President Donald Trump delivered a speech for the ages aboard the USS George HW Bush where he helped commemorate the 250th anniversary of the creation of the U.S. Navy. A perfectly-timed flyover, rousing support from the sailors, and classic comedic chops from the Commander-in-Chief marked an overall great speech in Norfolk.
Ever the showman, Trump wasted no time highlighting both his presence and the precision non-pareil of one of the world’s most elite fighting forces. Taking the stage, the president declared “God bless the USA!” right as a squadron of fighter jets flew over the aircraft carrier. Upon their passing, Trump, wearing a hat with the numbers 45 and 47 emblazoned on it, looked gleefully around, as if to remind everyone what just happened and how special it was.
Almost immediately, the sailors aboard the 10th and final Nimitz-class supercarrier erupted into a raucous chant shouting “USA! USA!” over and over again. The president soaked in the moment, smiling and nodding in approval. As the chants slowed down, he asked rheotircally, “Well, that was good timing, wasn’t it?” with a bit of a laugh at the end.
Trump continued about the flyover: “We had to get that right, but they always get it right. I was just given a display with a wonderful First Lady, the likes of which I think few people have ever seen before. We were a few minutes away, and the display of strength was absolutely incredible. We appreciate it. Thank you, Navy.”
Watch the beginning of Trump’s speech with the flyover and chanting below:
Later in the speech, Trump delivered his brand of trademark humor replete with the perfectly-timed delivery and punctuation. At the moment in the speech, the president was simply running down a list of names of people he was celebrating, and the time came to mention Texas Congressman Ronnie Jackson. Jackson, of course, was the former White House doctor spanning many years.
“A man that everybody loves. He was my doctor in the White House, and I got to know him very well,” Trump said before introducing Jackson. “He was also the doctor for Barack Hussein Obama. Have you heard of him? And he was a doctor for a man named Bush.”
“And at a press conference, they asked him, who’s in the best shape, who’s the healthiest, Who’s the strongest, who’s the best physical specimen of the three. Said that’s easy. President Donald Trump. And I said, I love this guy. I said, I love him!”
Watch Trump’s hilarious storytelling below:
Trump marked the end of the speech with a captivating and surprisingly emotional tenor. “And standing before all of you today, I know that whatever our nation is threatened and whenever they need help, whenever duty calls, American sailors will hoist our flag high, and they will rally to Admiral farragut’s Immortal battle cry, Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead. Go with your help. We will fight, fight, fight. We will win, win, win,” he said, invoking some of the most iconic naval expressions ever uttered.
“Because of you, our Navy, our country will always be proud and righteous and mighty and free. Congratulations once again on 250 years of total dominance. Sail fast. Stay strong. Thank you. God bless our sailors and God bless the United States of America,” the president ended.
Featured image: Screen shot from embedded video