THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Kamala. Thank you all so very much. Mr. President — (laughter) — Harry, thank you for your stewardship.

You know, here in the heart of the capital of the United States of America, the tensions and the heat [heart] of the nation are vividly on display.

Dr. King stands determined and brave, looking out over the promised land.

Across the Tidal Basin stands another giant of our history: Thomas Jefferson, whose words declared the very idea of America that we are all “created equal… endowed by [our] Creator with certain unalienable Rights” and we all deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives.

To state the obvious — and no audience knows it better than this one — we’ve never fully lived up to that idea. But we’ve never walked away from it fully. We’ve never walked away.

In his sermon to the March on Washington, Dr. King called on all of America to live up to the full meaning and promise of our Declaration of Independence.

And so, they stand here in perpetuity, in timely and timeless conversation that inspires us and challenges us. It reminds us of how far we’ve come, where we need to go, and how far and how much longer the journey is. And it is a conversation that shapes our days and that we must carry forward.

Madam Vice President, Madam Speaker, Chair of the Black Caucus Beatty, Congressional Black Caucus members, the memorial foundation, leaders of faith and community, distinguished guests: From here, we see the ongoing push and pull between progress and struggle over the self-evident truths of our democracy.

And in our nation, we now face an inflection point in the battle, literally, for the soul of America. And it’s up to us, together, to choose who we want to be and what we want to be. (Applause.)

I know — I know the progress does not come fast enough. It never has. And the process of governing is frustrating and sometimes dispiriting. But I also know what’s possible if we keep the pressure up, if we never give up, if we keep the faith.

We’re at an inflection point — as I know I’ve maybe overused that phrase, but it is an inflection point in American history — in delivering on economic justice.

For it was the dignity of work that Dr. King was in Memphis on that fateful day in April, helping sanitation workers — not only for better pay and safer conditions, but to be granted more dignity as human beings.

In our time, it’s about recognizing that for much too long we’ve allowed a narrowed and cramped view of the promise of America — a view that America is a zero-sum game, particularly of the recent past. “If you succeed, I fail.” “If you get ahead, I fall behind.” And maybe worst of all, “If I can hold you down, I lift myself up.”

Instead of what it should be — and it’s just self-evident — “If you do well, we all do well.” That’s keeping the promise of America. (Applause.)

I’ve never seen a time when working folks did well that the wealthy didn’t do very well.

Look, it’s the core of our administration