My fellow Americans,

On this wonderful occasion of the 250th birthday of the United States of America, we celebrate our history, our heroes, our flag, our freedom, our unyielding spirit, and the promise of even more greatness that lies ahead. 

We share a tradition of winning. This is what makes our country unique. We are winners. 

This is what it means to be an American. And we knew how to win right from the start.

On the morning of April 19, 1775, hundreds of British soldiers in their bright red coats marched out of Boston to put down the colonial rebellion and arrest the rebel leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock.

The British moved in tight, disciplined columns, shoulder to shoulder, with drums beating and flags flying, just as they had been trained to do so well. 

But along their 20-mile route were hundreds of farmers, blacksmiths, and shopkeepers, ordinary men with rifles who fired on their oppressors from behind stone walls and trees, before melting back into the countryside.

The soldiers’ red coats made perfect targets. Their strict discipline and perfect formation became a death sentence against the unyielding spirit of resourceful and determined men defending their liberty.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War and the dawn of the first light of American freedom that forever stands as a beacon of hope to the world.

Then came the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, when brother fought brother in the bloodiest conflict in our history, the fight to abolish slavery.

You would never have heard of Abraham Lincoln if he had negotiated a deal and avoided the war, but it was not to be.

Our young nation faced its greatest test and emerged as a more perfect union. 

Through courage, sacrifice and the unshakeable belief that all men are created equal, the United States was forged into one indivisible nation under God.

Our bountiful nation was built by generations of brave patriots who gave everything they had for our freedom and prosperity. They sacrificed their lives in battle; they laid the railroads and highways; they built the skyscrapers; they won two world wars; they dreamed big dreams; and they achieved the impossible, time and again.

In a spirit of generosity and with an expectation of cohesion, generations of Americans welcomed people from all corners of the globe to join them.

We all had winning and cohesion in common — but this is a warning: We must not lose the cohesion. 

For the sake of America and the whole world, we must be strong, powerful and honest. We must have fair elections and a free and fair press, which we don’t have right now.

We are one family and one nation. We salute the same beautiful flag. We share the same glorious freedoms. And whenever our way of life has been threatened, we have responded. 

We are Americans. We never give in, we never give up, and our country is only going to get better than ever before.

— President Donald J. Trump