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3rd LD Writethru: Trump rolls out "America First" agenda, saying his job "not to represent the world"

Xinhua, March 1, 2017 Adjust font size:

U.S. President Donald Trump rolled out his "America First" agenda in his first speech since inauguration at a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night.

"America must put its own citizens first ... because only then, can we truly make America great again," Trump stressed, resonating his campaign theme.

Trump started his address by decrying recent threats targeting Jewish community centers and last week's racially-motivated shooting of two Indian men in Kansas City, calling for the United States to be united "in condemning hate and evil in all its forms."

Rolling out his "America First" agenda "guided by two core principles: Buy American, and Hire American," Trump tried to paint "a new surge of optimism" by depicting what he has done since entering the White House and reiterating what he will do in the four-year presidency, most of them in line with his pledges on campaign trail.

He vowed again that his administration will replace Obamacare "with better healthcare," build a wall along the border with Mexico, reduce tax rate on U.S. companies, invest one trillion U.S. dollars to upgrade the country's "crumbling infrastructure", boost inner city safety and make child care accessible.

On immigration policy, Trump said his administration is to introduce new merit-based immigration system to regulate new arrivals and reduce the flow of low-skilled workers into America.

Trump also said the White House will take strong actions against terrorism, improve vetting procedures for immigration, and work with U.S. allies to extinguish the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

"We cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside America -- we cannot allow our nation to become a sanctuary for extremists," he said.

On U.S. foreign policy, Trump said the American leadership will be "based on vital security interests that we share with our allies across the globe."

"America respects the right of all nations to chart their own path," he added, stressing his job is not to represent the world.

In a noticeable turn from his campaign stand, Trump promised he will "strongly support NATO," while calling for U.S. allies to meet their financial obligations. Endi