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Remarks by President Trump in Christmas Video Teleconference with Members of the Military
Press Release:
Oval Office • December 25, 2018 • 9:17 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Hello and merry Christmas - very special people. Thank you very much. There's no greater privilege for me than to serve as your Commander, and you know that. Being Commander-in-Chief of what we're building - what has been built, but what we're building - is something really very special.You're a part of the greatest fighting force in the history of the world, the U.S. Military. I'm thrilled to speak to you on behalf of our country for this beautiful - and representing this beautiful Christmas Day in the United States.
I know it's a great sacrifice for you to be away from your families, but I want you to know that every American family is eternally grateful to you, and we're holding you close in our hearts, thoughts, and prayers. We're all praying for you. We love what you do. We love your work. You're amazing people.
From Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, I want to welcome the soldiers of Task Force Talon. Lieutenant Colonel Johannes Castro, I understand that as part of the unit's asset protection responsibilities, Task Force Talon played a critical role in securing and protecting assets and personnel when Typhoon Tutu[Yutu] struck earlier this year. I heard it was a big one - one of the biggest. That was one of the strongest storms ever to hit a U.S. territory in fact. And we want to thank you for the incredible work. Everybody is talking about it. They're all very grateful. So thank you all for that incredible work.
I also want to welcome the Marines from Attack Squadron 223. Known as the "Great American Bulldogs," your squadron faced adversity before deploying when Hurricane Florence struck your home base at Cherry Point. Yet the Bulldogs were ready to go, and within 48 hours of arriving in Bahrain, the squadron was flying combat missions. You were back very quickly.
Since then, you delivered thousands of pounds of ordinance against ISIS. Lieutenant Colonel Wineman, these achievements are a lasting credit to the unstoppable tenacity of the Bulldogs. And I just want to thank you all. That was a great job you've done. And I know it's a great job you will be doing for a long time. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
Joining us from Bahrain is Captain Benjamin Allbritton, Chief of Staff of Naval Forces Central Command. Captain, the Fifth Fleet and our Combined Maritime Forces strike fear into the adversaries by projecting the awesome strength of American power. Our mighty naval forces are unrivaled anywhere in the world - not even close. And as you know, with our new and very, very increased military budgets, we're building you more ships. We're building a lot of different things for all of our forces - $716 billion. So I know you're very happy. That's a lot of good equipment, and you see it coming already.
We're also pleased to welcome the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing from the United States Air Force. The 379th is the largest expeditionary air wing anywhere in the world, performing tens of thousands of daring missions every year. In fact, the 379th flies nearly 20 percent of all daily sorties, and dispenses more fuel than any - if you think of it - of the next five Air Force bases combined. That's a big operation.
Brigadier General Jason Armagost is the Commanding Officer, and I want to say merry Christmas to you and the airmen of the Guard and the Grand Slam Wing. And it is, in fact - in fact, when I look at your work, it truly is a Grand Slam Wing. It's a great job, fellas. We really appreciate it - and folks.
Finally, joining us from Juneau, Alaska are the men and women of Coast Guard District 17. Lieutenant Matthew Spado is the senior Coast Guard officer on the call. In the last year, District 17 has saved 265 lives, assisted more than 600 others in distress, conducted 275 pollution responses, 156 law enforcement boardings, and saved nearly $20 million of property. District 17 proves that the United States Coast Guard is "Always Ready."
And I've been saying about the Coast Guard - when I was in Texas, I've never seen anything like it; they saved thousands of lives. The Coast Guard is very special. And if there was ever a score on branding, I think the Coast Guard in this country would have probably increased by the highest score of any group. I'm talking about businesses; I'm talking about anything - the branding of the Coast Guard because of what you did in the hurricanes in Texas and in Florida and in Puerto Rico - all over. You were incredible. We want to thank you very much. It was a great job.
To every service member listening and to those standing watch all around the world, it is because of your service and your courage and your willingness to be away from the ones you love that American families can celebrate at home in safety and peace. It's an incredible thing you do. You're incredible people.
On behalf of the First Lady and the entire Trump family, we thank God for each and every one of you. And let's have a little fun now. We'll go around, and you can ask me any question you want. That doesn't mean I'll let them do it - but, you, I can do it. Okay?
So why don't we start with the Army. Lieutenant Colonel John Castro. John?
LIEUTENANT COLONEL CASTRO: Mr. President, I'm Lieutenant Colonel John Castro, the Commander of Task Force Talon. On behalf of the soldiers, family members, and contractors of Task Force Talon, we wish you a merry Christmas and happy holidays from the tropical U.S. territory of Guam.
As we conclude a Christmas on this side of the Western Pacific, morale remains high, and our soldiers remain proud to serve our great nation. Along with our joint partners here on Andersen Air Force Base and in the Pacific, our (inaudible) remains high and we remain ready in defense, ready to protect our nation as the first line of defense. Sir, Mr. President, no questions from this side.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. So, John, how is it going in Guam? How are things going? I've heard it's an incredible place in terms of a military operation. The people are terrific that you work with. But how is it doing in Guam?
LIEUTENANT COLONEL CASTRO: So, Mr. President, things are going really well here. You mentioned the typhoon; it's been a very active tropical storm season here in the Western Pacific. In addition to Typhoons Maria and Mangkhut, you mentioned Tropical Storm Yutu. They just - they were really active. And actually, that's something we train for and maintain as part of our readiness.
THE PRESIDENT: I know when I first became President, the supplies on Guam were very low - one of the first things I heard about. They were really low, in terms of virtually every aspect of supply. And now I know you're stocked up to the brim. Is that correct?
LIEUTENANT COLONEL CASTRO: Absolutely, Mr. President. We're well - we have good reserves and are able to do our wartime missions, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Right. But it is true, it was pretty low for a period of time, right? You had a lot of empty buildings. We filled them up fast.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL CASTRO: I imagine so.
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Thanks a lot, John. I appreciate it. Great job. Great job. Thank you.
On the Air Force, Brigadier General Jason Armagost. And so, Jason, how is it going?
BRIGADIER GENERAL ARMAGOST: Great, sir. I'd like to wish you a merry Christmas on behalf of the 7,000 men and women at Al Udeid Air Base, here in Doha, Qatar. And the mission continues. We are working 24/7, 365 on providing Global Strike intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; airlift and cargo and tanker operations; including a defensive space control as well across the entirety of CENTCOM. It keeps us busy, but we are one of the strategic locations that goes - Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria every day - and the airmen are proud to do so.
We also jointly operate here with soldiers, sailors, Marines, and 28 coalition partners, as part of the CAOC for command and control. So it's a fascinating operation, but we have taken the time to wish a merry Christmas back to you and the people of the United States.
THE PRESIDENT: So how are they doing in Qatar? How are they doing getting together with Saudi Arabia and UAE and - what's the latest word? You probably know better than anybody, but maybe I shouldn't be asking you that question. How are they doing getting together? Do you see anything - any signs of hope?
BRIGADIER GENERAL ARMAGOST: Well, sir, I will say that, from within Qatar, as a host, they are fantastic. They take good care of us. They burden share with us. They're helping us to improve our infrastructure and really make this kind of a crown jewel of a base. You know, we don't track necessarily the political followings of Saudi Arabia and UAE, with regards to Qatar. But I will tell, they're fantastic hosts, they're great to us, and it's a fascinating place to work and operate from.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, that's true, and it is a great place, and it's an incredible base, as I understand it. And we'll get out to see you one day. And thank you very much. Fantastic job. Thank you.
BRIGADIER GENERAL ARMAGOST: Yes, sir. Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: So now we have the Navy and the Marines together. That's the way it should be, right? Together. And that's fantastic. And you're in Bahrain. So maybe I can ask - Captain and Lieutenant Colonel, maybe you could say a few words, please.
CAPTAIN ALLBRITTON: Yes, sir. Good morning, Mr. President. It is an absolute honor to speak to you today. We really appreciate this call. On behalf of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps and also the U.S. Coast Guard team, we want to wish you a merry Christmas and best wishes for 2019.
I would say at no other time in our history are we more united in our operations together here in the Central Command area. We also work with our Air Force brothers and sister at Al Udeid to execute our strategy here at CENTCOM; it is absolutely seamless.
And you mentioned in your opening about airplanes and ships and everything else. But I'll tell you, the real secret factor to our success are our people. I have magnificent sailors like (inaudible) sitting next to me, Sergeant Major Bower. The commitment they have, on a daily basis, to execute the mission is amazing. And that's the real x-factor, and that's what sets our force apart from any other force in the world.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, that's true. And I know you do have great equipment being sent there, but there's nothing like the personnel; you have to have people to use it. Plenty of people have good equipment - only if they buy from us because we have the best equipment and we make the best equipment. But I can tell you this, that nobody can use it like us. That's one thing we've seen and we know it very well. We study it. Nobody uses it like us. So I just want to thank you.
Please, go ahead.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL WINEMAN: Mr. President, good morning. From Sergeant Major Bower, myself, just wanted to wish you and all the American people, especially our families that are back home holding down the fort, a very, very merry Christmas and happy holidays.
I can tell you, sir, in your opening, you talked about Hurricane Florence and what effect that had on my unit. And I can tell you, all these Marines out here that are doing these - loading these jets, getting them ready for flight every day - I work them hard, 24/7, every single day of the week, and they've done a fantastic job, and we couldn't do that without the American people, and especially our families.
My wife Amina and the Sergeant Major's wife Shelly, and all the families of 223, they have had our back and they are literally repairing our homes as we speak. I've had over ten whole families (inaudible) completely destroyed, and it is just a - it's really representative of what the Marine Corps and what the United States Military is all about: coming together. We came together as a Command and really got the job done. So it's just my pleasure to be here serving.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, that's great. And with Bahrain and with Qatar - there's six different ways of pronouncing that, from "Qatar" to "Qatar," right? There's many, many ways of pronouncing it; all of them are acceptable. I've said, "Well, which one?" I guess, maybe, they like me. They say, "You can say it any way you want."
But, you know, I'm asking them for a lot more money than they've been paying over the years for burden sharing. And those are examples - those are two countries that have the money; it's unlimited money. And we're asking them to put up a lot of money, and they're happy to do it because we're performing a service like nobody in the world could perform. We're keeping them safe.
Go Back
Oval Office • December 25, 2018 • 9:17 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Hello and merry Christmas - very special people. Thank you very much. There's no greater privilege for me than to serve as your Commander, and you know that. Being Commander-in-Chief of what we're building - what has been built, but what we're building - is something really very special.You're a part of the greatest fighting force in the history of the world, the U.S. Military. I'm thrilled to speak to you on behalf of our country for this beautiful - and representing this beautiful Christmas Day in the United States.
I know it's a great sacrifice for you to be away from your families, but I want you to know that every American family is eternally grateful to you, and we're holding you close in our hearts, thoughts, and prayers. We're all praying for you. We love what you do. We love your work. You're amazing people.
From Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, I want to welcome the soldiers of Task Force Talon. Lieutenant Colonel Johannes Castro, I understand that as part of the unit's asset protection responsibilities, Task Force Talon played a critical role in securing and protecting assets and personnel when Typhoon Tutu[Yutu] struck earlier this year. I heard it was a big one - one of the biggest. That was one of the strongest storms ever to hit a U.S. territory in fact. And we want to thank you for the incredible work. Everybody is talking about it. They're all very grateful. So thank you all for that incredible work.
I also want to welcome the Marines from Attack Squadron 223. Known as the "Great American Bulldogs," your squadron faced adversity before deploying when Hurricane Florence struck your home base at Cherry Point. Yet the Bulldogs were ready to go, and within 48 hours of arriving in Bahrain, the squadron was flying combat missions. You were back very quickly.
Since then, you delivered thousands of pounds of ordinance against ISIS. Lieutenant Colonel Wineman, these achievements are a lasting credit to the unstoppable tenacity of the Bulldogs. And I just want to thank you all. That was a great job you've done. And I know it's a great job you will be doing for a long time. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
Joining us from Bahrain is Captain Benjamin Allbritton, Chief of Staff of Naval Forces Central Command. Captain, the Fifth Fleet and our Combined Maritime Forces strike fear into the adversaries by projecting the awesome strength of American power. Our mighty naval forces are unrivaled anywhere in the world - not even close. And as you know, with our new and very, very increased military budgets, we're building you more ships. We're building a lot of different things for all of our forces - $716 billion. So I know you're very happy. That's a lot of good equipment, and you see it coming already.
We're also pleased to welcome the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing from the United States Air Force. The 379th is the largest expeditionary air wing anywhere in the world, performing tens of thousands of daring missions every year. In fact, the 379th flies nearly 20 percent of all daily sorties, and dispenses more fuel than any - if you think of it - of the next five Air Force bases combined. That's a big operation.
Brigadier General Jason Armagost is the Commanding Officer, and I want to say merry Christmas to you and the airmen of the Guard and the Grand Slam Wing. And it is, in fact - in fact, when I look at your work, it truly is a Grand Slam Wing. It's a great job, fellas. We really appreciate it - and folks.
Finally, joining us from Juneau, Alaska are the men and women of Coast Guard District 17. Lieutenant Matthew Spado is the senior Coast Guard officer on the call. In the last year, District 17 has saved 265 lives, assisted more than 600 others in distress, conducted 275 pollution responses, 156 law enforcement boardings, and saved nearly $20 million of property. District 17 proves that the United States Coast Guard is "Always Ready."
And I've been saying about the Coast Guard - when I was in Texas, I've never seen anything like it; they saved thousands of lives. The Coast Guard is very special. And if there was ever a score on branding, I think the Coast Guard in this country would have probably increased by the highest score of any group. I'm talking about businesses; I'm talking about anything - the branding of the Coast Guard because of what you did in the hurricanes in Texas and in Florida and in Puerto Rico - all over. You were incredible. We want to thank you very much. It was a great job.
To every service member listening and to those standing watch all around the world, it is because of your service and your courage and your willingness to be away from the ones you love that American families can celebrate at home in safety and peace. It's an incredible thing you do. You're incredible people.
On behalf of the First Lady and the entire Trump family, we thank God for each and every one of you. And let's have a little fun now. We'll go around, and you can ask me any question you want. That doesn't mean I'll let them do it - but, you, I can do it. Okay?
So why don't we start with the Army. Lieutenant Colonel John Castro. John?
LIEUTENANT COLONEL CASTRO: Mr. President, I'm Lieutenant Colonel John Castro, the Commander of Task Force Talon. On behalf of the soldiers, family members, and contractors of Task Force Talon, we wish you a merry Christmas and happy holidays from the tropical U.S. territory of Guam.
As we conclude a Christmas on this side of the Western Pacific, morale remains high, and our soldiers remain proud to serve our great nation. Along with our joint partners here on Andersen Air Force Base and in the Pacific, our (inaudible) remains high and we remain ready in defense, ready to protect our nation as the first line of defense. Sir, Mr. President, no questions from this side.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. So, John, how is it going in Guam? How are things going? I've heard it's an incredible place in terms of a military operation. The people are terrific that you work with. But how is it doing in Guam?
LIEUTENANT COLONEL CASTRO: So, Mr. President, things are going really well here. You mentioned the typhoon; it's been a very active tropical storm season here in the Western Pacific. In addition to Typhoons Maria and Mangkhut, you mentioned Tropical Storm Yutu. They just - they were really active. And actually, that's something we train for and maintain as part of our readiness.
THE PRESIDENT: I know when I first became President, the supplies on Guam were very low - one of the first things I heard about. They were really low, in terms of virtually every aspect of supply. And now I know you're stocked up to the brim. Is that correct?
LIEUTENANT COLONEL CASTRO: Absolutely, Mr. President. We're well - we have good reserves and are able to do our wartime missions, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Right. But it is true, it was pretty low for a period of time, right? You had a lot of empty buildings. We filled them up fast.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL CASTRO: I imagine so.
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Thanks a lot, John. I appreciate it. Great job. Great job. Thank you.
On the Air Force, Brigadier General Jason Armagost. And so, Jason, how is it going?
BRIGADIER GENERAL ARMAGOST: Great, sir. I'd like to wish you a merry Christmas on behalf of the 7,000 men and women at Al Udeid Air Base, here in Doha, Qatar. And the mission continues. We are working 24/7, 365 on providing Global Strike intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; airlift and cargo and tanker operations; including a defensive space control as well across the entirety of CENTCOM. It keeps us busy, but we are one of the strategic locations that goes - Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria every day - and the airmen are proud to do so.
We also jointly operate here with soldiers, sailors, Marines, and 28 coalition partners, as part of the CAOC for command and control. So it's a fascinating operation, but we have taken the time to wish a merry Christmas back to you and the people of the United States.
THE PRESIDENT: So how are they doing in Qatar? How are they doing getting together with Saudi Arabia and UAE and - what's the latest word? You probably know better than anybody, but maybe I shouldn't be asking you that question. How are they doing getting together? Do you see anything - any signs of hope?
BRIGADIER GENERAL ARMAGOST: Well, sir, I will say that, from within Qatar, as a host, they are fantastic. They take good care of us. They burden share with us. They're helping us to improve our infrastructure and really make this kind of a crown jewel of a base. You know, we don't track necessarily the political followings of Saudi Arabia and UAE, with regards to Qatar. But I will tell, they're fantastic hosts, they're great to us, and it's a fascinating place to work and operate from.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, that's true, and it is a great place, and it's an incredible base, as I understand it. And we'll get out to see you one day. And thank you very much. Fantastic job. Thank you.
BRIGADIER GENERAL ARMAGOST: Yes, sir. Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: So now we have the Navy and the Marines together. That's the way it should be, right? Together. And that's fantastic. And you're in Bahrain. So maybe I can ask - Captain and Lieutenant Colonel, maybe you could say a few words, please.
CAPTAIN ALLBRITTON: Yes, sir. Good morning, Mr. President. It is an absolute honor to speak to you today. We really appreciate this call. On behalf of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps and also the U.S. Coast Guard team, we want to wish you a merry Christmas and best wishes for 2019.
I would say at no other time in our history are we more united in our operations together here in the Central Command area. We also work with our Air Force brothers and sister at Al Udeid to execute our strategy here at CENTCOM; it is absolutely seamless.
And you mentioned in your opening about airplanes and ships and everything else. But I'll tell you, the real secret factor to our success are our people. I have magnificent sailors like (inaudible) sitting next to me, Sergeant Major Bower. The commitment they have, on a daily basis, to execute the mission is amazing. And that's the real x-factor, and that's what sets our force apart from any other force in the world.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, that's true. And I know you do have great equipment being sent there, but there's nothing like the personnel; you have to have people to use it. Plenty of people have good equipment - only if they buy from us because we have the best equipment and we make the best equipment. But I can tell you this, that nobody can use it like us. That's one thing we've seen and we know it very well. We study it. Nobody uses it like us. So I just want to thank you.
Please, go ahead.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL WINEMAN: Mr. President, good morning. From Sergeant Major Bower, myself, just wanted to wish you and all the American people, especially our families that are back home holding down the fort, a very, very merry Christmas and happy holidays.
I can tell you, sir, in your opening, you talked about Hurricane Florence and what effect that had on my unit. And I can tell you, all these Marines out here that are doing these - loading these jets, getting them ready for flight every day - I work them hard, 24/7, every single day of the week, and they've done a fantastic job, and we couldn't do that without the American people, and especially our families.
My wife Amina and the Sergeant Major's wife Shelly, and all the families of 223, they have had our back and they are literally repairing our homes as we speak. I've had over ten whole families (inaudible) completely destroyed, and it is just a - it's really representative of what the Marine Corps and what the United States Military is all about: coming together. We came together as a Command and really got the job done. So it's just my pleasure to be here serving.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, that's great. And with Bahrain and with Qatar - there's six different ways of pronouncing that, from "Qatar" to "Qatar," right? There's many, many ways of pronouncing it; all of them are acceptable. I've said, "Well, which one?" I guess, maybe, they like me. They say, "You can say it any way you want."
But, you know, I'm asking them for a lot more money than they've been paying over the years for burden sharing. And those are examples - those are two countries that have the money; it's unlimited money. And we're asking them to put up a lot of money, and they're happy to do it because we're performing a service like nobody in the world could perform. We're keeping them safe.
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