America and its allies respond in Syria

The White House • April 16, 2018 Driving the Day •   President Donald J. Trump will meet with Hispanic-American business leaders in Florida today to discuss the effects of tax cuts on their companies. Watch live at 12:40 PM ET. • Vice President Mike Pence will address the 34th Space Symposium in Colorado. The Vice President chairs the White House's National Space Council. Watch live at 1:55 PM ET. • In his weekly address, President Trump tells Americans that unfair trade deals have "financed the rise of other countries at the expense of our own middle class." Watch here. America and its allies respond in Syria Devastating images from Syria reveal the unique and gruesome danger of chemical weapons. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's April 7 attack on innocent civilians violated international law, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and several United Nations Security Council Resolutions. He must be held accountable. On Friday, the United States and its allies responded. President Trump ordered U.S. Armed Forces to launch precision strikes on targets associated with Syrian chemical weapons capabilities. He thanked Britain and France for joining America in the operation, using their "righteous power against barbarism and brutality." The strikes were legitimate, proportionate, and justified. Most important, they were necessary. Even small amounts of chemical weapons can unleash widespread destruction. To prevent their spread, everyone must understand that the costs of using chemical weapons will always outweigh any military or political benefits. See more: President Trump takes action to end Syria's chemical weapons attacks Vice President Pence in South America On Friday, Vice President Pence traveled to Lima, Peru, to represent the United States at the opening ceremony of the Summit of the Americas. "Ours was always meant to be a hemisphere of freedom," he told the Summit. It was also opportunity to show where America stands. Vice President Pence held bilateral meetings with key U.S. allies, including the leaders of Colombia, Chile, Canada, and Mexico. He also met with Venezuelan opposition leaders, telling them "the simple truth is that Nicolas Maduro has turned Venezuela democracy into dictatorship." Read Vice President Pence's message to Venezuela's opposition leaders. More: Watch highlights from the Vice President's trip. Photo of the Day Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian President Donald J. Trump announces the coordinated attacked by the armed forces of the United States, France, and the United Kingdom against the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad in response to the recent chemical attack against Syrian civilians by the Assad regime.