The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President's chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President's foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.
Thank you. Good evening. Well, those lights are bright.
Now I can see you. Anyway, but good
evening and thank you all for coming and welcome to Atlanta.
This is what I think has been a very
productive start to what I hope will
be a very productive ministerial. Our job is obviously,
as I said earlier today,
to create the platform upon which our leaders will be able to meet in
a few weeks in Doral and really have a successful G20.
Together, I think that we are mapping a vibrant,
dynamic, and bold economic future,
one that will pioneer new horizons for the entire world.
So I wanted to take a moment to thank the city of Atlanta for being
our host in this spectacular place that I've never been to before,
but is one of the treasures in our country.
You know, the history of Atlanta is a testament
to what human ingenuity can achieve.
It was less than 200 years ago.
This city, what we know today as Atlanta,
was little more than a railroad junction,
a wooden stake driven into the clay, marking the end of the line.
Its original name was actually Terminus.
That was the name of it, the place where
the railway ended, literally stopped.
Within a few decades, of course,
it became a thriving center of commerce.
And when the Civil War left the city devastated,
it was one of the places that was almost
burned down, its people rebuilt it.
And in the generations that followed,
they transformed a modest railroad town
into one of the great commercial powerhouses in the United States.
Here in Georgia and across the whole of the American South,
we see a vision of our economic future taking shape.
It's alive, it's expanding, it's on the move,
it's bursting with limitless possibility.
We see revolutionary inventions and innovations.
Many of the fastest growing cities in our nation, in the United States,
are here in the South.
We see new factories, we see new businesses, we see new jobs.
Both white-collar jobs and blue-collar jobs alike.
We see world-class universities teaming
with brilliant, creative students
who are preparing literally as we speak to lead
their country's future into new frontiers.
The explosion of dynamism, prosperity,
and creative energy taking place here is not an accident.
It is the direct result of a series
of policy decisions rendered by the leaders of these states.
These were deliberate decisions aimed at giving their businesses,
their entrepreneurs, their citizens,
the opportunities to build, to innovate,
and to grow, to provide the economic foundations,
the infrastructure, and the regulatory environment needed
to unleash the potential of their people.
The economy of the future that Americans
are building here in Atlanta and throughout the South,
And all across our country, really.
Can belong to our economic partners and allies and friends as well.
A future of economic prosperity
and growth that is backed by secure, affordable energy
and regulations that encourage innovation
and growth in the industries of tomorrow.
Since day one of his term,
President Trump has prioritized realizing this vision.
It is in the economic and national
security interest of the United States
that we are energy dominant, that we have robust supply chains,
that we remove the regulatory hurdles that hamper growth,
and that we lead in the advancement of superintelligence
and other critical emerging technologies.
By the way, I say that's in our national interest,
but I would also argue it's probably in the national interest
of every country represented at this gathering,
that you also have energy and technology
and advancements and innovation and so forth.
It's also President Trump's mission,
and many of your leaders' missions,
to see that this group focuses on core economic policy issues.
We want to implement practical solutions, solutions that deliver real,
positive results from our perspective for the American people,
from your perspective for the people of your countries,
and ultimately of the world.
As the United States has been host of the G20 this year,
we've held gatherings across the country that have focused
on many aspects of our advanced economies.
And now topics that have been covered include trade,
fiscal and monetary policy, emerging technology, and energy.
This week, we maintain that sharp focus on our economic interests,
building on our prior meetings, and setting the stage for our leaders
and their summit in Doral in just a few weeks.
I'd also like to take a moment to note the inclusion
of Poland as a full participant in this G20.
President Trump believes their economic success
and growing global influence
is exactly what the G20 needs to tackle
the major economic challenges we all face.
And we're very excited to have them with us here today and this week.
The economic challenges facing our countries are complex
and they are interconnected.
Because we all face these challenges,
we must all work together to address them.
The future of our nations depend on our willingness
to understand that while our interests may
not always align, we should always seek
to work together to advance them when and where
they do align.
It is in all of our interests that we commit to doing so.
My team and I want to work with you to ensure that the Leaders Summit
It's my sincere hope that we can lay
a solid foundation of aligned commitment and shared
focus on policies that advance our common interests
and help our nations prosper for
generations to come.
So welcome to Atlanta.
Welcome to the United States.
Thank you.
It's been very productive.
I look forward again to tomorrow and, of course,
look forward to Doral in just a few weeks.
Thank you very much.
