he was a young child he was not worth anything could have had the courage and determination to find a way out of slavery. i was intrigued. author looksst and at the life of a slave who escaped bondage during the civil war and went on to become a member of u.s. congress, in her book. in the house of representatives. there was a bribery charge against him at one point in his career and he never fully recovered. in my opinion, it is one of the reasons he is not better known today. >> sunday night at 8:00 eastern on q&a. >> president trump held a rally in west virginia. fromg the rally, we heard west virginia's governor, who announced he would be switching from the democratic to republican party.

♪ to the place i belong ♪ west virginia mountain momma ♪ take me home ♪ country road ♪ all my memories ♪ gather round her ♪ minor lady, stranger through blue waters ♪ ♪ dark and dusty ♪ painted on the sky ♪ misty taste of moon shine ♪ tear drop in my eye ♪ country road ♪ take me home ♪ to the to the place i belong ♪ west virginia mountain momma ♪ take me home ♪ country road ♪ i hear her voice in the morning hour ♪

♪ she calls me ♪ the radio reminds me of my home far away ♪ ♪ driving down the road ♪ i get a feeling i should have been home yesterday ♪ ♪ yesterday [cheers and applause] president trump: thank you. thank you. i am thrilled to be back in the very, very beautiful state of west virginia. and i am proud to stand before you and celebrate the hard working people who are the

absolute backbone of america. thank you. i love the people of this state. i love your grit, your spirit, and i love our coal miners. they are coming back strong. [cheers and applause] president trump: i made you a promise during the campaign. you all remember. many of you were here. i actually think we have more people here tonight with thousands outside than we had during the campaign, if you can believe it. [cheers and applause] president trump: and as you've seen, i've kept that promise. as president, we are putting our coal miners back to work. we've ended the war on

beautiful, clean coal. we've stopped the e.p.a. intrusion. american coal exports are already up. think of this. think of this. american exports of coal are already up more than 60% this year. did you ever hear of anything like that? [cheers and applause] president trump: what you voted for is happening every single day. everyone in the arena is united by shared values. [cheers and applause] president trump: we believe in god, we believe in family, we believe in country. we support the constitution of the united states of america.

we cherish and defend the second amendment. we believe school should teach students to love our country, to have pride in our history, and to respect our great american flag. we stand with the incredible men and women of law enforcement. thank you. we believe strongly that a nation must defend and protect its borders. and above all else, we believe we must take care of our own citizens, and put america first.

day after day, we are keeping the promises that we made during the campaign. that includes our promises to our great veterans. thank you, veterans. today we announce new telehealth services to help the veterans get the care they need when and where they need it. it is so popular. this state has many retired military members. we thank them. we thank their family and spouses for the patriotic service. they have been incredible. we in america honor our great heroes. this week in the east room of the white house, i awarded the

medal of honor to a true american hero. specialist 5, james c. mccluen. [applause] president trump: many of you watched as i gave jim the medal. he courageously saved the lives of his fellow soldiers in vietnam. his story is now enshrined forever. earlier this morning, a former marine named woody williams let lead everyone-- here in the pledge of allegiance. thank you, woody. [cheers and applause] [crowd chanting usa]

president trump: woody received a medal of honor from president harry truman for his actions in iwo jima. he is the last surviving marine who received a medal of honor in world war ii. tonight, we honor you and salute you and done you for all you have for all of us. thank you, woody. [applause] president trump: we must protect the birthright of freedom that patriots like these men have earned for us with their blood, sweat, tears and bravery.

all across the country, americans of every kind of coming together with one simple goal. make america great again. [applause] president trump: the stock market reached yet another all time in history. all time high today. boosting the retirement savings, hopefully, of everybody in this room eared bash this room. have you all been helped? i think so. unemployment is at a 16-year low. but don't forget. i'll never forget the millions and millions of people out there

that want jobs that don't register on the unemployment rolls, because they gave up looking for jobs. so i accept the number, but honestly, we all know there are millions of people out there that we love. the forgotten men and women and they are looking for jobs. they are going to have them. i have factories coming back into the country. you've seen that. they are coming back. [cheering] president trump: we have auto plants expanding and coming back. they are coming into michigan. they are really coming into michigan. and they are coming into ohio and pennsylvania. [crowd chanting]

president trump: economic growth to 2.6%ched -- surged nationwide. you have to understand what that means. nobody thought that number was going to happen. and a 3% growth in west virginia. i wonder how that happened. 3% growth. [applause] president trump: west virginia, you are leading the average. when was the last time you heard that, west virginia? you are leading the country's average. remember i told you, don't sell your homes. don't sell your homes. you are doing great. i'm so proud of you. you know, we won the state by 42 points. can you believe that? 42 points. i asked your republican party leader how would we be doing

today versus november 8, election day. he said honestly, president trump, you are doing better. i said better? [cheering] 42 points since our election, not mine, since our election we've added more than one million new jobs. and the good news keeping on pouring in. in fact, we have a very important announcement to make tonight. does anybody know what that announcement is? does anybody know what that announcement is? we have a very, very large announcement. do you understand? large.

so i would like to invite my good friend and your governor, jim justice, up to the stage to share this news with all of you. jim, come on up. come on up, jim. look at this guy. [applause] president trump: jim is going to say a few words. these words have not been spoken by a major political figure, meaning governor or senator in our country for a long time. thank you. [crowd chanting] governor justice: first of all,

what an incredible honor. thank you for coming. thank our great president for being here. applause] governor justice: i've got to tell you a couple of stories real quick. i've been to the oval office twice in the last two or three weeks. i've been there to present an idea on coal and manufacturing. i've had the great opportunity to be with our president. let me tell you just this. i have to be serious with you just a moment. i have to tell you that the last session of a registry to -- session of our legislature i

tried with all of my soul. now i can tell you if you'll just give me just a moment. this man and myself are are not politicians. we ran to get something done. we ran and gave up part of our lives. we ran, because we want nothing. we ran as our founding fathers did years and years ago, to serve. you to my promise soul that no one loves west virginia more than i. in the last session, i would tell you that there was sed with ourss pas rows and so on. but there was way too much pain. now listen to me and listen really good. we hurt a lot of people. we hurt our vets and our

teachers and our disabled and our weak and we walked away from at the old. now i can promise you just this, i came -- i came to only get something done. [crowd booing] governor justice: let me just say this to you as bluntly as i can say it. west virginia, at the altar when we had it done, like it or not like it, but the democrats walked away from me.

governor justice: now today, i would tell you with los of prayers and lots of thinking, today, i'll tell you as west virginians, i can't help you anymore being a democrat governor. [cheering] governor justice: so tomorrow, i will be changing my registration to republican. [cheering and applause] governor justice: as a coach, i would tell you it is time to run another play.

i would also tell you this, and pay, please close attention , to this. my mom and dad were staunch lovers of ronald reagan. staunch republicans. my mom and dad are no question in my mind in heaven right now and their both saying the same thing, but my mom is saying it more profoundly. and that is she's saying, "jimmy, it's about damn time you came to your senses." [cheering] governor justice: now, let me go one step further and say just this. what in the world is wrong us as people? have we not heard enough about the russians?

[cheering] governor justice: i mean, to our god in heaven above! think about it. the stock market is at 22,000. and this country has hope. we're on our way. this man is the really dear friend of mine. but you know what else is unbelievable? this man now has a chief of staff that all of us can pronounce his first name. and you know what that name is today? it is "sir." think about that. now, i'll end by saying we're a long ways from being perfect. there's mistakes made and change is tough.

but i can tell you this. this man is a reflection of his kids. his children. trump has been under my vehicle in the back of the woods changing and tired. i've talked with donald jr., and ivanka and jared -- even though jared is our great son-in-law -- are so good at being in charge. now, i'll end by saying very quickly, this man is a good man. he's got -- he's got a backbone, he's got real ideas, he cares

about america, he cares about us in west virginia. and most importantly of all, you know what? he has made us, as common, everyday americans, feel good and be proud of who we are. my friends, our great president, donald j. trump. [cheers and applause] president trump: i want to thank your great governor. having big jim as a republican is such an honor.

i will tell you, such an honor. it is a fantastic man, a fantastic guy. and thank you, jim, very much . all over the nation, they are watching, and they really appreciate that. and we have another friend with us tonight who voted for us on health care, and honestly, how the republicans and the democrats let us down on that is hard to believe. repeal and replace. hard to believe. hard to believe. crowd booing[-- [crowd booing] president trump senators. : a senator who voted for us, shelly moore, who is here with us tonight. thank you, shelly. jim came to the oval office a couple of weeks ago. and we talked about how we are

working together to open up the coal mines in this state and also, very importantly, to create jobs in furniture manufacturing and other forms of manufacturing. very important to jim. [cheering] trump: but governor justice did something else very important tonight. he showed the country that our agenda rises above left or right. it is an agenda for all of the people, especially for the tens of millions of forgotten americans. they are not so forgotten anymore. i will tell you. you proved that. you proved it. they are not forgotten anymore. countless citizens, democrats, republicans, independents, have

been neglected and ignored by washington, but we will make sure they are never ignored again. [cheering] president trump: we know there are powerful forces in washington who want to stop us but we won't let them. , we are fighting for every american who has been overlooked, pushed aside, or told to put their dreams on hold. but we will win, and we're winning now. [cheering] president trump: the failed voices in washington who oppose our movement are the exact same

people who gave us one terrible trade deal after another. who gave us one foreign policy disaster after another, and who sacrificed our sovereignty, our wealth, and our jobs. they gave them away. we don't need advice from the washington swamp. we need to drain the swamp.

[cheers and applause] president trump: washington is full of people who are only looking out for themselves. you know it better than most. i didn't come to washington for me. i came to washington for all of you. that i can tell you. [cheers and applause] president trump: your dreams are my dreams. your hopes are my hopes. and your future is what i'm fighting for each and every day. the question for democrats -- all democrats, including those in congress -- is whether they are on the side of the voters or are they on the side of the special interests?

the reason why democrats only talk about at the totally made up russia story is because they have no message, no agenda, and no vision. they don't talk about the all time high stock market. they don't talk about reforms to the v.a. or about manufacturing jobs we're bringing back to america by the hundreds of thousands. they don't talk about the key stone pipeline that i immediately approved or the dakota access pipeline. russia story is a total fabrication.

it is just an excuse for the greatest loss in the history of american politics. that's all it is. [crowd booing] president trump: it is just makes them feel better what they have nothing else to talk about. what the prosecutor should be looking at are hillary clinton's 33,000 deleted emails -- [cheering and shouting and up"]ing "lock her andt: -- president trump:

they should be looking at the paid russian speeches and the owned russian companies. or let them look at at the uranium she sold that's now in the hands of very angry russians. most people know there were no russians in our campaign. there never were. we didn't win because of russia. we won because of you, that i can tell you. we won because we totally out -worked the other side. we won because millions of patriotic americans voted to take back their country.

[screaming and cheering] president trump: have you seen any russians in west virginia or ohio or pennsylvania? are there any russians here tonight? any russians? they can't beat us at the voting booths. so they are trying to cheat you futurethe future and the that you want. they are trying to cheat you out of the leadership that you want with a fake story that is demeaning to all of us and most importantly, demeaning to our country and demeaning to our constitution. i just hope the final determination is a truly honest

one, which is what at the the millions of people who gave us our big win in november deserve. and what all americans who want a better future want and deserve. democrat lawmakers will have to decide. they can continue their obsession with the russian hoax, or they can serve the interests of the american people. try winning at the voter booth. try winning at the voter booth. not gonna be easy, but that's the way you are supposed to do it.

our agenda is the pro-worker agenda. we want to control our boarders and lift our people from welfare to work. we want to support our police and make our communities safe. we want to reduce taxes and increase wages for all of our people. we want to get the special interests out of politics for good. and we want to bring back our plants and our factories and our

manufacturing, and that's what is happening right now. you see it, and so does every other state in our union. that is why in the proud tradition of america's great leaders from washington to lincoln to teddy roosevelt, we are protecting american workers and we are protecting american industry for the first time in many, many decades. no longer will we allow other countries to steal our factories, -- close our factories, steal our jobs and , drain our wealth. we are building our future with american hands, american labor, n iron, aluminum,'s steel, and what else? coal. we will buy american and we will hire american. to protect our jobs and our industry, i withdrew the united states from the horrible transpacific partnership.

and to protect our workers and coal miners, i also withdrew the united states from the job-killing paris climate accord. but not only are we bringing back our jobs, we are bringing back our safety. we have seen the bloodshed and devastation inflicted by terrorists in america, in europe, and all across the world. i said it during the campaign. i will say it again right here tonight. we will keep radical islamic terrorists out of our country. [cheers and applause]

[crowd chants "usa"] we only want to admit people in our country who love our people and who share our values. we're also keeping our country safe from criminal gangs and violent crime. we are taking the fight to the

drug smugglers, human traffickers, and the vile criminal cartels like ms-13, who are being thrown out of our country so quickly you can't even count. just last week, i visited long island. ms-13 has brought violence to a once peaceful and beautiful neighborhood right where i grew up. we are liberating american communities from the vicious, violent gangs. one by one, we're finding the drug dealers, gang members, the predators, fees, criminals, and killers and we're throwing , them out of our country. once they are gone, we will not let them back in. we are stopping drugs from

pouring into our country and poisoning our youth, and you have a big problem in west virginia, and we are going to solve that problem. we are cracking down strongly on sanctuary cities that shield criminal aliens. and in order to stop the drugs, gangs, and traffickers, we are building a wall on the southern border. build thatnting " wall"] i also proudly: announced legislation this week with senators tom cotton and david purdue to perform our

-- reform our immigration system to protect american workers and american taxpayers. it is called the raise act. r-a-i-s-e. the raise act. for many years, america has issued most of its green cards to lower-skilled imgrans. -- immigrants and people who had , no hope of getting a job, undermining blue collar workers and wages and costing taxpayers billions and billions of dollars a year. the raise act switches to a merit-based system. you come in largely based on merit. doesn't that sound nice? wouldn't that be nice? it is about time.

our proposal prevents new immigrants from going on welfare for at least five years. so you don't come in and go on welfare. [cheering] president trump: our plan favors applicants who can speak english, who can support themselves financially, and who demonstrate valuable skills that will strengthen our economy and strengthen our country. we believe decisions on who immigrants are in our country should be based on the best interest of america and the best interest of the american people. you. we are working to honor millions

singlere working every day to heed and honor the will of those millions and millions of voters who came out and voted for us. not for me. they voted for us. that's why i will repeat again tonight that congress must do its job, keep its promise, live up to its word and repeal and , replace obamacare. you have to do it. fog in life is easy. but congress must not give in. they must not give up. but instead, congress must get to work and deliver americans the great health care that they deserve, the great repeal and replace that they've been

talking about for seven years. [cheering] president trump: incredible. one vote! incredible. but we'll get it. we'll get it, folks. they can't give up. call your congressman, call your senators, call everybody. get them to have the guts to vote to repeal and replace obamacare, which is a disaster. to be a prosperous nation, it is also critical we lower the tax crushing tax burden on our workers and on our businesses. the united states has the highest tax rate on business anywhere in the world. and we want to bring it down to one of the lowest, because we want more growth, more jobs, and higher pay.

and that's what's doing to happen. [cheering] president trump: and importantly, we also want to let americans keep more of their own money, not take it from them. it is time to pass a tax cut for middle class families. finally, and you'll see very soon what you are hearing about it, my administration is committed to rebuilding the depleted infrastructure of the united states. think of it. we've spent $6 trillion in the middle east, and the middle east is 100 times worse than it was 16 years ago when we started. can you believe this?

what a shame. that's why we are pushing a $1 trillion new infrastructure investment bill. we're going to fix our roads, we're going to fix our bridges, we're going to fix our highways and our schools and our airports. we will create amazing monuments that inspire awe and wonder in our people. it used to be that way. it is not that way any longer. we have airports that look like third world countries. it is not going to be that way anymore. american workers will build this great future, and american

energy and american clean coal will power this future. we are the nation that put a man on the moon, that dug out the panama canal, and that won two world wars. we can do anything, we can build anything, and we can dream anything. [cheering] president trump: we share one home and one glorious destination. and whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood. [cheering]

we all salutep: that same great american flag. and we are all made by the same almighty god. [cheering] as long as wep: remember these truths, as long as we remember who we are and what we are fighting for, we will never fail. america will triumph, freedom will prevail, our values will endure, own citizens will process, and our nation will

thrive as never before. with patriotism in our souls and with love for west virginia in our hearts, we say these words again tonight. we will make america strong again. we will make america wealthy again. we will make america proud again. we will make america safe again. and we will make america great again. thank you, west virginia. god bless you. thank you. thank you. [cheers and applause]

[music]

>> ♪ i saw her today at the reception a glass of wine in her hand i knew she was gonna meet her connection at her feet was footloose man you can't always get what you want you can't always get what you want you can't always get what you want but if you try sometimes, well you might find you get what you need

i went down to the demonstration to get my fair share of abuse singing, "we're gonna vent our frustration -- on c-span, republican senators introducing legislation that authorizes $15 billion for border security. we will get an up date on a bill that cuts off foreign aid to the palestinian authority. panel looking at ways to reduce and contain wildfires using technology. later, a conversation on possible changes to the u.s. tax code. coming up on friday, a discussion about the relationship between government officials and the media, hosted by the national press club.

then, jeff sessions will address leaks of classified information. speaking to reporters at the atartment of justice, live 11:00 a.m. eastern on c-span and on c-span2, we will hear about retirement with cbo director keith hall. speakerbe the keynote at the boston college center for retirement research. hosted at the national press com club in washington, d.c. saturday, on american history from c-span3, we are live spotsylvania, virginia with a daylong coverage of a civil war symposium. we will look at defensive strategies employed by the union and utter it armies and hear from historians on gettysburg, second manassas, and other important battles. sunday at 6:00 p.m. on american artifacts, american presidents like portraits. we tour the exhibit at the

herbert hoover presidential library and museum. at president lyndon b. johnson's exhibit -- >> he was always on the telephone. installed inphone his bathroom. he would talk with people and bring people in there and talk with him in the bathroom, which i think would be disconcerting. he recorded telephone conversations with he had, and those were supposed to be not open to the president until 50 years after he had died. >> at 7:00 p.m., harry truman and celebrities. david clark looks back on the president's relationship with celebrity athletes, politicians, and entertainers. president truman did not seek out entertainers. he cultivated relations, especially he had a good friendship.

[happy birthday playing on violin] [laughter] >> american history tv, all weekend, every weekend, on c-span3. of the headlines from voice of america, republican senators seek to ramp up u.s. port security. writing one day after president trump introduced a plan to reshape immigration to the united states, republican lawmakers introduced -- john cornyn with senators barrasso, johnson, and phyllis, talked about the legislation.