Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama Final Election Speech Transcripts
Donald Trump Acceptance Speech
Trump: Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business, complicated.
[applause]Trump: Thank you very much.
[applause]Trump: I’ve just received a call from Secretary Clinton.
[applause]Trump: She congratulated us, it’s about us, on our victory, and I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard-fought campaign. I mean, she… She fought very hard.
[applause]Trump: Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country. And I mean that very sincerely.
[applause]Trump: Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division; we have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and Independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.
[applause]Trump: It’s time. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be President for all Americans, and this is so important to me.
[applause]Trump: For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people…
[laughter]Trump: I’m reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country.
[applause]Trump: As I’ve said from the beginning, ours was not a campaign, but rather an incredible and great movement made up of millions of hard-working men and women who love their country and want a better, brighter future for themselves and for their families.
[applause]Trump: It’s a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religions, backgrounds and beliefs who want and expect our government to serve the people, and serve the people it will.
[applause]Trump: Working together, we will begin the urgent task of rebuilding our nation and renewing the American dream. I’ve spent my entire life in business, looking at the untapped potential in projects and in people all over the world. That is now what I want to do for our country.
[applause]Trump: Tremendous potential. I’ve gotten to know our country so well, tremendous potential. It’s going to be a beautiful thing. Every single American will have the opportunity to realize his or her fullest potential. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.
[applause]Trump: We are going to fix our inner cities and rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals. We’re going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none. And we will put millions of our people to work as we rebuild it.
[applause]Trump: We will also finally take care of our great veterans.
[applause]Trump: Who’ve been so loyal, and I’ve gotten to know so many over this 18-month journey. The time I’ve spent with them during this campaign has been among my greatest honors. Our veterans are incredible people. We will embark upon a project of national growth and renewal. I will harness the creative talents of our people and we will call upon the best and brightest to leverage their tremendous talent for the benefit of all. It’s going to happen.
[applause]Trump: We have a great economic plan. We will double our growth and have the strongest economy anywhere in the world. At the same time, we will get along with all other nations willing to get along with us. We will be.
[applause]Trump: We’ll have great relationships. We expect to have great, great relationships. No dream is too big, no challenge is too great. Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach. America will no longer settle for anything less than the best.
[applause]Trump: We must reclaim our country’s destiny and dream big and bold and daring. We have to do that. We’re going to dream of things for our country and beautiful things and successful things once again. I want to tell the world community that while we will always put America’s interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone, with everyone, all people and all other nations. We will seek common ground, not hostility; partnership, not conflict. And now I’d like to take this moment to thank some of the people who really helped me with this, what they are calling tonight, very, very historic victory.
[applause]Trump: First, I want to thank my parents, who I know are looking down on me right now. Great people. I’ve learned so much from them. They were wonderful in every regard. I had truly great parents. I also want to thank my sisters, Maryanne and Elizabeth, who are here with us tonight. And, where are they? They’re here someplace. They’re very shy, actually. And my brother, Robert, my great friend. Where is Robert? Where is Robert? My brother, Robert. And they should all be on this stage, but that’s okay. They’re great. And also my late brother, Fred. Great guy. Fantastic guy.
[applause]Trump: Fantastic family. I was very lucky. Great brothers, sisters; great, unbelievable parents. To Melania and Don…
[applause]Trump: And Ivanka, and Eric and Tiffany and Baron, I love you and I thank you, and especially for putting up with all of those hours. This was tough. This was tough. This political stuff is nasty and it’s tough. So I want to thank my family very much. Really fantastic. Thank you all. Thank you all. And Lara, unbelievable job, unbelievable. Vanessa, thank you. Thank you very much. What a great group. You’ve all given me such incredible support, and I will tell you that we have a large group of people. They kept saying we have a small staff. Not so small. Look at all the people that we have. Look at all of these people. And Kellyanne and Chris and Rudy and Steve and David. We have got… We have got tremendously talented people up here. And I want to tell you, it’s been… It’s been very, very special. I want to give a very special thanks to our former mayor, Rudy Giuliani.
[applause]Trump: Unbelievable. Unbelievable. He traveled with us and he went through meetings. That Rudy never changes. Where’s Rudy? Where is he? Rudy. Governor Chris Christie, folks, was unbelievable.
[applause]Trump: Thank you, Chris. The first man, first senator, first major, major politician, and let me tell you, he is highly respected in Washington because he’s as smart as you get: Senator Jeff Sessions. Where is Jeff?
[applause]Trump: Great man. Another great man, very tough competitor. He was not easy. He was not easy. Who is that? Is that the mayor that showed up? [chuckle] Is that Rudy? Oh, Rudy got up here. Another great man who has been really a friend to me. But I’ll tell you, I got to know him as a competitor because he was one of the folks that was negotiating to go against those Democrats: Dr. Ben Carson. Where is Ben?
[applause]Trump: Where is Ben?
[applause]Trump: And by the way, Mike Huckabee is here someplace, and he is fantastic. Mike and his family, Sarah, thank you very much. General Mike Flynn. Where is Mike?
[applause]Trump: And General Kellogg. We have over 200 generals and admirals that have endorsed our campaign. And they’re special people and it’s really an honor. We have 22 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. We have just tremendous people. A very special person who believed me and I’d read reports that I wasn’t getting along with him. I never had a bad second with him. He’s an unbelievable star. He is… That’s right, how did you possibly guess? So let me tell you about Reince, and I’ve said this. I said, “Reince… ” And I know it, I know. Look at all those people over there. I know it. Reince is a superstar. But I said, “They can’t call you a superstar, Reince, unless we win,” because you can’t be called a superstar… Like Secretariat. If Secretariat came in second, Secretariat would not have that big, beautiful bronze bust at the track at Belmont. But I’ll tell you, Reince is really a star. And he is the hardest-working guy. And in a certain way, I did this… Reince, come up here. Where is Reince? Get over here, Reince. Boy, oh boy, oh boy.
[applause]Trump: It’s about time you did this, Reince. My God. Say a few words. No, come on, say something.
[applause]Reince Priebus: Ladies and gentlemen, the next President of the United States, Donald Trump. Thank you. It’s been an honor. God bless. Thank God.
Trump: Amazing guy. Our partnership with the RNC was so important to the success and what we’ve done. So I also have to say I’ve gotten to know some incredible people, the Secret Service people.
[applause]Trump: They’re tough and they’re smart and they’re sharp, and I don’t want to mess around with them, I can tell you. And when I want to go and wave to a big group of people and they rip me down and put me back down on the seat. But they are fantastic people, so I want to thank the Secret Service.
[applause]Trump: And law enforcement in New York City. They’re here tonight.
[applause]Trump: These are spectacular people, sometimes under-appreciated, unfortunately, but we appreciate them. We know what they go through. So it’s been what they call a historic event, but to be really historic, we have to do a great job. And I promise you that I will not let you down. We will do a great job. We will do a great job.
[applause]Trump: I look very much forward to being your President, and hopefully at the end of two years or three years or four years, or maybe even eight years…
[applause]Trump: You will say, so many of you worked so hard for us, but you will say that… You will say that that was something that you really were very proud to do and I can…
[background conversation]Trump: Thank you very much. And I can only say that while the campaign is over, our work on this movement is now really just beginning.
[applause]Trump: We’re going to get to work immediately for the American people. And we’re going to be doing a job that hopefully you will be so proud of your President. You’ll be so proud. Again, it’s my honor. It was an amazing evening. It’s been an amazing two-year period. And I love this country.
[applause]Trump: Thank you. Thank you very much.
[applause]Trump: Thank you to Mike Pence. Thank you everybody.
Hillary Clinton’s Concession Speech
Clinton: Thank you.
[applause]Clinton: Thank you all.
[applause]Clinton: Thank you. Thank you all very much. Thank you. Thank you, thank you so much. Very rowdy group. Thank you my friends, thank you. Thank you. Thank you so very much for being here and I love you all, too. Last night, I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country. I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans. This is not the outcome we wanted, or we worked so hard for. And I’m sorry that we did not win this election for the values we share and the vision we hold, for our country. But I feel… I feel pride and gratitude for this wonderful campaign that we built together, this vast, diverse, creative, unruly, energized campaign. You represent the best of America and being your candidate has been one of the greatest honors of my life.
[applause]Clinton: I know how disappointed you feel because I feel it too. And so do tens of millions of Americans who invested their hopes and dreams in this effort. This is painful and it will be for a long time. But I want you to remember this. Our campaign was never about one person or even one election. It was about the country we love and about building an America that’s hopeful, inclusive, and big hearted. We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought. But I still believe in America and I always will. And if you…
Clinton: Then we must accept this result and then look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead. Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power, and we don’t just respect that, we cherish it. It also enshrines other things. The rule of law, the principle that we are all equal in rights and dignity, freedom of worship and expression. We respect and cherish these values too, and we must defend them.
[applause]Clinton: And let me add, our constitutional democracy demands our participation, not just every four years, but all the time. So let’s do all we can to keep advancing the causes and values we all hold dear. Making our economy work for everyone, not just those at the top. Protecting our country and protecting our planet and breaking down all the barriers that hold any American back from achieving their dreams. We’ve spent a year and a half bringing together millions of people from every corner of our country, to say with one voice that we believe that the American Dream is big enough for everyone. For people of all races and religions, for men and women, for immigrants, for LGBT people and people with disabilities. For everyone.
[applause]Clinton: So now our responsibility as citizens is to keep doing our part to build that better, stronger, fairer America we seek. And I know you will. I am so grateful to stand with all of you. I wanna thank Tim Kaine and Anne Holton for being our partners on this journey.
[applause]Clinton: It has been a joy getting to know them better and it gives me great hope and comfort to know that Tim will remain on the front lines of our democracy representing Virginia in the Senate.
[applause]Clinton: To Barack and Michelle Obama, our country owes you an enormous debt of gratitude.
[applause]Clinton: We thank you for your graceful, determined leadership that has meant so much to so many Americans and people across the world. And to Bill and Chelsea, Mark, Charlotte, Aiden, our brothers and our entire family, my love for you means more than I can ever express. You criss-crossed this country on our behalf and lifted me up when I needed it most. Even four months old Aiden, who traveled with his mom. I will always be grateful to the creative, talented, dedicated men and women at our headquarters in Brooklyn and across our country.
[applause]Clinton: You poured your hearts into this campaign. For some of you who are veterans, it was a campaign after you had done other campaigns. Some of you, it was your first campaign. I want each of you to know that you were the best campaign anybody could have ever expected or wanted.
[applause]Clinton: And to the millions of volunteers, community leaders, activists, and union organizers who knocked on doors, talked to neighbors, posted on Facebook, even in secret, private Facebook sites.
[applause]Clinton: I want everybody coming out from behind that and make sure your voices are heard going forward.
[applause]Clinton: To everyone who sent in contributions, as small as $5, and kept us going, thank you. Thank you from all of us. And to the young people in particular, I hope you will hear this. I have, as Tim said, spent my entire adult life fighting for what I believe in. I’ve had successes and I’ve had setbacks, sometimes really painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your professional, public, and political careers. You will have successes and setbacks, too. This loss hurts, but please, never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.
[applause]Clinton: It is, it is worth it. And so, we need you to keep up these fights now, and for the rest of your lives. And to all the women, and especially the young women, who put their faith in this campaign, and in me, I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion.
[applause]Clinton: Now, I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but someday, someone will, and hopefully sooner than we might think right now.
[applause]Clinton: And to all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable, and powerful, and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.
[applause]Clinton: Finally, I am so grateful for our country, and for all it has given to me. I count my blessings every single day that I am an American. And I still believe, as deeply as I ever have, that if we stand together and work together, with respect for our differences, strength in our convictions, and love for this nation, our best days are still ahead of us.
[applause]Clinton: Because you know I believe we are stronger together, and we will go forward together.
[applause]Clinton: And you should never, ever regret fighting for that. Scripture tells us, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” So, my friends, let us have faith in each other. Let us not grow weary. Let us not lose heart. For there are more seasons to come, and there is more work to do. I am incredibly honored and grateful to have had this chance to represent all of you in this consequential election. May God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America!
[applause]
Obama Speaks on Trump Victory
Obama: Good afternoon, everybody. Yesterday, before votes were tallied, I shot a video that some of you may have seen in which I said to the American people, regardless of which side you were on in the election, regardless of whether your candidate won or lost, the sun would come up in the morning. That is one bit of prognosticating that actually came true. The sun is up, and I know everybody had a long night. I did as well. I had a chance to talk to President-elect Trump last night about 3:30 in the morning, I think it was, to congratulate him on winning the election, and I had a chance to invite him to come to the White House tomorrow to talk about making sure that there is a successful transition between our presidencies. Now, it is no secret that the president-elect and I have some pretty significant differences, but remember eight years ago President Bush and I had some pretty significant differences. President Bush’s team could not have been more professional or more gracious in making sure we had a smooth transition so that we could hit the ground running. One thing you realize quickly in this job is that the presidency and the vice presidency is bigger than any of us.
Obama: So I have instructed my team to follow the example that President Bush’s team set eight years ago and work as hard as we can to make sure that this is a successful transition for the president-elect because we are now all rooting for his success in uniting and leading the country. The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy, and over the next few months, we are going to show that to the world. I also had a chance last night to speak with Secretary Clinton, and I just had a chance to hear her remarks. I could not be prouder of her. She has lived an extraordinary life of public service. She was a great First Lady, she was an outstanding Senator for the state of New York, and she could not have been a better Secretary of State. I’m proud of her. A lot of Americans look up to her. Her candidacy and nomination was historic and sends a message to our daughters all across the country that they can achieve at the highest levels of politics. I’m absolutely confident that she and President Clinton will continue to do great work for people here in the United States and all around the world. Now, everybody is sad when their side loses an election, but the day after, we have to remember that we’re actually all on one team. This is an intramural scrimmage. We’re not Democrats first, we’re not Republicans first; we are Americans first, we’re patriots first.
Obama: We all want what’s best for this country. That’s what I heard in Mr. Trump’s remarks last night, that’s what I heard when I spoke to him directly, and I was heartened by that. That’s what the country needs; a sense of unity, a sense of inclusion, a respect for our institutions, our way of life, rule of law, and a respect for each other. I hope that he maintains that spirit throughout this transition, and I certainly hope that’s how his presidency has a chance to begin. I also told my team today to keep their heads up because the remarkable work that they have done day in, day out, often without a lot of fan fair, often with a lot of attention, working agencies, working obscure areas of policy that make government run better, and make it more responsive, and make it more efficient, and make it more service-friendly so that it’s actually helping more people, that remarkable work has left the next president with a stronger, better country than the one that existed eight years ago. Win or lose in this election, that was always our mission. That was our mission from day one. Everyone on my team should be extraordinarily proud of everything that they have done, and so should all the Americans that I’ve had a chance to meet all across this country, who do the hard work of building on that progress every single day.
Obama: Teachers in schools, doctors in ER clinic, small businesses putting their all into starting something up, making sure they’re treating their employees well, all the important work that’s done by moms, and dads, and families, and congregations in every state, the work of perfecting this union. So this was a long and hard-fought campaign. A lot of our fellow Americans are exultant today, a lot of Americans are less so, but that’s the nature of campaigns, that’s the nature of democracy. It is hard, and sometimes contentious and noisy. It’s not always inspiring. But to the young people who got into politics for the first time and may be disappointed by the results, I just want you to know you have to stay encouraged. Don’t get cynical. Don’t ever think you can’t make a difference. As Secretary Clinton said this morning, fighting for what is right is worth it. Sometimes you lose an argument, sometimes you lose an election. The path this country has taken has never been a straight line, we zig and zag and sometimes we move in ways that some people think is forward and others think is moving back, and that’s okay. I’ve lost elections before. Joe hasn’t, but… So I’ve been sort of…
Biden: You beat me badly.
[laughter]Obama: That’s the way politics works sometimes. We try really hard to persuade people that we’re right, and then people vote, and then if we lose, we learn from our mistakes, we do some reflection, we lick our wounds, we brush ourselves off, we get back in the arena, and we go at it. We try even harder the next time. The point, though, is that we all go forward with the presumption of good faith in our fellow citizens because that presumption of good faith is essential to a vibrant and functioning democracy. That’s how this country has moved forward for 240 years, it’s how we’ve pushed boundaries and promoted freedom around the world, that’s how we’ve expanded the rights of our founding to reach all of our citizens, it’s how we have come this far, and that’s why I’m confident that this incredible journey that we’re on as Americans will go on and I’m looking forward to doing everything that I can to make sure that the next president is successful in that. I’ve said before, I think of this job as being a relay runner. You take the baton, you run your best race, and hopefully by the time you hand it off, you’re a little further ahead, you’ve made a little progress, and I can say that we’ve done that and I wanna make sure that handoff is well executed because, ultimately, we’re all on the same team. Alright. Thank you very much, everybody.
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