As prepared for delivery.
Good morning. Thank you to Senator Blackburn for that kind introduction and for inviting me to say a few words. Let me begin by recognizing Representative Jeremy Faison for his leadership. Of course, I also want to acknowledge members of the Trump family who are here today, including the President’s sister, Elizabeth, and sister-in-law, Ann Marie. I know I speak for everyone when I say that we are honored and grateful to celebrate this occasion alongside you.
On the heels of America’s 250th anniversary, it is fitting that we gather along one of the great highways that binds our nation together. Interstate 40 begins on one coast and ends on another. It carries workers before dawn, families after dusk, and now, above the waters of Douglas Lake, the name of the president who puts them first. A president who is unsparing in his efforts to restore American strength and unyielding in his resolve to reclaim American sovereignty.
When Tennesseans sent President Trump back to Washington with the largest mandate in state history, they knew the promise of his pro-growth agenda because its principles have driven people here in droves. In fact, about every twelve minutes, as five taxpayers flee California, a new one moves to Tennessee so that they can keep more of what they make, build a business with fewer barriers, and raise a family with greater confidence. And I would be remiss not to recognize Senator Blackburn for leading that fight against a state income tax that would have frustrated this momentum, and Congressman Burchett for his exemplary leadership against reckless government spending.
In many ways, Tennessee embodies the best of what President Trump is building nationally as we place American workers, manufacturers, and families back at the core of our policies where they belong.
Having just returned from the NATO summit in Turkey, I can tell you that the force of his convictions is matched only by the energy with which he pursues them.
President Trump signed the largest tax cuts in American history. Rebalanced global trade in favor of our working families. Reclaimed our position as the world’s leading energy producer. Saved this country by securing its borders. And set in motion a sweeping deregulatory agenda that generated more savings last year than in those of the prior Trump Administration combined.
One by one, these wins are strengthening our nation’s economic foundation and reducing our reliance on foreign supply chains.
Our economy has averaged over 100,000 jobs per month for the last four months and real GDP growth increased at a rate of 2.7 percent over the past four quarters. Private sector employment is up more than 900,000 since Inauguration Day. The Working Families Tax Cuts delivered the largest share of tax relief directly to millions of low- and middle- income Americans. Companies have poured trillions of dollars of new investment into our country. We are building more factories here than ever before. More Americans, meanwhile, are working under President Trump than at any other time in history. And in arguably his most enduring legacy, Trump Accounts give every child a stake in the American Dream from day one with a free, $1,000 seed contribution invested in the stock market. More than 6 million children are already enrolled in the Trump Accounts program, which launched less than a week ago. And 86 percent of these children are from families earning less than $200,000.
That record of achievement is the reason we gather here this morning. It’s why the people of Tennessee have bestowed this great honor, and why there is no one more deserving of it than Donald J. Trump.
So, from this day forward, every driver that encounters this bridge will see that it bears his name because he has never stopped fighting for the people who travel it. Because he has made their cause his own.
That is the legacy Tennesseans have chosen to commemorate this morning. And it is the story that this stretch of Interstate 40 will tell for generations to come.
So, thank you again for the privilege of joining you on this wonderful occasion. I am honored to be here on behalf of the Trump Administration. And I am now pleased to invite my fellow speakers to join me for the official unveiling.
Thank you.
###