Across from the most famous house in maybe the world. I had to put my glasses on. I went clerk cant hear. It is so great to be here with you, kathy lee, with everybody around the country. The holidays are about family traditions. To like as we get ready this tree and listen to music, we are not only mindful of our own families, but our men and women serving in uniform around the world. Your service and your sacrifice are in inspiration. Millions of americans will be celebrating with their own holiday traditions, but tonight we are glad you have joined us here. Speaking of music, lets start it. Lets hear it for the United States navy band. Way to go. Now it is my great honor to welcome the first family of the United States. Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States and mrs. Trunk. Mr. President and mrs. Trunk, Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Trump thank you very much. We want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas, a happy new year, unbelievable holidays, and we are now going to light a very beautiful tree, and i will ask our first lady to get ready and maybe we will do a count down from 10. 6, 5,will go 10, 9, 8, 7, 4, 3, 2, 1. [applause] [applause] what a special treat to have these next guys with us. Please welcome one of the most iconic groups in American Music history, the beach boys. [applause] [little saint nick playing] please welcome command chaplain from the United States naval academy, father francis foley. Ladies and gentlemen, please feel free to join me. Let us pray. Dear lord, fill us with the spirit of kindness. May the message of love and mercy proclaimed by prophets and saints across the centuries remind us to embrace and share all that is good and true and beautiful. Bless this Christmas Tree and our nation. Grant all americans the wisdom to forgive old hurts, the willingness to grow in love, and the glowing spirit that reflects the golden rule. May all who pass this symbol of love be filled with joy and inspired to share your generosity and kindness with all who are in need. We pray. Amen. From the National Park goofy. , ranger good evening. On behalf of the National Park service, i want to welcome you to president park. It is an honor to be here as i celebrate my 10th year as a National Park service ranger. [applause] i grew up in brooklyn. Visit ways wanted to grand canyon and yellowstone sounded so amazing, but also so far away. Instead, i spent time with my family at my local parks. When i began a summer job at gateway Recreation Area in queens, new york, i discovered that National Parks were under my nose the entire time. There are National Parks in new york city alone. Love for they National Park service with my family and friends, like you. Anywhere i travel, my National Parks passport is in my back pocket. Dont judge me. My book is a little messy. I invite you all to visit and enjoy your National Parks with your loved ones this holiday season. These Cherished Memories may be closer than you think. Now here to perform a timeless christmas classic, please welcome acclaimed to some, us the duo. Have yourself a merry Little Christmas lightour hearts be on our troubles will be out of sight have yourself a merry Little Christmas make the yuletide gay please welcome the president and ceo of the National Parks foundation. Good evening, everyone. Theyve been called americas best idea, our beautiful and majestic National Parks. We are in one right now. Mr. President , first lady, you live in a National Park. In a partnership with the National Park service, the National Parks Foundation Welcomes you to americas 95th national Christmas Tree lighting. Welcome. [applause] herest as we are gathered this evening, our National Parks are truly Common Ground where americans come together and share the beauty, wonder, and inspiration of these places. We stand in all at the grand canyon at yellowstone and glacier. We feel our National Spirit at the lincoln memorial, the statue of liberty, and mount rushmore. We are inspired by heroes at gettysburg, pearl harbor, the Vietnam Veterans memorial, and flight 93, and the examples of susan the anthony, Martin Luther king, and cesar chavez remind us of our struggle for equality. These places are our american inheritance. Generationthat each passes to the next, the gift we give our children and our grandchildren. As the National Park foundation prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, we know that protecting our National Parks has never been the work of government alone. So much depends on the energy and commitment of local partners. Season, and all seasons, i invite you to join us. Supporting our parks is how all of us come together and help preserve our common inheritance now and forever. Thank you all for joining us this evening. Holidays,stmas, happy see you in the parks. Please welcome the secretary of the interior, ryan zinke. Sec. Zinke well, Merry Christmas, america. In just a few weeks, it will be christmas. The nativity scene, presents under the tree, and milk and cookies for santa will be seen all across this great land. Im honored to join you for another iconic image, this blessed holiday, the national Christmas Tree lighting. I would like to thank the National Park service, our rangers, and the National Park foundation for the dedication and their help in making tonight possible. [applause] sec. Zinke thank you. As americans, we can all agree that our National Parks and public land are our greatest treasures. We encourage all americans to visit a park, a battlefield, or just enjoy the Great Outdoors this season. Enjoying our public lands and celebrate the holidays are traditions of that bring all American Families together. As a retired navy seal commander, i would ask everyone to say a very special prayer for our troops and their families. For many military families, a loved one will not be at the table this year. Some are deployed, some are fighting overseas, while others have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. To these brave patriots, we are eternally rightful and we want to extend a special tribute to our gold star families. Now thank you. [applause] sec. Zinke now i would like to introduce a man who loves our parks, loves our military, and loves our country. The man who brought Merry Christmas back to our nations capital. [applause] and you did, sir. It is my high honor to introduce the president of the United States, donald j. Trump, and our beautiful first lady. [applause] [applause] pres. Trump thank you very much, everybody. This is a great honor and something very special. I want to thank for doing a fantastic job, from day one, secretary zinke. Today is a day i have been looking very much forward to to all year long. It is one we have heard and speak about an dream about and now, as the president of the United States, it is my tremendous honor to finally push wish america and the world a very Merry Christmas. [applause] pres. Trump i want to thank everyone who has come together here right in front of the white house, that beautiful, beautiful white house, and everybody watching from home to see the lighting of this Incredible NationalChristmas Tree. For nearly a century, through good times and bad, every president has taken part in this wonderful tradition, first started by president coolidge. But i was informed tonight that the weather we have is the best its been in 25 years. [applause] pres. Trump in fact i said, is it always like this . And the secretary said, it hasnt been like this for a long time. So we are very lucky. Finally, in 1870, president Ulysses S Grant signed legislation making christmas a federal holiday. And i sort of feel, we are doing that again. Thats what happening. What is happening. From the earliest days of our nation, americans have known christmas is a time for prayer and worship, or gratitude and goodwill, for peace and renewal. Melania and i are full of joy at the start of this very blessed season. We are thrilled to think about people across the nation and all across the continent whose spirits are lifted by the miracle of christmas. For christians, this is a holy season, the celebration of the birth of our lord and savior jesus christ. The christmas story begins two thousand years ago with a mother, a father, baby son, and the most extraordinary gift of all, the gift of gods love for all of humanity. Whenever our beliefs, we know the birth of jesus christ and the story of this incredible life forever changed the course of human history. There is hardly an aspect in our lives today that his life has not touched. Art, music, culture, law, and our respect for the sacred dignity of every person everywhere in the world. Each and every year, at christmas time, we recognize that the real spirit of christmas is not what we have, its about who we are, each one of us is a child of god. That is the true source of joy this time of the year. That is what makes every christmas merry. And that is what we remember in todays beautiful ceremony, that we are called to serve one another, to love one another, and to pursue peace in our hearts and all throughout the world. And so tonight, i think the thank the millions of americans that light our lives and brighten our wonderful communities. I think those who serve the needy during the season and throughout the year. I thank our military men and women who are stationed around the world keeping us safe. I thank our law enforcementnk officers who protect the streets and our homeland. I thank our teachers, pastors, and all those religious and those people that have taught us so much, for their leadership in our communities and our society. And especially tonight, i thank americas families. At christmas, we are reminded more than ever that the family is the bedrock of american life. And so, this christmas we ask for gods blessings, for our family, for our nation. And we pray that our country would be a place where every child knows a home filled with love, a community rich with hope, and the nation blessed with faith. On behalf of melania, myself, baron, all of my children, all of my grandchildren, they are here with us tonight. I want to thank you, god bless you, and god bless the United States of america. Thank you very much. Merry christmas. [applause] Merry Christmas. Happy new year, thank you. [applause] 10 00 a. M. Eastern, Queen Elizabeth delivers her message. What kind of moral character, what kind of human values are we willing to promote, are we going to forget . If you look at the u. N. Today, there is one country in the world that is the focus of 90 of you and resolutions, and that is israel. On book tv on cspan 2, world war ii veteran jerry yellen recalls his Bombing Missions over japan. The squadron took off. 27 fighter planes went down. 25 guys were killed. It is hard for me to tell you the truth of how i felt then. We were there to protect our freedom. We were there to fight. We did that. It was after the war that i suffered. On American History tv on cspan 3, hamilton playwright and actor Lin Manuel Miranda accepts the 2017 freedom award. Kit,en you are a theater you make friends from different grades and show full groups. You work hard to create something great. You learn to trust your passion and let it lead the way. Watch monday, christmas day, on cspan. Washington journal, live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. Coming up this morning, a discussion on the future of the Republican Party with henry olson. Be sure to watch washington journal live at 7 00 eastern this morning. Join the discussion. Next, a Trump Campaign poster talks about their polling methods in 2016. He is joined by strategist ted ro. From the university of Chicago Institute of politics, this is just over an hour. [applause] mr. Roe thank you so much for coming. Michael is president and ceo of baselice and associates. He has extensive experience in political campaigns and projects in the u. S. And abroad. His firm has carried out