Jon Huntsman Jr. announcement transcript

I'm Jon Huntsman, and I'm humbled. I've been a governor of the great state of Utah. I've been a businessman. I've been a diplomat. I'm the husband of the love of my life, the greatest human being I've ever known, Mary Kaye, for 28 years. I'm the father of seven terrific kids. I'm the son of great parents, who are here with me today, celebrating a very important anniversary, including a birthday.

I'm from the American west, where the view of America is limitless with lots of blue sky.

I've lived overseas four times, where the view of America from 10,000 miles away is a picture of liberty, opportunity and justice. People secure in their rights and in love with their liberty. People who have done more good for more people than any other nation on earth.

And today, I'm a candidate for the office of President of the United States of America.

Thank you. Thank you.

My kids can't believe I just said that.

And I'm asking for the greatest privilege Americans can bestow on a fellow citizen, and you're entitled to know the reasons why.

You see today Americans are experiencing, through no fault of their own, something that is totally alien to them - a sense that the deck is stacked against them by forces totally beyond their control. No matter how hard they work, save, and plan, the opportunities are not there for them as that were present for previous generations.

Perhaps, saddest of all, we have lost faith in ourselves. For the first time in history, we are passing down to the next generation a country that is less powerful, less compassionate, less competitive and less confident than the one we got.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is totally unacceptable and it is totally un-American.

And it need not, must not, will not be our permanent condition. We will not be the first American generation that lets down the next generation.

We have the power, we have the means, we have the character to astonish the world again by making from adversity a new and better country; this inexhaustible land of promise and opportunity.

You see, we have everything a nation could hope for. We have our freedom, we have rule of law, the longest surviving Constitution and our abiding belief in personal responsibility.

We have freedom of speech, religion and press.

We produce a quarter of the world's GDP.