00:00Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.
00:43Please.
00:47Nice crowd.
00:48I even hear a young, beautiful voice in the background.
00:52And that's good.
00:54That makes us all feel young.
00:57I want to thank everybody for being here on the 200th day in office.
01:01This is 200 days already.
01:03Time flies.
01:04But we have a country that's the hottest country right now anywhere in the world a year ago.
01:10It was in a lot of trouble.
01:12It's the hottest country.
01:14And a lot of the people in this room made it that way.
01:17Perhaps the most successful and consequential first 200 days, they say, in — of an administration
01:26in history.
01:27So let's hope they keep saying it.
01:29There they are right there.
01:31I hope they keep saying it.
01:33But even more importantly, this is also National Purple Heart Day.
01:37And we're here to honor and celebrate the unyielding patriotism and grit and devotion to America's
01:45Purple Heart veterans' great emotion and great love.
01:49The Purple Heart dates back to August 7th, 1782.
01:53That's a long time when General George Washington awarded a heart-shaped purple cloth to three soldiers for outstanding gallantry and service in battle.
02:04This afternoon, we're joined by dozens of Purple Heart recipients and their families.
02:09And just as General Washington did 243 years ago, today we give our everlasting thanks to you and your unbelievable families.
02:20We want to thank you very much for being here.
02:22We're also joined by American patriots who love our military and our veterans,
02:34including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
02:37You're doing a great job, Pete.
02:40We're working hard together.
02:41Secretary of Veterans Affairs with — Veterans Affairs with 92 percent of
02:51approval rating, I hear.
02:53It's a record.
02:54Doug Collins.
02:55Thank you very much, Doug.
03:00The Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard.
03:04She's got a lot of interesting things happening in the last — in the last few months.
03:10Keep it coming, Tulsi.
03:12Keep it coming.
03:13Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane, my friend.
03:23He got rid of ISIS in record time.
03:28They said it was going to take four to five years.
03:30He did it in four weeks.
03:32That's when I said, if I get into this again, I'm going to make him the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
03:36The Joint Chiefs said this is what happened.
03:38Great job.
03:39And they did an incredible job in Iran.
03:41I want to thank you very much.
03:42Great job, General.
03:49Deputy Secretary of Energy and Purple Heart recipient, James Danley.
03:54James?
03:55Thank you very much, James.
03:59We have a hand of honor recipient, Captain Paris Davis.
04:04Where — where are you?
04:06Where might he be?
04:07Uh-oh, look at you.
04:09You're better looking than I am, I'll tell you that.
04:11Thank you very much.
04:12We're also joined by the Marine Corps veteran who co-managed my 2024 campaign — a fantastic
04:24talent in many ways after he was wounded in battle for our country in Operation Desert Storm,
04:31Empress LaCiveta.
04:32So, where is this?
04:33Thank you very much for being — thank you very much for being with your father.
04:45It's very nice.
04:46Every Purple Heart tells a story of courage, sacrifice, and purpose.
04:50It speaks of a price paid for the soldier beside you, the country behind you, and the generations
04:57of Americans yet to come.
04:59And we have some great generations to follow.
05:02It's going to happen.
05:03Those who wear this mantle ran into bullets, faced ferocious bombs, and shed their blood
05:08on the field of battle.
05:10We will never forget what they did.
05:12We will always use them as an example of bravery and courage and strength.
05:19And we will also always think, when we look at them, of our great American flag.
05:25We want our great American flag to be strong, and it's stronger than ever.
05:30Since day one, my administration has used every power we have to fight for those who have
05:35fought for America in six months.
05:37We have reduced the backlog of veterans' waitings.
05:41And that waiting list was very long, Doug, wasn't it?
05:44For the benefits, and by — it's 37 percent.
05:48So, it's just — is that all you did, Doug?
05:50Thirty-seven?
05:51I don't know, huh?
05:52That's incredible, actually.
05:54They gave me — you're getting tremendous marks, and we appreciate it very much.
05:59We process more than two million disability benefit claims.
06:02There's fiscal year on track for the most ever.
06:05In fact, not even close.
06:07We're slashing wait times at the VA medical centers,
06:10and we're bringing back VA choice and VA accountability.
06:14As you know, we had it.
06:16And then the previous administration — let's go with the Biden administration —
06:21they decided to get rid of it.
06:24And, you know, choice is where if you wait in line for an extended period
06:29or you're not going to see a doctor for a while,
06:32you have the right to go out and get a doctor, and we'll pay for it.
06:35And you get yourself all fixed up real fast.
06:37You don't have to wait six weeks, eight weeks, months, like they were doing.
06:42And VA accountability — I'm very proud of those.
06:45We got them passed.
06:46Actually, Doug, you were a member of Congress when we did.
06:48You helped us a lot.
06:49But we got them passed in the legislature, so they're with us forever.
06:54And yet, Biden found a way to not use them.
06:59But VA accountability, that's when we have bad people in the Veterans Association
07:03that were taking advantage of people, hurting people,
07:07and they weren't in prime time.
07:08In prime time, they wouldn't have touched them.
07:10But they weren't quite in prime time.
07:12And they were doing bad things.
07:13They were sadists.
07:14They were thieves.
07:15And some bad people — we had 9,000 of them.
07:18We fired every one of them.
07:19And it was a great thing.
07:21And then he put some of those people back.
07:24I don't know why they did that, but they did it.
07:26But we got them out again, I think, Doug, right?
07:28So, it's good.
07:29So, we're at VA Choice, VA accountability, something we're very proud of.
07:34I'm also working to keep my promise to end veterans' homelessness in America in May.
07:39And today, I signed an executive order to open the National Center for Warrior Independence
07:44in Los Angeles, California, which will house up to 6,000 homeless vets.
07:50It's going to be beautiful.
07:58And just last week, I signed the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act, a big deal,
08:02to help ensure no veteran is kicked out of their home for a late payment.
08:07If you're a little bit late, don't worry about it.
08:09And, frankly, if you're a lot late, you don't have to worry about it either.
08:12You just — you just get it in when you can.
08:14Put it in when you can.
08:19The veterans have done their duty for us.
08:22And under the Trump administration, we are doing our duty for you.
08:26Okay?
08:27That's the way it's supposed to be.
08:28One of our brave soldiers with us today is Army Veteran Specialist Kevin Jensen.
08:34In 2008, Specialist Jensen was a gunner in a Humvee, racing to support a platoon ambushed
08:41by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
08:43His vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, flew 10 feet — he flew 10 feet up into the air
08:49and exploded in flames.
08:51The whole place was in flames, including, unfortunately, Kevin.
08:55But he suffered deep third-degree burns, and all over his body he was in trouble, big trouble.
09:01Despite the agony, he selflessly ran to the aid of his platoon leader, who was engulfed — just absolutely —
09:10everyone thought he was gone.
09:11He was engulfed in fire.
09:13Sir, I've got you.
09:14I've got you, sir!
09:15Kevin shouted, and pulled his friend to safety.
09:20Specialist Jensen earned the Purple Heart, and he's here today with the platoon leader
09:25whose life he saved and our newly sworn NVA Undersecretary for Medical Affairs, Captain Sam Brown.
09:32Kevin and Sam, please stand.
09:34And I know Sam very well.
09:35Sam, please stand.
09:36And I know Sam very well.
09:37Sam, please stand.
09:59Thank you very much.
10:01You got to — really, you did a great thing, because I got to know him and his really beautiful wife.
10:07You know, you're not allowed to say beautiful anymore.
10:09It's political suicide, they say.
10:12But I'll say it anyway.
10:14And the most beautiful family you've ever seen.
10:16And I just want to thank you for having done, and you for your great bravery.
10:20It's really great.
10:21Thank you both for being here.
10:22Appreciate it.
10:24The roadside announced his 24-year Army veteran Brian Ouellette.
10:32In 2010, Staff Sergeant Ouellette was conducting a resupply mission in Afghanistan when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb.
10:41You know who did the roadside bomb, right?
10:44Salameni.
10:45Where is he?
10:46Where is he?
10:47Where is he?
10:48Where is Salameni?
10:49He did — he was the father of the roadside bomb.
10:54They say 92 percent of the people who got either killed or badly hurt, it was Salameni.
11:00He was the one that did it more than anybody else by far.
11:05Leaving this person very seriously injured seven months later, Brian's teenage son, Private Kevin Ouellette,
11:14who was also deployed to Afghanistan with standing guard when insurgent forces attacked with heavy fire.
11:21The grenade knocked him out and knocked him right to the ground.
11:25He was in big trouble.
11:26But Kevin rose to his feet and successfully repulsed the attack on his camp,
11:31earning both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for valor.
11:35And I'd like to ask Brian and Kevin to please stand, wherever you may be.
11:40Hi.
11:41Good job.
11:43Good job.
11:44Good job.
11:45Good job.
11:46Good job.
11:47Good job.
11:48Good job.
11:49Good job.
11:50Good job.
11:51These are different types.
11:53These are different types, right?
11:56But same blood.
11:57That's all we care about.
11:58That's all we care about.
11:59That's as he was for digging.
12:00That's very good.
12:01You both look great.
12:02Thank you both very much.
12:03Appreciate it.
12:04We're also joined by Marine Corps veteran Staff Sergeant Thomas Mateo, wounded six
12:09tail, wounded six times during two tours in Vietnam. At the end of his first tour, shrapnel
12:16sliced open his abdomen, and he was left bleeding, and they thought he was gone. He was on the
12:22jungle floor for a long period of time, but he recovered and chose to go back and fight.
12:27Thomas later continued to protect our citizens as police chief of Hialeah Gardens and Inverness.
12:34That's two good places. We love those places. We love Florida. Every time I ran there, I
12:41won, so I got to love it, right? Seven records. We have the all-time record, Thomas, and he
12:46was one of the very rare six-time recipients of the Purple Heart. Boy, you got hit. Where's
12:50Thomas? Six times. You got to be kidding. That's pretty tough stuff, and look at you. You look
12:56fantastic. So did it have any negative impact on you, would you say, now that you're recovered,
13:01fully recovered, would you say? Do you get any extra aches and pains or anything?
13:07Two prostated knees, sir. That's it. That's called an ache and a pain.
13:12That's right. I know I have the whole list. It's amazing, and you look great. Thank you very much.
13:21It's amazing. Amazing.
13:25Last year, after an assassin tried to take my life in Butler, Pennsylvania, Thomas generously
13:31mailed me one of his Purple Hearts. Many of the other veterans showed me the same unbelievable
13:37gesture of kindness, including three-time Purple Heart recipient John Ford and Gerald Enter,
13:44Jr., who also came along with us and did us a great, great favor. Gerald, John, and Thomas,
13:50I want to thank you very much. What a great honor to get those Purple Hearts. I guess,
13:56in a certain way, it wasn't that easy for me, either, when you think of it, but you went through
14:01a lot more than I did, and I appreciate it all very much. Thank you. Thank you. Where are you?
14:05Stand up, please. Please. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
14:10That was some day we had together. That was some day we had together. Thank you both very
14:22much. Thank you all. From the very beginning, our nation's fate has depended on heroes like
14:28those in the room who place their bodies between the enemy fire and, really, that fire and the
14:35American freedom that we all love so much because of their sacrifice today. Our flag is still waving
14:42proudly, and our freedom is still safe and secure, and our future is looking brighter and greater than
14:47ever. Our country is doing really well. We're very proud of our country. We had that mission. I
14:53watched those B-2 bombers with those pilots. We had them in the Oval Office celebrating their
14:59incredible bravery and talent, pure talent. Every single bomb hit its mark perfectly. And
15:06then we had Tomahawks coming in, 30 of them coming in from submarines that were 300 miles
15:12away. They all hit their mark, too. Look at his smile on you. You think that's your boy. Look
15:18at his smile. But pretty good, right? Pretty good. We had them. We celebrated it all together.
15:24We actually had 52 tankers. Can you imagine? We had a lot of the people over to the White
15:29House, to the gardens, and it was an incredible day. It was a day of celebration. They'd been
15:34looking to do that for 22 years. One of the pilots came up and said to me, you know, we've
15:40been waiting for 22 years, my predecessors, because he was a young guy. But he said, we've
15:45been practicing this three times a year for 22 years. Who knew that, Pete? And I said, you
15:50mean, you knew exactly what to do? He said, every single year, three times a year, we'd
15:55practice for that specific event. And you were the one that had the guts to do it, send
16:00us on our way. I said, were you happy or unhappy about the fact that I said to you? He said,
16:05we couldn't get into the planes fast enough, right? I said, well, you guys are different,
16:10but they're really talented people and special. We've had some incredible success. But I want
16:15to give a very special thanks to all of the Purple Heart recipients that are with us today
16:21and all over the country and all over the world, frankly. And I'll now sign the proclamation
16:26officially declaring this as National Purple Heart Day. Very special day. Thank you very
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