execute. >> the office of president of united states. >> and will to the best of my ability. preserve, protect, defend. the constitution of the united states. >> so help me god. >> congratulations, mr. president. >> watch c-span's all day inauguration coverage on monday, january 20 including a historic swearingen as donald trump takes office as the 47th president of the united states. c-span, democracy unfiltered. ♪ >> c-spanshop.org is c-span's online store. browse through the collection of c-span product apparel, books, accessories. there is something for every fan and every purchase helps support

nonprofit operations. >> c-span, democracy unfiltered. we are funded by these television companies and more including comcast. >> you think this is just a community center? it is more than that. >> comcast is sponsoring 1000 community centers so students could get the tools they need to be ready for anything. >> comcast supports c-span as a public service along with these television providers giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> north carolina governor josh stein delivered his inaugural address from the capitol building in raleigh after he was sworn in as the 76 governor. former governor roy cooper joined him for official

transfer of power. address. >> we will wait for the television. my fellow north carolinians, i am honored to address you as the 76th governor of our state, where as eric state -- whereas our state toast observes, i regret we were unable to be together personally.

so many were excited to share their talents and music, art or food. i'm disappointed we won't be able to celebrate so much of what makes north carolina wonderful. your safety comes first. thursday i declared a state of emergency to assist those impacted by the storm. in many places the roads remain slick and i encourage everyone to exercise caution. when the weather is better, i hope we get the chance to celebrate together this great state. to the council of state and my cabinet, the general assembly, judiciary and state employees, thank you for your dedication to serving our state. i look forward to working with you as we make a difference in the lives of north carolinians.

governor cooper, thank you for your eight years of excellent leadership, you governed with wisdom, compassion and left north carolina stronger. on a personal level thank you for your friendship these 25 years. [applause] to my parents, adam, jane, my extended family, thank you for everything. to my wife, our new first lady. [applause] our great kids, sam, adam, lee, i love you and thank god for you every day. you bring anna and me joy. i'm speaking from the north carolina state capital, our

state's second state capital. the first state house here burned in a construction accident 200 years ago. while the flames were raging, it became clear who we are. quick thinking bystanders rushed in to save most of the official archives in the portrait of george washington that still hangs here today. the churches that surround the capital offered their buildings to the general assembly. within a decade from the ashes, north carolinians raised this structure of stone quarried from our soil. tragedy is not new. neither his goodness. neither is resilience. 85 years after that fire in 1960, a terrible storm brought

record rain and torrential flooding to western north carolina. morganton, the catawba river trapped mr. duckworth on the roof of his store. onlookers raised thousands of dollars as a reward for anyone to save mr. duckworth. will clark stepped up. he assembled a rescue vessel, paddled down dangerous currents and snatched mr. duckworth off his roof. miraculously, both made it to safety to the cheers of spectators. when offered the promised reward will clark refused saying he was willing to risk his life not for money but for his neighbor. will clark embodied the spirit of the people of north carolina. today that spirit is strong. last september, another terrible

storm struck western north carolina. hurricane helene brought devastation, heartbreaking loss of life, destruction of homes/ businesses and ruination of infrastructure. it revealed our state character. since the hurricane, i've met a remarkable number of heroes, people who stepped up for neighbors. black mountain police chief steve parker and many others just like will clark a century before braved raging rivers to rescue neighbors in distress. the owner of w ptl, the local am radio station canton hardly left her post so she could broadcast essential info to the desperate people. ashley gallagher, a small business owner, turned her indoor skate park to a

distribution center for food, water, clothing, heaters, building supplies for neighbors. amy davis and her family provided tens of thousands of meals to hungry mcdowell county neighbors from their country store and café in old fort. ashley carpenter, excuse me ashley cook and freddie carpenter got food, propane tanks, heaters and anything else the people in avery county needed. none of the individuals i met cared a wit about the party registration they were helping. it never entered their minds. they stepped up helping neighbors. truly, i could stand here all day and list heroes who performed courage, decency, large and small. our people are good and ready to

meet any challenge. they are north carolina strong. north carolina strong means supporting our neighbors in western north carolina the same way they are supporting each other. we must fast track getting people back to their homes as quickly as possible. we must support small business owners so they can keep powering our economy for decades to come. we must rebuild water systems, roads, bridges, dams resilient and can withstand future natural disasters. each of my first six executive orders cut through red tape to help people rebuild quickly. this past tuesday i met a woman from mcdowell county who lost everything to the flood. as she rebuilds, she's living in a temporary home on her property so she can be safe and warm. we have so much work to do.

i'm committed to doing it arm in arm with our friends in western north carolina for as long as it takes. [applause] north carolina strong means economic opportunity for everyone. where you come from should never limit how far you can go. that's the promise of north carolina. every north carolinians should have a fair shot at prosperity to start a business or get a job everywhere in our state including small town north carolina. we must create good paying jobs, cut taxes for working people, strengthen our workforce and invest in broadband, roads, railroads, ports, airports to keep north carolina moving. north carolina strong means

opening the doors of opportunity to every child. there is no better investment in our future than providing excellent pre-k so every child starts kindergarten healthy and ready to learn. we have to be smart about how we teach reading and how to utilize our most effective educators. as long as north carolina ranks 48th in the country in people per investment, our public school students will be d enied the education our state constitution guarantees them. to recruit and retain the best we must provide teachers and staff real pay raises. [applause] our community colleges and universities are among the best in the nation. we must keep them that way and continue to innovate, to meet

student needs in a changing world. we must recognize colleges right for many people. it is not right for every person. someone should not have to go to college to provide for his or her family. we must expand career and tech education and apprenticeships. [applause] north carolina strong means keeping people safe. no one should worry when their kids are at school or play, or whether their loved ones are safe when they are at work or worship. that is why we need more well-trained enforcement officers in neighborhoods keeping families safe. we must keep up our fight against the fentanyl crisis to protect families from the heartbreak of overdose. too many people are dying. we must smash drug trafficking rings peddling poison and reduce

stigma so more people seek treatment. i'm grateful to anna, our first lady, for embracing people suffering from the chronic disease of substance abuse disorder and mental illness. [applause] north carolina strong means working together across our differences to get things done. to the members of general assembly, i say let's work together. we have problems to solve. we do not have time to settle petty political scores or fight divisive culture wars. i want to stand with you as we fight for our people, not with each other. no party has all the answers. good ideas do not come with party labels. when we work together, we are stronger.

there is no limit to what we can accomplish for the good of the people of this state. [applause] how do i know that? as north carolinians we have done it before. north carolina was not always what it is today. in the late 1950's, we were one of the poorest states in the country. our predecessors did not just accept that reality. they got to work. formed a robust community college system, built roads to connect the furthest reaches of our state, knocked down the hateful walls of racial segregation, raised teacher pay and standards for students, built a statewide network for data and voice communications, the first in the country, and diversify the economy to include pharmaceuticals and biotech, finance and film, tourism and

i.t., clean energy and aeronautics and more, in addition to the traditional sectors of agriculture and manufacturing. our predecessors wanted more for our state and our people and they collaborated and innovated. there is more than enough credit to go around both parties. it was a republican governor working with a democratic general assembly who made north carolina the first state in the south to offer kindergarten to every child. [applause] it was a democratic governor, roy cooper, working with a republican general assembly who provided insurance coverage to 600,000 neighbors improving their health and strengthening our health care system. [applause] it was a unanimous bipartisan general assembly that worked

with me as attorney general to enact the stop act to combat oh pure addiction, the safe child act and the survivor act to clear the nations largest backlog of untested rape kits. [applause] we have worked across the aisle together for the good of our people before. let's do it again. [applause] my fellow north carolinians, you have bestowed on me a great honor and responsibility. whether or not i earned your vote in the past election, i am committed to earning your trust by working hard for you every day as your governor. with my faith guiding me and your spirit inspiring me, i stand before you today ready and eager for the work ahead. we must overcome the unprecedented storm that ravaged our state and the everyday

struggles that impact our neighbors and we will. after all, in north carolina, we have overcome fires and floods, poverty and plagues, recessions and racial segregation. when we see our neighbors stuck on a roof, we don't run. we build a boat and row. friends, let us meet this moment and build an economy that works for everyone and in every corner of the state. let's build safe communities and strong schools. let's rebuild western north carolina and let's build a better and brighter future for our children together. we can do it and we will do it because we are north carolina strong. thank you. may god bless you. may god bless the state we love. thank you. [applause]