>> attorney general jeff sessions will hold a news conference on the trump administration's efforts to stop leaks and will be joined by dan coats and deputy attorney general rod rosenstein. it is set for love :00 eastern at the justice department headquarters in washington and you will be able to watch it live. more members of the trump cabinet at 7:20 p.m. on c-span2. vice president michael pence and ben carson will be speaking at the national conservative student conference. at 8:00 eastern on c-span, transportation secretary elaine chao sat down with c-span to talk about her goals with the department and her prior work as labor secretary and her marriage to senate majority leader mitch mcconnell and her memories of comic to the u.s. just coming to the u.s. from taiwan. it is tonight on c-span. president trump last night spoke

at a rally and was virginia calling allegations into his administration's collusion with russia "a fabrication." joining the president was was virginia government does --ernor of yesterday governor who yesterday switched party affiliations from democrat republican. >> ♪ to the place i belong west virginia mountain momma west virginia mountain momma take me home country road all my memories gather round her miner's 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. [cheers and applause]

president trump: i am thrilled to be back in the very, very beautiful state of west virginia. [cheers and applause] 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 the states. 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? what you voted for is happening every single day. everyone in the arena is united by shared values. [cheers and applause] 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 and where they need it. it is so popular. this state has many retired military members. we thank them. we thank their family and souses

-- 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. 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. in the roll call of american

patriots, earlier this morning the former marine named woody williams led everyone here in the pledge of allegiance. thank you, woody. [cheers and applause] [cheering usa] [crowd chanting usa] president trump: woody received a medal of honor from president harry truman for his actions in iwo jima. woody is the last surviving marine there received a medal of honor in world war ii. we honor you and salute you and thank you for what you've done for all of us. thank you, woody.

we must protect the birth right of freedom that woody and of others have earned for us with their blood, sweat, tears, and their bravery. all across the country americans of every kind are coming together with one simple goal -- make america great again. the stock market reached yet another all-time in history. all-time high today. boosting the retirement savings, hopefully of everybody

, in the room. have you all been helped? i think so. unemployment is at a 16-year low. but don't forget and i will 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] 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.

[chanting] applause]d president trump: economic growth has surged to 2.6% nationwide. you have to understand what that means. nobody thought that number was going to happen. and at 3% growth in west virginia. i wonder how that happened. 3% growth. 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 and -- election day. he said honestly, president trump, you are doing better. i said better? 42 points -- since our election, not mine, since our election, we've added more than 1 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. 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.

[chanting] gov. justice: first of all, what an incredible honor. thank you for coming. thank our great president for being here. i've got to tell you a couple of stories real quick. i've been to the oval office twice in the last few 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 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. now i will promise you until my soul that no one loves west virginia more than i. in the last session, i would

tell you that there was some greatness passed with our rows and so on. but there was way too much pain. now listen to me and listen really good. we heard a lot of people. we heard 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. 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. now today i will tell you with lots of prayers and lots of thinking, today i'll tell you as west virginians, i can't help you anymore being a democrat governor. so, tomorrow i will be changing my registration to republican. [cheering and applause]

gov. justice: as a coach, i would tell you it is time to run another play. i would also tell you this, please pay 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 they're both saying the same thing. but my mom is saying it more profoundly. that she's saying, "jimmy, it's about damn time you came to your senses."

now let 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? i mean to our god in heaven above. think about it. the stock market is in 22,000. and this country has hope. we're on our way. this man is a 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. i can tell you this, this man is a reflection of his kids. eric trump has been under my vehicle in the back of the woods changing a tire, 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 friend, 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. they really appreciate that. and we have another friend with us tonight who voted for us on healthcare 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.

senators, but a senator who voted for us, shelly moore, who here with us tonight. thank you, shelly. jim came to the oval office a couple of weeks ago. 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. 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. he approved that. you proved it. they are not forgotten anymore. countless citizens, democrats, and republicans, independents, have been neglected and ignored by washington. but we will make sure they are never ignored again. we know there are powerful forces in washington who want to stomp 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 though. 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 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. the 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. it just makes them feel better what they have nothing else to talk about. what the prosecutor should be look at are hillary clinton's 33,000 deleted e-mails, and they

[cheering and applause] and 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 outworked the other side. we won because millions of patriotic americans voted to take back their country. 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. they are trying to cheat you out of the future and the future 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 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 going to 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 borders 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 interest 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 close our jobs, jobs andies, steal our drain our wealth. we are building our future with american hands and labor and american iron and

aluminum and 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 our 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 these vicious, violent gangs. one by one we're finding the drug dealers, gang members,

the predators, thieves, criminals, and predators, 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. 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.

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 the green cards to lower-skilled 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. 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 about who immigrates to 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 and millions of workers who came out and voted for us. that's why i will repeat again tonight that congress must do its job, keep its promise, live up to its work, and repeal and replace obamacare. you have to do it.

nothing 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 healthcare that they deserve, the great repeal and replace that they've been talking about for 7 years. 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 critical we lower the tax burden on our workers and businesses.

the united states has the highest tax rate on business anywhere in the world. we want to bring it down to one of the lowest, because we want more growth, more jobs, and higher pay. that's what's doing to happen. 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 a hundred 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. we share one home and one

glorious destiny. whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood. we all salute that same great american flag. and we are all made by the same almighty god. as long as we remember these truths and 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. -- prosper. and our nation will thrive as never before. with patriotism in our soul 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] >> ♪

♪ >> ♪

>> attorney general jeff sessions is scheduled to hold a news conference on the administration's effort to stop leaks to the news media. he will be joined by dan coats and rod rosenstein is set to start in a few minutes