By: Ryan McPherson

Actor and comedian Rob Schneider delivered an optimistic speech about the state of the US during the final day of TPUSA’s Student Action Summit (SAS).

“You can do it. Thank you,” Schneider greeted the audience, reciting a famous quote of his from the movie “Waterboy.”

He opened his speech with a reference to the day being the one-year mark from the failed assassination attempt on President Donald Trump.

“It was one year ago that America and Donald Trump dodged a bullet. And boy, does God love this country. We came very close to losing it. I mean, just the immigration alone, if you look at just Minneapolis, I mean, there are so many Haitians now in Minneapolis that it doesn’t even resemble Somalia anymore,” Schneider said.

Schneider joked about the state of health in the US. “But the good news is if you’re going to be fat, be fat. In America, 32% of Americans are obese. Obese meaning technically that their body fat is obvious. But if you’re going to be fat, be fat in America because you can always feel good about yourself.”

Addressing the state of prescription drugs in the US, Schneider warned of their excessive use, recalling the death of Elvis Presley, who was found dead on his bathroom floor in August 1977 from complications related to drug use.

“Americans, we are 4.2% of the world population. Yet, we consume 70% of all prescription drugs made. Excuse me. We are all turning into Elvises. Elvis Presley died at the ripe old age of 42 years old.”

However, Schneider is optimistic for the future of America, largely due to the current administration in the White House. Schneider compared the Biblical figure Moses with President Trump, who he believes has been chosen to lead the US.

“God chose Donald Trump to lead this country,” he exclaimed.

Likewise, he is confident in the new generation of Americans, who, he said, are successfully combating ideologies such as wokeness.

“I can say with pride and with humility that because of the young American patriots like yourselves, the Communist attack on the United States—disguised as woke tolerance—has failed,” he addressed the audience. “The plan was to divide us by race, create turmoil and confusion in every aspect of society, so that chaos would be so overwhelming that we would trade something that we cherished to regain a sense of calm and order. That’s something that we were asked to trade for this to trade for this sense of calm was of course our freedom. But America’s freedom earned through blood is not for sale at any price.”

Concerning the timely subject of Jeffrey Epstein and his list of clients not being released by the Department of Justice, Schneider took a balanced position on the subject.

“So in [the] spirit of humility and free speech, I ask these questions: release all the Epstein files, no matter the consequences. This is America. We’ll deal with whatever happens. Now, we have to also ask ourselves something else. Why are we so obsessed with Jeffrey Epstein while 300,000 children have been trafficked in America and are still missing?”

He takes a similar approach to the subject of Israel-US relations, embracing the view that “You can support Israel completely and unabashedly, but also want AIPAC to apply as a foreign lobbying group.”

Schneider remarked that Mexican workers should be given “some avenue” to legally work and that Representative Thomas Massie’s opinions should be heard. These remarks were met with some disagreement from the audience.

“Boo all you want. That’s the beauty of this country, isn’t it? I support it. I support your boo,” he said welcomingly. “But let’s debate it and let’s talk about it and let’s hear what Thomas Massie… has to say. Free speech, the open marketplace of ideas: this is what made our country great. The fact that you could boo something I say and that I could disagree with you is going to always lead America to a better place than silencing each other.”

Schneider continued on the same topic.

“So, let’s agree that it’s okay to disagree, that no opinions, no ideas, no challenges should be off the table in a free society. If we tolerate the silencing of anyone, no matter how terrible we find their ideas, we are establishing that one day it will be us who will be the ones silenced,” Schneider said.

He concluded his speech by calling for free debate and embracing “messy freedom” as Americans.

“So I say all these things as the beginning as we continue this debate, as we continue on college campuses to go back to discussing, to disagreeing, to finding the best idea, to this wonderful, messy country, to this wonderful freedom that we have. And I will always take a messy freedom over a very tidy tyranny.”

Watch full speeches from all SAS speakers on the Turning Point USA YouTube Channel.