Trump says the West will 'win' over radical Islamic terrorism
He delivered a major speech in Poland today.
— -- President Donald Trump praised Poland for its commitment to the NATO alliance and warned of "dire threats to our security" and the "steady creep of government bureaucracy."
"On both sides of the Atlantic, our citizens are confronted by yet another danger – one firmly within our control. This danger is invisible to some but familiar to the Poles. The steady creep of government bureaucracy that drains the vitality and wealth of the people," Trump said today in the historical Krasinski Square in Warsaw.
Trump said Western countries will confront the threat of "radical Islamic terrorism," declaring, "we will win."
"We must stand united against these shared enemies to strip them of their territory, their funding, their networks, and any form of ideological support," Trump said to the Polish people, whose government has taken a firm stance against accepting Syrian refugees. "While we will always welcome new citizens who share our values and love our people, our borders will always be closed to terrorism and extremism."
Trump added, "We cannot accept those who reject our values, and who use hatred to justify violence against the innocent."
Trump raised Poland's historical struggles against Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to make his case for a strong defense of the West.
“The Polish experience reminds us the defense of the West ultimately rests not only on means but on the will of its people to prevail and be successful and get what you have to have,” he said. “The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive. Do we have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost? Do we have enough respect for our citizens to protect our borders? Do we have the desire and the courage to preserve our civilization in the face of those who would subvert and destroy it?”
Trump made a significant announcement in his address by saying the United States stands “firmly behind Article 5, the mutual defense commitment,” adding that “words are easy but actions are what matters.” The statement comes following criticism of Trump’s stance on NATO in the weeks prior to his trip.
"Just as Poland could not be broken, I declared today for the world to hear that the West will never ever be broken. Our values will prevail. Our people will thrive,” he said.
ABC News' Veronica Stracqualursi, Caroline Cohen, and Dakshayani Shankar contributed to this report.