President Donald Trump shared his vision for "America first" on Friday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“America is open for business and we are competitive once again,” Trump said in his speech.
About 3,000 elite global leaders in business, government, and civil society attended the four-day event. “Creating a shared future in a fractured world” was this year's theme.
Trump speech marks only the second time that a sitting president has attended the event in person, according to the White House. Former President Bill Clinton attended regularly but former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush never appeared at the annual forum.
And organizers rolled out the red carpet for Trump to make sure he felt welcome and honored, The Hill reported.
Trump addressed jobs and the economy, trade, military spending and terrorism, and immigration in his speech.
Trump touted low unemployment numbers and tax cuts that are creating more jobs and putting more money in Americans' paychecks.
"Since my election, we've created 2.4 million jobs, and that number is going up very, very substantially," he said.
"We lowered our corporate tax rate from 35 percent all the way down to 21 percent. As a result, millions of workers have received tax cut bonuses from their employers in amounts as large as $3,000," he said. "The tax cut bill is expected to raise the average American's household income by more than $4,000."
Trump said his administration is freeing businesses to thrive and grow: "America is the place to do business, so come to America where you can innovate, create and build."
"I believe in America," Trump continued. "As president of the United States, I will always put America first just like the leaders of other countries should put their country first also."
"But America first does not mean America alone," he said. "When the United States grows, so does the world."
Trump said the U.S. supports open trade, but won't tolerate countries that exploit the system:
We support free trade, but it needs to be fair and it needs to be reciprocal because, in the end, unfair trade undermines us all. The United States will no longer turn a blind eye to unfair economic practices including massive intellectual property theft, industrial subsidies, and pervasive state-led economic planning.
Trump said he expects all leaders to protect their country's interest, just as he said he does for the U.S.
"As president of the United States, I will always protect the interests of our country, our companies, and our workers," he said.
The president said that the U.S. is also willing to negotiate on "mutually beneficial, bilateral trade agreements," including countries within the Trans-Pacific Partnership either individually or as a group if it benefits all involved.
Investments in the American military are a priority for the Trump administration.
And he called on U.S. allies to do the same to help make the world safer from "rogue regimes, terrorism, and revisionist powers" because without security, he said, we cannot have prosperity.
"My administration is proud to have led historic efforts at the United Nations Security Council and all around the world to unite all civilized nations in our campaign of maximum pressure to de-nuke the Korean peninsula," Trump said.
He went on to call on allies to "confront Iran's support for terrorists and block Iran's path to a nuclear weapon."
Trump told attendees that the U.S. immigration system is outdated.
"We must replace our current system of extended family chain migration with a merit-based system of admissions that selects new arrivals based on their ability to contribute to our economy, to support themselves financially, and to strengthen our country," he said.
He closed his speech by calling those in power to use it to lift up, raise hopes, and empower their people.
"Each of you has the power to change hearts, transform lives, and shape your country's destinies," Trump said. "With this power comes an obligation, however, a duty of loyalty to the people, workers, customers, who made you who you are."
