Gov. Scott Walker’s first words when he took the stage in Waukesha were: “I love America.”
Only five minutes into Walker’s speech at his official presidential campaign launch Monday, he referenced veterans, baseball and Boy Scouts in what continued to be 35 minutes heavily focused on the classic “American Dream” that he promised to fight for.
“If you work hard and play by the rules, you can do and be anything you want.” he said to the crowd. “That’s the American Dream. And that is worth fighting for.”
Walker joins an already crowded GOP field, with 14 others vying for the Republican candidacy in 2016. Walker officially broke the news Monday morning on Twitter.
I'm running for President of the United States to fight and win for the American people. -SW #Walker16 http://t.co/bBnRMAurmh
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) July 13, 2015
His speech Monday drew on his conservative values, both fiscal and social. He called for reform in Washington, saying the path to prosperity is through shrinking the federal government’s role.
“Washington seems to measure success by how many people are dependent on the government,” he said. “Instead, we should measure it by just the opposite: by how many people are no longer dependent on the government.”
Walker signed the state’s 2015-17 biennial budget into law just one day before his official announcement. The bill drew criticism from Democrats in the Legislature for its fiscally conservative structure. The budget holds flat state funding for K-12 public schools and cuts $250 million from the UW System. It also expands voucher programs and reforms shared governance and tenure at the university.
Walker touted these reforms Monday and others during his governorship, including his 2011 battle with public sector unions, which sparked a recall election and subsequent victory in 2012.
“Our big, bold reforms in Wisconsin took the power from the big government special interests and put it firmly into the hands of the hard-working taxpayers,” he said.
Walker’s announcement Monday morning drew criticism from opponents in Wisconsin and around the country. In a statement, the president of union organization AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka, called him “a national disgrace.”
President Barack Obama has said Walker needs to “bone up” on foreign policy. In his speech today, Walker addressed Russia, Islamic radicalism and a potential Iran deal in his speech, calling Obama’s administration “mush.”
“The United States needs a foreign policy that puts steel in front of our enemies.”
The crowd began chants of “USA” after Walker said the world needed to know that there’s no better friend and no worse enemy than the United States.
Walker promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act and criticized Obama’s “bad regulations.”
“Americans deserve a president who will fight and win for them,” he said. “Someone who will stand up for the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Someone who will stand up for our religious rights and all of our other Constitutional rights. Someone who will stand up for America.”
Walker is leading the polls in many states, including Iowa, and will begin a tour of primary states this week.
