhiều giải thưởng giá trị từ liên hoan phim Sundance 2002 đến liên hoan phim quốc tế San Francisco và mới gần đây đã được đề nghị tham gia giải Oscar 2003 bộ môn phim tài liệu.

Thảm kịch của chiến tranh, xa cách, dị biệt văn hóa và những tình huốn bất ngờ đã làm hai phụ nữ - mẹ và con,  khắc khoải muốn tìm đến với nhau  đã diễn biến thành một bi kịch với nước mắt dâng tràn.

Heidi Bub tức Mai Thị Hiệp có bị Mỹ hóa hoàn toàn hay những người thân cùng mẹ khác cha với Hiệp quá thực tế để trở thành phũ phàng cho một cuộc đoàn tụ tưởng chỉ ngập đầy niềm vui? Lớn lên tại Mỹ, lập gia đình với người Mỹ thì liệu Mai Thị Hiệp, hiện sống cùng chồng và hai con tại thành phố Pulaski, Tennessee có quên được nguồn gốc nửa giòng máu Việt của mình không?

Câu trả lời được các nhà làm phim thể hiện trong Daughter From Đà Nẵng http://www.daughterfromdanang.com/

Xem phim ở đây: https://youtu.be/2AU_VUe2HX0

President Donald Trump's Inauguration Speech

Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world: thank you.

We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people.

Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for years to come.

We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.

Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent. 

Today’s ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today we are not merely transferring power from one Administration to another, or from one party to another – but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People.

For too long, a small group in our nation’s Capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.

Washington flourished – but the people did not share in its wealth.

Politicians prospered – but the jobs left, and the factories closed.

The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.

Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nation’s Capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.

That all changes – starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment: it belongs to you.

It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America.

This is your day. This is your celebration.

And this, the United States of America, is your country.

What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people.

January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.

The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.

Everyone is listening to you now.

You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen before.

At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction: that a nation exists to serve its citizens.

Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves.

These are the just and reasonable demands of a righteous public.

But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.

This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.

We are one nation – and their pain is our pain. Their dreams are our dreams; and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny.

The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.

For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry;

Subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military;

We’ve defended other nation’s borders while refusing to defend our own;

And spent trillions of dollars overseas while America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.

We’ve made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has disappeared over the horizon.

One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a thought about the millions upon millions of American workers left behind.

The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed across the entire world.

But that is the past. And now we are looking only to the future.

We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power.

From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land.

From this moment on, it’s going to be America First.

Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families.

We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.

I will fight for you with every breath in my body – and I will never, ever let you down.

America will start winning again, winning like never before.

We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.

We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation.

We will get our people off of welfare and back to work – rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.

We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and Hire American.

We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world – but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first.

We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow.

We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones – and unite the civilized world against Radical Islamic Terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.

At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other.

When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.

The Bible tells us, “how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.”

We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity.

When America is united, America is totally unstoppable.

There should be no fear – we are protected, and we will always be protected.

We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by God.

Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger.

In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is striving.

We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action – constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.

The time for empty talk is over.

Now arrives the hour of action.

Do not let anyone tell you it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America.

We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again.

We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow.

A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.

It is time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget: that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American Flag.

And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty Creator.

So to all Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain, and from ocean to ocean, hear these words:

You will never be ignored again.

Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams, will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.

Together, We Will Make America Strong Again.

We Will Make America Wealthy Again.

We Will Make America Proud Again.

We Will Make America Safe Again.

And, Yes, Together, We Will Make America Great Again. 

Thank you, God Bless You, And God Bless America.

Yêu & Ghét

Đức Hà

Chỉ còn mấy ngày nữa nước Mỹ sẽ có vị Tổng Thống thứ 45: ông Donald J. Trump. Ông thắng cử nhờ phiếu của Cử Tri Đoàn, nhưng ông thua phiếu phổ thông: gần ba triệu phiếu. Điều này cho thấy nhân dân Mỹ không 100% ủng hộ ông. Cử tri phát biểu lập trường chính trị của mình qua lá phiếu nhưng vì quan điểm chính trị khác biệt nên một số đông cử tri không chấp nhận ứng viên Cộng Hòa là điều dễ hiểu "Not My President" nhưng đồng thời cũng không chấp nhận cả bà Melania Trump, người sẽ là Đệ Nhất Phu Nhân Hoa Kỳ - "Not My First Lady" nghe có vẻ hơi cực đoan cố chấp. Việt Nam ta có câu "Ghét ai ghét cả tông chi họ hàng" vậy thì liệu có phải vì tư duy, lý luận hay phán đoán của người Việt ở Mỹ đã lây sang cho người Mỹ hay không, nhưng hiện này rõ ràng đang có hiện tượng như vậy.

Ghét

Mọi sự bắt đầu từ lời phát biểu đầy chỉ trích của một nhà thiết kế thời trang Sophie Theallet, gốc Pháp hiện sinh sống và hành nghề ở New York. Chỉ hơn tuần lễ sau đêm bầu cử hồi tháng 11 năm ngoái, bà Theallet cho công bố thư ngỏ về lập trường cứng rắn dứt khoát không cộng tác với tân đệ nhất phu nhân về y phục. Thư có đoạn:

"... Là một di dân sinh sống tại đất nước này, tôi được hân hạnh có cơ hội tiếp tục thực hiện ước mơ của tôi tại Hoa Kỳ. Là người thiết kế thời trang cho Đệ Nhất Phu Nhân Michelle Obama từ tám năm qua đó là một vinh hạnh, một điểm nhấn quan trọng trong sự nghiệp của tôi. Bà Obama đã giúp phát huy thương hiệu của chúng tôi cũng như tạo cơ hội cho chúng tôi được sự trân trọng khắp thế giới.

Hành động, đạo đức nề nếp và nét kiều diễm của bà luôn được tôi hân hoan đón nhận tận đáy lòng.

Là một người có chủ trương và ngợi ca sự đa dạng trong xã hội, phát huy tự do cá nhân và tôn trọng mọi lối sống, tôi sẽ không tham gia dưới bất kể hình thức nào hay thiết kế y phục cho Đệ Nhất Phu Nhân sắp tới đây của Hoa Kỳ. Luận điệu kỳ thị, phân biệt giới tính, căm ghét người nước ngoài do chồng bà ta phát động trong suốt mùa bầu cử vừa qua không phù hợp với giá trị đạo đức mà bản thân tôi quyết tâm theo đuổi và chia xẻ.

Tôi khuyến khích các đồng nghiệp trong ngành thời trang hãy cùng tôi giữ vững niềm tin này.

Thái độ chính trực là kim chỉ nam duy nhứt mà chúng tôi trân quý."

Ơ kìa! bà Theallet này ngộ nhỉ. Chồng làm thì bà cứ ghét ông chồng, không bỏ phiếu cho ông ta chứ bà vợ có làm chính trị đâu mà bà lại phản đối. Không lẽ bà cũng chủ trương "Ghét ai ghét cả ..." chăng? Nếu vậy thì tội cho bà Melania quá. Hơn nữa bà lại gốc Pháp, người Pháp nổi tiếng là lịch lãm, cởi mở, mọi chuyện đều có thể nhún vai trề môi Xà Và (ça va) bà quên gốc gác nòi giống rồi hay sao?

Nhưng thực sự bà Trump nào có cần đến chiếc áo của nhà Theallet đâu cơ chứ. Báo chí tường thuật vào đêm đón Giao Thừa sang năm mới 2017, tân Đệ Nhất Phu Nhân lên một cái áo dạ hội của nhà may Ý nổi tiếng  Dolce & Gabbana trị giá ba nghìn đô. Nhà thiết kế Stefano Gabbana viết trên mạng Instagram rằng bà Trump cực kỳ quyến rũ trong chiếc áo do ông thiết kế và ông rất cám ơn bà đã chọn mẫu áo của nhà D&G.

Lời phát biểu khen tặng đầy mỹ ý này trở thành cơn sóng thần trong giới làm thời trang quốc tế.

Báo W Magazine viết: "Sự kiện nhà D&G hồ hởi phấn khởi khi được bà Trump chiếu cố chiếc áo của họ đã đẩy nhà tạo mẫu này về phía cực xa của một trong những chia rẽ lớn nhất trong ngành công nghiệp thời trang."

Ngay sau đó một độc giả góp ý thêm rằng ông Gabbana nên suy xét kỹ trước khi dùng tài sức để lo quần là áo lụa cho bà Trump: "Thật đáng buồn khi một nhà thiết kế đồng tính lại không quan tâm đến những nhóm người khác (sắp) bị chèn ép. Ông chỉ biết đến tiền thôi à?"

Nỗi bức xúc đó cũng thể hiện qua một nhận định đăng trên tờ LA Times rằng quả thật có rất ít hậu thuẫn đối với bà Trump trong giới thiết kế thời trang.

Những nhà thiết kế nổi tiếng như Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Derek Lam, Phillip Lim ... cũng đồng lòng từ khước hợp tác với họ hàng nhà Trump. Một ông phát biểu rằng ông Trump không nhất thiết là khuôn mẫu lý tưởng và ông đã từ chối nhiều lần thiết kế y phục cho bà Melania. Trong cùng lúc ông Jacobs đưa ra nhận xét: "Tôi sẽ dùng hết năng lực để giúp những người bị ông Trump và những người theo ông ta làm tổn hại."

Thì ra là vậy, cũng hệt như nhóm hoạt động trong ngành công nghiệp điện tử ở Silicon Valley, giới làm thời trang đều trước sau như một, sống chết với Dân Chủ, son sắt một lòng với bà Hillary Clinton. Cali, New York là hai thành trì vững chắc của Dân Chủ nên giới điện ảnh ở Hollywood, giới nghệ sĩ trình diễn ... đều một mực hậu thuẫn cho ứng viên có chủ trương Stronger Together. Vừa mới Chúa Nhật vừa qua thôi, một diễn giả đã không bỏ lỡ cơ hội để chỉ trích tổng thống tân cử tuy không nêu đích danh. Khi nhận giải thưởng Cecil B. DeMille tại lễ trao giải Golden Globes, diễn viên Meryl Streep từng lãnh ba giải Oscar khai hỏa:

"Không tôn trọng dẫn đến sự bất kính. Bạo lực kích động bạo lực. Và khi kẻ mạnh sử dụng quyền thế để tấn công người khác, thì tất cả chúng ta đều bị thiệt thòi ..."

Ý bà Streep là nhắm vào ông Trump đã có lần chế diễu một nhà báo tàn tật dạo tranh cử. Lời nói của bà được cử tọa vỗ tay nồng nhiệt tán thưởng, trong đó có tài tử George Clooney. Ông Clooney không ngần ngại nói thẳng rằng nước Mỹ đã may mắn có được các vị lãnh đạo như Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt và Kennedy, hơi bị thiếu may với Bush và bây giờ thì "Tôi nghĩ chúng ta lại thiếu may mắn nữa."

Vì lý do đó nhiều ca sĩ, nhiều ban nhạc của trường học đã từ chối biểu diễn tại liên hoan nhậm chức của ông Trump. Nhưng nhóm chuyển giao quyền lực ở Washington DC có một giải pháp khác là cho mời cả những người từng phát biểu "Not My President" đến chung vui nữa. Tuy không nói ra nhưng câu "Không mợ chợ vẫn đông" mô tả đúng với sự thật dự kiến sẽ diễn ra ngày 20 tới đây tại tiền đình trụ sở Quốc Hội Hoa Kỳ. Tuy nhiên cũng phải công nhận rằng làm nghệ thuật không thể phi chính trị, phi đảng phái được.

Theo quan điểm của giới làm thời trang thân Dân Chủ, thiết kế y phục cho bà Melania Trump tức là ngầm ủng hộ đường lối chính sách gây nhiều tranh cãi và gây nhiều bất mãn của ông Donald Trump. Rõ ràng là sau khi bà Hillary Clinton (bất ngờ) thất cử thì nước Mỹ bị phân hóa trầm trọng, trong mọi tầng lớp nhân dân, mọi ngành nghề, mọi sắc dân, mọi khuynh hướng chính trị - kể cả trong nội bộ đảng Cộng Hòa. Chẳng hạn cầu thủ bóng rổ lừng danh bốn lần MPV Lebron James của đội Cavaliers ở Cleveland cùng nhiều bạn bóng rổ khác đã từ chối không chịu ở khách sạn mang tên Trump trong thời gian đi đấu xa nhà.

Nhưng cũng may cho USA là Phó Tổng Thống Biden, người từng phát biểu "Grow up, Donald - hãy cư xử như một người trưởng thành đi," đã trân trọng xác nhận ông Donald Trump là Tổng Thống thứ 45 của Hoa Kỳ trong buổi họp của lưỡng viện Quốc Hội Hoa Kỳ ngày 06 vừa qua.

Với cái búa gỗ khõ mạnh xuống bàn, ông Biden khẳng định: "It's over - Từ này chấm dứt không bàn cãi gì thêm về phiếu bầu nữa nha."

Theo truyền thống có từ thời vị tổng thống đầu tiên George Washington là trước khi chào tạm biệt nhân dân lúc mãn nhiệm vị đương nhiệm luôn luôn nhắc nhở đồng bào phải hành xử tử tế với người kế nhiệm. Trong bài phát biểu năm 1953, Tổng Thống Harry Truman nói:

"Tôi muốn tất cả quý vị phải nhận biết rằng công việc lãnh đạo đất nước rất phức tạp và trách nhiệm nặng nề - không phải cho tôi vì tôi sắp rời khỏi đây rồi - mà cho lợi ích của người kế nhiệm. Ông ta cần sự thông cảm và sự giúp đỡ của mọi công dân."

Yêu

Có người ghét thì đương nhiên phải có người thương. Báo mạng McClatchyDC liệt kê một loạt các nhà thiết kế có quan điểm trái ngược - không để chính trị ảnh hưởng đến ngành nghề. Chẳng hạn nhà thiết kế Diane von Fustenberg phát biểu rằng ông Donald Trump đã được bầu lên, và ông ta sẽ là Tổng Thống của chúng ta. Bà Melania xứng đáng được tôn trọng như tất cả các FLOTUS - Đệ Nhất Phu Nhân Hoa Kỳ tiền nhiệm. Bà nói:

"Vai trò của chúng tôi, một phần của ngành công nghiệp thời trang là để quảng bá vẻ đẹp, tính toàn diện, nét đa dạng. Mỗi chúng ta nên phát huy với tất cả khả năng có thể và từ đó tác động đến mọi tầng lớp quần chúng."

Nhóm các nhà thiết kế ôn hòa như Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Carolina Herrera ... nói rằng họ không có vấn đề gì nếu được yêu cầu chăm sóc y phục cho họ nhà Trump.

Tình hình kẻ thương người ghét hiện nay là như vậy - nhưng liệu họ có tiếp tục ghét trong bốn năm sắp tới hay không là câu hỏi báo McClatchyDC đặt ra cho bài phóng sự liên quan đến áo quần của Đệ Nhất Phu Nhân Melania Trump. Theo trang Facebook thì có đến vài chục ngàn người thường xuyên truy cập Facebook để tìm kiếm hình ảnh của bà Melania. Mà không phải chỉ để kiếm hình xem mặt thôi mà kiếm để xem kiểu tóc, thời trang ưa chuộng của bà Melania suốt từ thời con gái, làm người mẫu thời trang đến khi trở thành bà xã của đại gia Donald Trump.

Thắc mắc cuối cùng là không hiểu vụ việc ghét/yêu này có phải là một cú thọc gậy bánh xe khác của trùm tình báo Putin hay không. Dạo này bất cứ chuyện gì xấu xa cứ chỉ ngón tay vào Putin "chính ông ta" cho hợp thời trang.