Will the guests please rise and arrival. Anding for the military honors for the president of the United States, our National Anthem, in the invocation. Forelcome the band assisting us today. Ladies and gentlemen, our platform guests. Ms. Mary baldwin. Greg willard, white house staff assistant to president ford and commissioning committee cochairman. Mr. Byron cavaney, commissioning committee cochairman. Mr. Douglas devos, committee cochairman. From Huntington Ingalls shipbuilding, mr. Matthew mulherin and, who most recently served as president of newport news shipbuilding. Rear admiral bruce lindsey, United States navy, commander, and Naval Air Forces atlantic. Rear admiral brian antonio, United States navy, Program Executive officer, Aircraft Carriers. Vice admiral thomas moore, United States navy, commander, naval seas shipments command. Vice admiral michael shoemaker, United States navy, commander, Naval Air Forces. Admiral frank caldwell, United States navy, director, Naval Nuclear propulsion program. Admiral phillips davidson,nited states navy, Commander Fleet forces command. Richardson, United States navy, chief of naval operations. The honorable sean stackley, secretary of the navy, acting. The honorable donald rumsfeld, former secretary of defense. [applause] the honorable scott taylor, United States representative, second district, commonwealth of virginia. The honorable robert scott, United States representative, third district, commonwealth of virginia. The honorable richard cheney, former Vice President of the United States. [applause] [cheers] the honorable rick snyder, governor, state of michigan. [applause] the honorable gary peters, United States senator, state of michigan. [applause] the honorable roger wicker, United States senator, state of mississippi. [applause] the honorable james mattis, secretary of defense. [applause] the honorable terry mcauliffe, governor, commonwealth of virginia. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, our ships sponsor, mrs. Susan ford bales. [applause] she is escorted today she is escorted today by master chief laura nunley, command master chief, uss gerald r. Ford. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States, escorted today by captain richard mccormack, United States navy, perspective commanding officer, uss gerald r. Ford. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States. Platform and a salute. [cannons] ready . Ladies and gentlemen, the National Anthem will be performed by gerald r. Fords own chief petty officer. Advance the colors. Platform. Hand salute. Present arms. Oh, say can you see, by the dawns early light, what so proudly we hailed, at the twilights last gleaming . Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, oer the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave, oer the land of the free, and the home of the brave [applause] retire the colors. Forward march. [drum roll] platform. Ready. Two. Ladies and gentlemen, chaplain barstow will offer the invocation. Please pray with me. We gather together here today as one body, though we come from many different backgrounds, representing many different religions and from many different cultures. Today, we gather as one. We are here to celebrate together. We gather to celebrate the commissioning of this mighty ship, the uss gerald r. Ford. We gather here to celebrate the accomplishments of the United States navy, to living out our code of honor, courage, and commitment. We gather here to celebrate the greatest nation in the world, the United States of america. In one voice, we lift our prayer together, invoking that which is beyond us, in the realm of the spiritual and supernatural. We invoke your blessing on all we do here today. And we pray for your continued protection upon the ford and all the fordclass carriers to follow. Bless us lord. Bless this crew, bless this ship, and may we all be worthy and faithful to the mission for which we have been called. We pray this in your mighty name. Amen. Will the guests please be seated. Ships company, parade rest. Ladies and gentlemen, the honorable terry mcauliffe, governor, commonwealth of virginia. [applause] gov. Mcauliffe good afternoon, everyone. First of all, mr. President , the cabinet, to our fellow guests, Governor Snyder from michigan, susan ford bales, let me be very clear, mr. President. I know you worry about 50 states, but let me tell you, you are here in the greatest state in the greatest nation on earth, the commonwealth of virginia. [applause] [cheers] and we are great because of the 9000 individuals who built this beautiful ship, the uss gerald r. Ford. If we could give a round of applause for the 9000 shipbuilders who made this possible today. [applause] mr. President , if you want to save taxpayer money and help our military, you keep investing. You put all of the military contracts here and the commonwealth of virginia. We will deliver on time, ahead of budget, because we are the greatest workforce in america. Of the 27so proud military installations, the Largest Naval base in the world. Lets hear it for every man and woman here who wears the cloth of this great country. [applause] [cheers] and finally, to the state, the number one state in america for veterans. We have more female veterans, more veterans under the age of 25, fastestgrowing veteran population in america. We love our veterans here in the commonwealth of virginia. Last year, the first state in america to be certified to functionally end veteran homelessness, the commonwealth of virginia. I could go on and on. We love our active duty. We love our veterans. What an honor, susan, to have this ship named after your father. You think a man who, after pearl harbor, enlisted in the United States navy and took over our country at a very difficult time and led our nation with dignity. We are so grateful for president ford and to the ford family for being here today. Enjoy yourselves if you are visiting. Spend every penny in your pockets before leaving the commonwealth of virginia. Thank you. Go navy. [applause] thank you, governor mcauliffe. Ladies and gentlemen, mr. Matthew mulherin, former president , newport news shipbuilding. [applause] good morning. Ladies and gentlemen, and most especially our ships sponsor, susan ford bales. I always start my speeches by saying how privileged i am to be here, representing the women and men of newport news shipbuilding. Today, these words take on even greater meaning to me personally, as they are the last time i will be saying them in an official capacity before my retirement. And so while today is a wonderful day for the navy, i would like to reflect for just a moment on the builders of this magnificent Aircraft Carrier. It is not easy work and shipbuilding is not for everyone. Yet i am proud to say we have 20,000 of americas finest shipbuilders across the water, newport news, proudly building the Aircraft Carriers and submarines that serve and protect our great nation. They come to work each day to do their best and be their best. President ford embodied this work ethic. He once said, the harder you work, the luckier you are. And i work like hell. Our Ship Builders work like hell every single day. And i tell you that we are also pretty lucky. We are lucky to work in an industry that allows us to be part of something greater than ourselves. We are lucky to carry on president fords legacy for future generations. And we are lucky to work alongside the best and brightest. When it comes to building the most complex ships in the world, luck has little to do with it. It is skill, craftsmanship, and an unwavering commitment to quality that gets the job done. Building cvn78 has been an exciting journey, from the early Design Concept to our keellaying to the sea trials. We put her through the paces and tested all of our systems. We drove her like we stole her, and she performed like a champ. I am honored to say we has in that i have been here for every step of her journey. And because of this i can confidently say that this Aircraft Carrier represents the very best of american manufacturing, innovation, and experience. She represents the best of the u. S. Navy and captain mccormack and her fine crew. The strength,ents courage and integrity of the 38th president of the United States. The fleet today and she will reign over the seas, just as her predecessors have done for decades. But unlike her sister ships, this ship has a secret weapon. Her name is susan. Susan ford bales has redefined what being a sponsor is. Her love for this ship, her fathers legacy to this nation, is inspiring. She has provided a living connection to a great man, husband, president , and dad. We will always consider her our fellow shipbuilder and friend. To everyone who made this incredible ship possible, congratulations on the commissioning of uss gerald r. Ford. Thank you. [applause] thank you, mr. Mulherin. Admiral john richardson, United States navy. Chief of naval operations. [applause] admiral richardson good morning, everybody. And welcome aboard 100,000 tons of made in the usa. [applause] what a day of celebration. I could go on and on but it feels like it is starting to get a little warm in here, so i will keep my remarks short. Certainly, the ford family is celebrating today. What a fitting tribute to their fathers legacy. President ford, a man of humility, integrity, and body, and the leadership, and and ourrhaps best sponsor, susan ford bales. Maam, thank you for bringing your spirit to this ship. As matt mulharen clearly and concisely said, a day of celebration for our shipbuilders, here in newport news and throughout the nation, who worked so hard to bring this ship together. Definitely a day of celebration for the captain and crew of the gerald r. Ford who, from this day forward, will no longer be a shipbuilding project but a warship and a crew and, finally, a great day of celebration for the navy and the nation. For when gerald r. Ford moves forward, starts cutting into the waves, she will be protecting our interests and defending our nation for years to come. To give you a sense of what we are talking about here, the last person to command the gerald r. Ford has not even been born yet. That is how long this ship will be around. So it is a great day of celebration for so many, but not for everybody. Those in the world who wish to terrorize us here in the United States and abroad. Those who wish to challenge our shores, planning attacks. Those who may challenge our prosperity and our trade. Those who challenge our values this is not a day of celebration for them. This is their worst nightmare. They will lie awake at night, fearing that they may one day come and appear on the target list of the uss gerald r. Ford. And so, god bless the uss gerald r. Ford of the United States navy. [applause] god bless the ford and the navy, a comfort to our nation and our allies and a nightmare to our enemies. Thank you very much. [applause] thank you, admiral richardson. Ladies and gentlemen, the honorable sean stackley, secretary of the navy, acting. [applause] sec. Stackley susan, you have built well. Your team of shipbuilders, they ir tremendous workmanship is only exceeded by their tremendous pager design. Patriotism. Your father would be very proud. Mr. President , one of your predecessors famously remarked, speak softly and carry a big stick. We offer you, sir, a big stick. [laughter] [applause] so many distinguished guests, officers and crew, who proudly , call yourselves the gerald r. Ford. History will remember him as the man who, in the great constitutional crisis of the last century, would be chosen by congress to lead our nation. Today, we remember him as the man who, when the seas were at the most tempesttossed, gave orders to the home, steady she goes. And in doing so, returned our ship safely to harbor and restored trust in our government. As we consider this ship his ship, which will serve our country throughout much of this century in our navy, we take pride in knowing long before he became our commander in chief, before he rose to the ranks of our congress, he served in our navy. And his ears at sea, at war in the pacific, taught him the most fundamental truth. A truth that would serve him throughout his time at the helm of our congress and of our country. That we are a maritime nation. That the freedoms we cherished so deeply here in america, that the blessings of these freedoms and in the strength of our navy they are one. In his time, president ford commissioned what was then the navys newest Aircraft Carrier, the uss nimitz. Day readingthat through this day. As each of us looks upon this ship a single thought must seize ease our mind that only the , United States of america can make an machine like this. There is nothing like it in the world. Wherever she shows her flag, she will be seen as we see her now. A solid symbol of United States strength, United States resolve, made in america, manned by americans. So it is today the uss nimitz is underway in the arabian sea. And her sister ship, the george h. W. Bush is turning into the wind in the mediterranean, while the Ronald Reagan stands watch over the western pacific. And yes these ships stand as a , symbol of United States strength and United States resolve. They are our nations great instrument of security and of goodwill. So, skipper, as we marvel about dauntingology and numbers of this ship never lose , sight that, in time of crisis, you will be the first to respond. And when called upon, you will deliver the final word in the bidding of our nation. Whenever you sail, wherever you sail, you will be a symbol of United States resolve, and you will be a symbol of the man whose name you bear. So, steady she goes. There is truly nothing like it in the world today. Godspeed, gerald r. Ford. God bless her sponsor, who gives you strength. And god bless these United States that you will defend. Thank you. [applause] thank you, secretary. Ladies and gentlemen, the honorable james mattis, secretary of defense. [applause] secretary mattis ladies and gentlemen, today a magnificent worship joins the best navy in the world. It is named after a tried and true member of the greatest generation and that spirit will permeate the ship, a long as it sails on the seas. Spirit,as the u. S. Navy we have just began to fight. Mr. President , you will send the ship in harms way and they will fail in harms way for you, for our nation and what weve and four. Let me say what you have been waiting to hear. Ladies and gentlemen, our commander and chief, president donald trump. Thank you. [applause] President Trump thank you very for thecretary mattis wonderful introduction and your devoted service to our nation. Nobody has done it like you. I am thrilled to be back on this magnificent ship, for this with themoment, amazing men and women of the United States navy. [applause] President Trump i was with you knew that iago, i had to be here today. I told you i would be back to congratulate you, and the crew, and everybody involved on newest,oning the largest, most advanced Aircraft Carrier in the history of this world. That is a big achievement. After today, wherever this ship sails, you will all carry a proud title. Asnk owner of the u. S. Gerald r ford. [applause] for the rest of your lives you will be able to tell your friends and family that you served on the greatest ship in the United States navy. In my opinion, on the greatest ship anywhere in the world. Everyone should take a moment to celebrate this incredible achievement. I want to think the many Public Servants thank the many Public Servants who have joined us today. Governor snyder, governor mcauliffes, senator wicker and members of congress, secretary stapley, admiral richardson, senior military leaders, and of course, the great captain mccormick. [applause] President Trump captain, i know you will exemplify integrity at the helm. Have a good time doing it. Proud of you. To the entire ford family, susan, jack, steve and mike for all you have done to support the ship on its this ship on its voyage. [applause] i also want to record guys to other people who are very recognize two other people who are special to president ford. Thank you Vice President cheney and former secretary of defense, rumsfeld. [applause] they looktrump great. They look great stunning ship into the service of our nation, we must also pay tribute to the thousands of