it was an honor to be here. it has been a great evening. thank you so much and well done. it is always good to win a vote in the congress or the parliament as we call it. say, it is always reasonably satisfying to win a vote when you have people predict you are not going to win it. well done. there are so many distinguished guest. guesht -- a distinguished ts tonight. there are the thing which guests but none -- none are more distinguished than the veterans of the battle of the coral sea. bill, derekon, holyoke and from the u.s. navy john hancock. gentlemen, we salute you and we thank you. say you are all in great shape. earlier this week in townsville we thanked and welcomed sessile -- a 93-year-old who served as a 17 year old. 75 years ago, the japanese advance seemed unstoppable. there is a surprise attack on pearl harbor had a song or disabled most of the united states pacific fleet with the notable exception of the carriers. the impregnable troops at singapore had fallen. the battle cruiser had been sunk by japanese bombers off the coast. sunk ashouston had been had the carrier uss langley. most of australia's army was either fighting in the middle east or were prisoners of the japanese. indonesia, then the dutch east indies was it taken as was in the north coast of new guinea and the great naval base of recall. wasn's inexorable advance trying to isolate australia, take us out of the work and in atas if and when it suited the convenience of the new masters of the pacific and in so doing deprived the united date of a four-day from which to mount -- united states of a f orward base from which to mount its counterattack. it was intelligence that cut through the darkness. american and australian codebreakers revealed the japanese plan. forces led by the uss lexington and uss yorktown into the coral sea. for the first time, australian ships were over the -- under the overall command of the united states commander. the victory in the coral sea was the first setback for the japanese in the pacific war. the invasion force was turned back and by thinking to japanese twoiers -- by sinking japanese carriers, -- the hinge of fate turned, it turned to victory. the aircraft carrier uss lexington was lost as was the ussroyer uss systems -- sims. over 600 australian sailors and airmen died. our nations freedom was secured by the bravery of the men on those ships and the pilots that you just blew through everything. this evening president trump and i have discussed the bond our great nations formed in freedom's course from the battlefield of her mel to our forces fighting side-by-side in the middle east at this very moment. as we reflect on the battle of the coral sea, we are reminded has beene stability secured by the united states. a commitment to the peace and stability, the rule of law in our region renewed by president trump for which we thank you, sir. [applause] nationsof our great defines its national identity not by race or religion or ethnicity but to buy a commitment to shared political values as timeless as they are inclusive. freedom, democracy and the rule of law. shared values, a shared destiny. fiercely competitive, we always want to win but we know we are always more assured of winning when we are fighting together. we are confident and we trust each other, that is why the united states is the largest foreign investor in australia and the united states is our largest overseas investment destination. this relationship is built on the work of millions of australians and americans, many of whom are here with us tonight creating thousands of jobs in the usa and in australia. today, together, we condemn and we resist north korea's reckless provocation. we fight together in iran and afghanistan to defeat and destroy the terrorist who threaten our way of life. from the waters of the coral sea to the fans of the middle east today, australians and americans stand shoulder to shoulder defending our freedoms. [applause] recently i travel to baghdad and l and broughtd kabu with me the gratitude of our nation and the certain knowledge that we best honor the sacrifice of generations past by supporting the servicemen and women, the veterans and their families of today. i commend the board and the australian american association for their initiative launching a new veterans fellowship fund tonight and i thank you all for being so generous. the proceeds from this evening will enable a new generation of australian and american veterans to be recognized for their service and rewarded with the areas of earning a degree in either australia or the united states. we thank all those australians and americans who served and remember the more than 602 died in the battle of the coral sea. and all those who served in the united states and australian weense forces, we honor you, thank you, you and your families with your courage and your service, you keep us free. thank you. [applause] announcer: please welcome to the ofge the executive chairman 21st century fox, mr. rupert murdoch. >> thank you. mp, president, mrs.tru welcome home. you inn honor to be with the presence of the brave veterans of the battle of the coral sea. i am one of the few here old -- we are alllive here on this date as you were there on that day; years ago. -- 75 years ago. thanks to you we still have freedom of speech and all the rights we cherish. young americans and australians potential so their the future generations could realize our potential. -- it iseeting establishing a scholarship for veterans in gratitude of those who served. welcome to the representative of japan. not only the healing power of time but the nursing power of democracy -- but the nourishing power of democracy. [no audio] -- [applause] times andre dangerous we must be intrepid. to be fearless and bold. in defense of our nation's shores. we must be bold and unafraid in dealing with the challenges we face. the man i'm about to introduce believes as i do in challenging conventional wisdom, because conventional wisdom is not often wise at all. he is particularly significant -- the president announced today that he would be presenting saudi arabia and israel, two of our most important allies in the region. and he will have a host with pope francis. whether it is cherishing our views or allies or standing up to enemies, we should be inspired of the fortitude of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, for people and for principle. we all have a debt to those who died so that we might inherit freedom, and importantly all australians have a debt to the united states. i pay respect to our armed veterans and my forces. it is my distinct honor to introduce the commander-in-chief, the president of the united states, my friend donald j. trump. >> [applause] pres. trump: thank you. thank you so much. that is a great honor. thank you to my very good friend rupert murdoch. there is only one rupert that we know. he has been working on this for a long time. he loves australia. thanks also to the legendary talented golfer. i used to think i was a talented player, and then i played with greg one time. i said, i am not going to do that for a living. he saved me a lot of time. thank you to everyone here tonight for helping us to honor and remember those very brave souls who answered the call of freedom. also to anthony pratt, who just pledged two billion dollars. that is peanuts for him if you know him. you can do better anthony. >> [laughter] [applause] pres. trump: thank you, that is beautiful. it is a privilege to be back on the intrepid and address both american and australian heroes. melania and i are thrilled to be joined by a special prime minister and his wonderful wife, lucy, who i have just gotten to know. they said we had a rough phone call. we didn't really have a rough phone call, did we? you didn't really hang up. we had a really nice call, right? now the record is straight. thank goodness. >> [applause] pres. trump: it got a little bit testy, but that is ok. we have had a very good relationship and i am proud of the relationship. thank you very much malcolm. the prime minister and i have finished a productive discussion about the interest of our two countries. we discussed crucial issues ranging from national security to trade to immigration and enhanced economic cooperation. we reaffirm the tremendous friendship between the united states and australia and the vital importance of our security and our alliance. the armed forces of our two nations are operating side-by-side almost every day fighting to defeat isis and the scourge of terrorism. and we will eradicate terrorism. >> [applause] pres. trump: to every man and woman who has served america and australia in uniform, two proud nations salute you, believe me. there is no better place to remember the importance of military readiness than this ship. it was laid down just one week before the tragic, and the tragedy of pearl harbor, and helped secure freedom in its hour of need. this week my administration reached a historic deal with congress to end the devastating cuts to the united states military. >> [applause] >> i don't know what they are thinking when they are cutting. it is coming back fast. lots of planes, lots of ships. we will add more than $25 billion for national defense in a short period of time and we will ensure that our service members have the tools, equipment, training, and resources that they so richly deserve. >> [applause] but security also requires friends that you can truly count on. that is why i was pleased to meet with prime minister turnbull, and why i am so glad to be with you tonight. we had a great meeting just a little while ago. i thank the american australian association for this event, which i have been contributing to for years through rupert. window i have to do with that, rupert? i kept sending him money and money. i realized that was money well spent. >> [applause] pres. trump: for years, i have been doing my thing for rupert. and for his decades of work to strengthen the ties between our two countries. america and australia are old friends and really natural partners. with your help we will remain so for a very very long time to come. >> [applause] pres. trump: our two nations were born as the rebellious children of the same parent. >> [laughter] pres. trump: it is a very interesting statement. i have heard that before too about people. and for nearly a century, americans and australians have fought together, bled together, and died together as brothers and sisters. since the first world war, when australians led americans in battle, our brave warriors fought shoulder to shoulder in every major conflict together. they are righteous cause has been the same, the safety of our citizens and survival of our freedom. from the beaches of normandy, a vicious vicious fight, to the jungles of vietnam, and the desert landscapes of the middle east, with lots of progress believe it or not, is being made. americans have had no better friends than the australians. i mean that. >> [applause] pres. trump: we are proudly and profoundly grateful for australia's contributions in syria, iraq, and afghanistan, and their help in the fight against terrorism following the terrible attacks of september 11. on behalf of the united states, i thank the australian people tonight. we love australia, all of us. thank you very much. >> [applause] pres. trump: i know there are many active duty service personnel from both nations with us in the audience. i want to express our gratitude to each and every one of you. we are privileged to be joined by many amazing veterans from our two countries, and really from so many different conflicts. there are so many conflicts that we fought on and worked on together. and by the way, in all cases, succeeded on. it is nice to win. and we have won a lot, haven't we mr. prime minister? we're going to keep it going, by the way. you have given your love and loyalty to our nations. a room of grateful patriots says thank you. we are especially honored by the presence tonight of seven world war ii veterans. we have been talking about them all night, but i should mention their name once again. perhaps for the final time tonight, or we can keep mentioning them, because they are worth it. their names again -- holyoak,ock, darrel roger spooner and bill white. great people. [applause] pres. trump: these men stood at the breach at the battle to save civilization, and their sacrifice kept us free. 75 years ago this week, these men saw that historic battle with their own eyes. we have also covered that very vicious, violent battle. this is a little bit of a different description. the end result was the same. we won. we won. they saw enemy planes flying toward them by the dozen. they saw the flames erupt into the air. they saw the true cost on the faces of those that never returned. on this special night we remember the courage of these men and every man, australian and american, who fought in the battle of the coral sea. >> [applause] pres. trump: the count of the dead goes on and on, and the number of wounded do not even begin to describe the toughness of the fight, and their incredible sacrifice. but perhaps in the story of one man, we can hope to get a small glimpse of its measure. it is the story of lieutenant jack powers, a navy flyer. he grew up miles from here in a modest apartment in washington heights right up the road. he then went on to the united states naval academy. there his roommate told him, never trust him to expect conventionality. he wasn't a conventional person. he is a hilarious rebel and his own man. you will like him. he is just a different kind of a guy. in other words, he was a new yorker. >> [laughter] [applause] pres. trump: by the attack on pearl harbor, jack had already served six years in the navy. in the six months that followed, the allies suffered many defeats and many casualties. japan captured footholds all across the pacific. and that was closing fast on australia. in may 1942 they moved on the base just a few hundred miles from australian shores. it was there off the coast that american and australian ships met the enemy in the coral sea. on the morning of may 7, jack powers launched his dauntless dive bomber from the deck of the yorktown. he was some flyer, i can tell you that. soon he dived straight at an enemy carrier and dropped his bomb solo. he was almost caught in the blast. he was badly hurt. he escaped, and the carrier sank. that night on the yorktown, jack urged the other pilots to take the same risk. that is the way to do it, that is the way you win. that is the way you sink them. whatever the cost, even if it cost you your lives. that is how you think the ship. -- that is the way you sink the ship. he pressed his point. remember the folks back home are counting on us. in their courage, they turned the tide of the pacific war. they had tremendous success. they were knocking out ship after ship. that day jack flew his plane straight into gunfire to land as -- to land a devastating blow on its deck. seconds later, the colossal blast, the one jack was taking about, engulfed him in flame, and jack was gone. he was dead. he was brave. but what a job he did. sometime before jack died, he sent a wire home to his dad in new york. it read dear dad, 1000 miles away doesn't make any difference. your bad son is thinking of you, hoping he is worthy of being called a chip off the old block." his father was a tough cookie also. now it is we who are thinking of jack and all of those brave souls who fought alongside of him, with the incredible form of attack, and especially those that have found their resting place beneath the waters where they waged that greatest of battles. they lost their lives in the fires of war, but gained immortality through their sacrifice. and now 75 years later we hope that we are worthy of their deeds in the beautiful beautiful coral sea. we hope to be worthy of the sacrifices they -- made by every service member who has fought in our name, past and present. the men who fought the first and second world war saw terrible lyings, horrible things, death things but they also witnessed spectacular valor and bravery. from the records of that horrible war, they rebuild their relations -- their nations and launched civilization to new heights. they knew that together free people can achieve extraordinary things. and that one hero can make all the difference in the world. in those pacific waters, we forged iron bonds between our two countries. few peoples in the world share ties of history, affection, and culture like the americans and the australians. few, believe me. >> [applause] pres. trump: those ties were sealed with the blood of our fathers and grandfathers, and those same ties are now the priceless heritage we celebrate so beautifully tonight. so with love for our two nations, with pride in our shared history, and with faith in almighty god, we renew our old friendship and pledge our lasting partnership in the search for prosperity and everlasting peace. mr. prime minister, thank you very much. i am honored that you are here. i am honored that mrs. turnbull is here. i am honored that everyone in this room is with us to realize what a great great relationship our two nations have together. god bless you. and god bless our fallen heroes. god bless the australian people. and god bless the united states of america. thank you all. >> [applause] >> please welcome to the stage vice-chairman of the board for chevron. q&a,ncer: tonight on defense news naval warfare correspondent on the navy's scandal involving contractor fat winner francis. -- fat leonard francis. >> it shocked the culture of the navy that people were corrupted to provide information about ship movements and other things as well in exchange for not that much money but very lavish lifestyles. announcer: tonight at eight eastern on c-span's q&a. announcer: c-span's washington journal, live every day with the news and policy issues that impact you. monday morning, university of texas law school professor will join us to discuss today's hearing on the trump administration's travel ban. then richard weiss talks about the u.s. missile defense system and the border reporter for arizona republic discusses the cost of deporting illegal immigrants. be sure to watch c-span's washington journal live at seven eastern monday morning. join the discussion. now a discussion on president trump's view of nationalism. from washington journal, this is about 30 minutes. >> joining us from las vegas is a contributor to the weekly standard and his latest piece looking at what makes america