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Trump's Remarks at Presentation of the Medal of Freedom to Edwin Meese: October 8, 2019
REMARKS
Remarks by President Trump at Presentation of the Medal of Freedom to Edwin Meese
Issued on: October 8, 2019
Oval Office
4:47 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. And I want to thank everybody for being here. This is a very special event. Today, it’s my tremendous privilege to present our nation’s highest civilian honor to a absolute titan of American law and a heroic defender of the American Constitution: former Counselor to the President and Attorney General of the United States, Ed Meese. Very special man. (Applause.)
Ed, congratulations on receiving a really incredible award. This is something that — we have the Congressional Medal of Honor and we have the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And this is something that’s very special for me to present it to you. I’ve heard so many incredible things over the years about you. So, congratulations. It’s my honor to be with you.
We’re delighted to be joined by Vice President Mike Pence; Attorney General William Barr — Bill; Acting OMB Director Russ Vought; and Heritage Foundation President Kay Cole James. Hi, Kay. Also — he did a good job, didn’t he? (Laughter.) Huh?
{snip}
He then became Deputy District Attorney of Alameda County, California, the same county where he had grown up. He regularly rode with local police on patrol. One officer later said about Ed, “Finding someone around here who doesn’t like Ed Meese is like trying to find a four-year-old who doesn’t like Santa Claus.” (Laughter.) So, in other words, he was a popular guy.
When chaos and violence broke out on the campus of UC Berkeley, Ed was instrumental in restoring order, peace, and public safety.
{snip}
Over the next three years, Ed would deliver monumental change for the American people. As Attorney General, Ed led the battle against drugs. He aggressively targeted traffickers and their assets. He also chaired the National Drug Policy Board and coordinated the administration’s response to the drug crisis.
In the years that followed, the strategy proved successful. Between 1982 and 1992, drug use by young adults plummeted by 50 percent nationwide. Would you like to make a comeback? That’s a pretty good number. (Laughter.) You know, we’ve got it down 18 percent, but I like 50 percent better. But we’re dealing with a whole new set of drugs, unfortunately. It’s getting — it’s a very tough situation.
Perhaps Ed’s greatest contribution to American law has been his unwavering advocacy for the legal principle that judges must adhere to the original meaning of the Constitution, setting aside their own personal and political views.
Through the decades, Ed has been one of the most eloquent champions for following the Constitution as written. To ensure fidelity to our founding documents, Ed supported the growth of the Federalist Society and worked to confirm supremely qualified judges, including the late, great Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, whose son just became the Secretary — you know that — Secretary of Labor. Gene. Just had him in, and it was a great ceremony we had.
After concluding a historic tenure as Attorney General, Ed joined the Heritage Foundation. Over his 30 years at Heritage, he helped create the Foundation’s Legal and Judicial Studies Department, which is now named in his honor. And we’re talking about judges. And I will say, Heritage has been very helpful with us also, as you know. And I just had, on that desk, a little while ago, another six. And we’ll be up to, very soon, about 182 federal judges and 2 Supreme Court judges. That’s not including two Supreme Court. So we really — (applause) — we really have made tremendous strides. It’s a number that few people have been able to even come close to. So, it’s great. And we appreciate all the work you’ve done, too, Kay.
Remarks by President Trump at Presentation of the Medal of Freedom to Edwin Meese
Issued on: October 8, 2019
Oval Office
4:47 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. And I want to thank everybody for being here. This is a very special event. Today, it’s my tremendous privilege to present our nation’s highest civilian honor to a absolute titan of American law and a heroic defender of the American Constitution: former Counselor to the President and Attorney General of the United States, Ed Meese. Very special man. (Applause.)
Ed, congratulations on receiving a really incredible award. This is something that — we have the Congressional Medal of Honor and we have the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And this is something that’s very special for me to present it to you. I’ve heard so many incredible things over the years about you. So, congratulations. It’s my honor to be with you.
We’re delighted to be joined by Vice President Mike Pence; Attorney General William Barr — Bill; Acting OMB Director Russ Vought; and Heritage Foundation President Kay Cole James. Hi, Kay. Also — he did a good job, didn’t he? (Laughter.) Huh?
{snip}
He then became Deputy District Attorney of Alameda County, California, the same county where he had grown up. He regularly rode with local police on patrol. One officer later said about Ed, “Finding someone around here who doesn’t like Ed Meese is like trying to find a four-year-old who doesn’t like Santa Claus.” (Laughter.) So, in other words, he was a popular guy.
When chaos and violence broke out on the campus of UC Berkeley, Ed was instrumental in restoring order, peace, and public safety.
{snip}
Over the next three years, Ed would deliver monumental change for the American people. As Attorney General, Ed led the battle against drugs. He aggressively targeted traffickers and their assets. He also chaired the National Drug Policy Board and coordinated the administration’s response to the drug crisis.
In the years that followed, the strategy proved successful. Between 1982 and 1992, drug use by young adults plummeted by 50 percent nationwide. Would you like to make a comeback? That’s a pretty good number. (Laughter.) You know, we’ve got it down 18 percent, but I like 50 percent better. But we’re dealing with a whole new set of drugs, unfortunately. It’s getting — it’s a very tough situation.
Perhaps Ed’s greatest contribution to American law has been his unwavering advocacy for the legal principle that judges must adhere to the original meaning of the Constitution, setting aside their own personal and political views.
Through the decades, Ed has been one of the most eloquent champions for following the Constitution as written. To ensure fidelity to our founding documents, Ed supported the growth of the Federalist Society and worked to confirm supremely qualified judges, including the late, great Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, whose son just became the Secretary — you know that — Secretary of Labor. Gene. Just had him in, and it was a great ceremony we had.
After concluding a historic tenure as Attorney General, Ed joined the Heritage Foundation. Over his 30 years at Heritage, he helped create the Foundation’s Legal and Judicial Studies Department, which is now named in his honor. And we’re talking about judges. And I will say, Heritage has been very helpful with us also, as you know. And I just had, on that desk, a little while ago, another six. And we’ll be up to, very soon, about 182 federal judges and 2 Supreme Court judges. That’s not including two Supreme Court. So we really — (applause) — we really have made tremendous strides. It’s a number that few people have been able to even come close to. So, it’s great. And we appreciate all the work you’ve done, too, Kay.
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Lester Maddox?
George Wallace?
David Duke?
Fritz Kuhn? (German-American Bund)
