--- title: Transcript: Donald Trump's Oval Office Address on the Border Wall description: President Donald Trump gave his first address from the Oval Office to pitch his border wall to the American public. Read the transcript of his speech. canonical: https://time.com/5497569/donald-trump-oval-office-address-transcript/ author: Gina Martinez article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-01-09T02:41:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:19:27.881Z article:section: Politics og:title: Read the Transcript of Trump's Oval Office Address on the Border Wall og:description: President Donald Trump gave his first address from the Oval Office to pitch his border wall to the American public. Read the transcript of his speech. og:url: https://time.com/5497569/donald-trump-oval-office-address-transcript/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf62622d438fb13b5/698942eb16d884860dc34606/gettyimages-1079457882.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6000 og:image:height: 3375 og:image:alt: President Trump Addresses The Nation On Border Security From The Oval Office og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Read the Transcript of Trump's Oval Office Address on the Border Wall twitter:description: President Donald Trump gave his first address from the Oval Office to pitch his border wall to the American public. Read the transcript of his speech. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf62622d438fb13b5/698942eb16d884860dc34606/gettyimages-1079457882.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Read the Full Transcript of President Trump's Oval Office Address on the Border Wall > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=5cd2ac08-6a23-46a0-a238-3b11f351e432&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump Urges Wall Funding to Fix the 'Humanitarian Crisis' on the Southern Border [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Urges Wall Funding to Fix the 'Humanitarian Crisis' on the Southern Border](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/5AikrNjN.m3u8) (2:27)  _Published 2019-01-09. President Donald Trump made a televised plea for border wall funding Tuesday night, seeking an edge in the shutdown battle with congressional Democrats as he declared there is “a humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul.”_ by [Gina Martinez](https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Jan 9, 2019 2:41 AM UTC President Donald Trump made a televised plea for border wall funding Tuesday night, seeking an edge in the shutdown battle with congressional Democrats as he declared there is “a humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul.” by [Gina Martinez](https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Jan 9, 2019 2:41 AM UTC President Donald Trump gave his first [primetime address from the Oval Office](http://time.com/5496908/donald-trump-wall-shutdown-address/) on Tuesday night to pitch his border wall to the American public. The address came amid a[ partial government shutdown](http://time.com/5487323/government-shutdown-president-donald-trump/) in its third week – with no clear end in sight. During his address, Trump called the flow of migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border a crisis and said $5.7 billion was needed to build the wall and fund additional security measures. He called on Democrats to support to wall and end the shutdown. Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have[ refused to support funding the wall](http://time.com/5494825/white-house-budge-shutdown-talks/). They reiterated their opposition to the border in a speech following Trump’s address. TIME has a [fact-check of many of Trump’s assertions](http://time.com/5497260/donald-trump-border-wall-fact-check/) about immigration. Read the full transcript of Trump’s Oval Office address below: --- > “” --- ## Transcript [00:00] My administration has presented Congress with a [00:03] detailed proposal to secure the border and stop the [00:07] criminal gangs, drug smugglers, and human [00:10] traffickers. It's a tremendous problem. Our proposal [00:15] was developed by law enforcement professionals and [00:18] border agents at the Department of Homeland [00:21] Security. These are the resources they have requested [00:25] to properly perform their mission and keep America [00:28] safe, in fact, safer than ever before. [00:34] The proposal from Homeland Security includes cutting [00:37] edge technology for detecting drugs. Weapons, illegal [00:42] contraband, and many other things. We have [00:45] requested more agents, immigration judges, and [00:50] bed space to process the sharp rise in unlawful [00:53] migration fueled by our very strong economy. Our plan [00:58] also contains an urgent request for humanitarian [01:02] assistance And medical support. Furthermore, [01:06] we have asked Congress to close border security [01:09] loopholes so that illegal immigrant children can be [01:13] safely and humanly returned back home. Finally, [01:18] as part of an overall approach to border security Law [01:22] enforcement professionals have requested $ 5. 7 [01:26] billion for a physical barrier. At the request of [01:30] Democrats, it will be a steel barrier, rather than a [01:33] concrete wall. Some have suggested, a barrier [01:38] is immoral. Then why do wealthy politicians [01:42] build walls, fences, and gates around their homes? [01:46] They don't build walls because they hate the people on [01:49] the outside, but because they love the people on the [01:52] inside. The only thing that is immoral Is [01:57] the the politicians to do nothing and continue to allow [02:02] more innocent people to be so horribly victimized. [02:07] America's heart broke the day after Christmas when [02:11] a young police officer in California was savagely [02:14] murdered. In cold blood by an illegal alien [02:18] who just came across the border. The life of an [02:21] American hero was stolen by someone who had no [02:25] right to be in our country. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5497569/donald-trump-oval-office-address-transcript/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5497569/donald-trump-oval-office-address-transcript/"},"headline":"Read the Full Transcript of President Trump's Oval Office Address on the Border Wall","datePublished":"2019-01-09T02:41:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-13T08:19:27.881Z","description":"President Donald Trump gave his first address from the Oval Office to pitch his border wall to the American public. 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