Miami’s Mayor, Francis Suarez announced his bid for the Republican nomination for the presidency at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on Thursday. Suarez, the first mayor of Miami who was born in Miami, and the son of Xavier Suarez, the first Cuban Mayor of the city, is the only Hispanic in the crowded GOP presidential field. Suarez was the final speaker in the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute speaker series, A Time for Choosing. Giving a forward-looking address, the Mayor made for an excellent bookend to the series that began running in the spring of 2021.

Suarez called the library a “living monument to a great American.” He spoke of being a 10-year-old boy when Pope John Paul II was welcomed to Miami by his father, the city’s then-Mayor, and President Reagan. Suarez recalled the day, saying, “School was out for the visit of the Pope.” He thanked the library for a slide of photographs made available capturing what he called “three of my greatest heroes,” and elaborating on the personal meaning of the occasion as “three men who shaped my life were brought together.”

Suarez called the city of Miami “a living, breathing example of Reagan’s legacy, a shining city on the hill,” before boasting about policies of low taxation, education, and public safety. Suarez, a first generation Cuban–American, spoke against socialism and said that the Cuban diaspora:

…sacrificed everything to keep the one thing God gave them: their freedom.

Turning to foreign policy, the Miami Mayor warned that under the Biden administration, America is starting to doubt itself again, telling the audience, “Evil men and regimes are gaining ground.” While assuring the conservative crowd that “it’s not too late,” he expressed a profound desire to avoid seeing China become a “lone superpower in my lifetime.” Suarez quoted our 16th president, in saying that “America remains, as Lincoln said, ‘the last great hope.'”

Other remarks on China included a call to bring back manufacturing domestically, and condemned the Biden administration for its policies, saying:

For the past four years we have been giving China a growing piece of our prosperity. Make no mistake China is not our partner. China is our adversary.

The presidential hopeful highlighted China’s role in deadly fentanyl crossing our southern border, and the social impacts of Chinese apps like TikTok, saying that they have:

….[w]eaponized our social media to unleash the most powerful kryptonite: division.

Speaking to recent news that Cuba is allowing the Chinese government to build an espionage facility on the island, Suarez characterized it as “upgrading from an ideological threat to a national security threat.”

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The Mayor referenced a famous tweet and mantra of his tenure, “How can I help?” before telling about Miami’s accomplishments: having the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, along with the fastest growing tech economy in the world, which he joked with the California listeners about, telling the crowd that he has to “give some credit to California’s leaders.” Suarez, a cryptocurrency enthusiast and blockchain advocate, called for an “innovation-driven economic policy for the next generation.”

How can I help? 😂🚀 https://t.co/v8NHSwJtNO

— Mayor Francis Suarez (@FrancisSuarez) December 4, 2021

He addressed the issue of immigration, noting that much of the crisis is being driven by failed socialist states and fueled by cartels. Suarez called for the broken immigration system to be fixed, to applause from the crowd.

Suarez gave a nod to the Great Communicator, President Reagan, while announcing his candidacy, saying;

And, like Ronald Reagan, it’s time for a leader who believes in America’s greatest power: Americans– who stared into the infinity of possibilities and helped every American find their purpose, by helping them each make a dent in the universe. And, that is why just yesterday I filed paperwork to run for President of the United States of America.

In closing, he said that America needs a servant, conveying a feeling of patriotism while telling the audience,

And because I love this country, I want to serve it with humility and gratitude for all you have done for me. I believe America is still a shining city on a hill, whose eyes of the world are upon us, and whose promise needs to be restored. And I believe this city needs more than a shouter or a fighter, I believe it needs a servant, it needs a mayor. My name is Francis Suarez and I am here to help. Thank you, and God bless you.

Suarez will need to receive donations from 40,000 individual donors in order to bring his message to the GOP debate stage.

Watch the full speech below: