President Trump holds joint presser with President Duda

President Trump hosted President Andrzej Duda of Poland at the White House today, where the two leaders held a joint press conference in the Rose Garden.

WATCH: President Trump and President Duda hold joint press conference

America and Poland share a long, storied partnership rooted in protecting freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. Three years ago in Warsaw, President Trump delivered one of the defining speeches of his presidency, calling for courage in the defense of Western civilization against all enemies who seek to destroy it.

“Through four decades of communist rule, Poland and the other captive nations of Europe endured a brutal campaign to demolish freedom, your faith, your laws, your history, your identity—indeed, the very essence of your culture and your humanity,” he said.

“Your oppressors tried to break you, but Poland could not be broken.”

Today, the West faces new challenges, including the scourge of terrorism. Poland is a stalwart NATO ally in this fight, meeting President Trump’s call to contribute 2 percent of its GDP to defense spending. Poland also facilitates critical military training for the United States, showing incredible hospitality and support for the U.S. troops deployed there.

“I don’t think we’ve ever been closer to Poland than we are right now,” President Trump said today.

President Trump welcomes President Duda in the Oval Office

MORE: President Trump is strengthening America’s partnership with Poland

See the historic child welfare order President Trump just signed

More than 400,000 young Americans are in foster care today, including 124,000 who are currently awaiting adoption or some form of permanency. About 20,000 of these young people age out of the system each year without a permanent family.

These young people without “forever families” endure a range of heartbreaking outcomes. Forty percent experience homelessness. Half are unemployed by age 24. More than a quarter end up incarcerated, and 1 in 4 face post-traumatic stress disorder.

America cannot rely on government alone to care for our nation’s children. Improving our foster care system will take partnerships with private, faith-based, and community organizations to achieve the best outcomes for vulnerable children and families.

To achieve that, President Trump just signed a historic child welfare executive order that will strengthen our foster care system in three important ways:

Improve partnerships between state agencies and public, private, faith-based, and community groups, including by holding states accountable for recruiting an adequate number of homes for all children
Secure resources for vulnerable families and youth, such as by expanding state access to financial help for guardianships
Increase federal oversight of requirements that keep children safely out of foster care when possible and ensure a permanent resolution—reunification, adoption, or guardianship—whenever the system must become involved

President Trump values solutions that are pro-family, pro-child, and pro-permanency. By encouraging and helping states work with more community partners, those who step up to help America’s children will have a strong system of support.

See President Trump’s historic child welfare executive order.

Photo of the Day

President Trump, joined by First Lady Melania Trump, signed a historic executive order to strengthen America's foster care system | June 24, 2020