In 1963, when President John F. Kennedy gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom its name, he said that “in a period when the national government must call upon an increasing portion of the talents and energies of its citizens, it is clearly appropriate to provide ways to recognize and reward the work of persons, within and without the government, who contribute significantly to the quality of American life.”
Today, our country is in even greater need of such virtuous citizens—of heroic men and women who can serve as examples of what it means to defend the republic, renew our culture, and reclaim America’s destiny. That’s why we are calling on President Donald Trump to grant the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor, to one of the most prophetic voices of conservatism: Patrick J. Buchanan.
Pat Buchanan is a towering figure in American statesmanship. Six decades of public service—from his early days as a young speechwriter for Richard Nixon to his hard-charging campaigns for the presidency—would alone qualify him for the nation’s highest honor.
But what sets Buchanan apart, what makes him uniquely deserving of this recognition, is that he is one of the great pioneers of what we now call America First conservatism. He foresaw, long before others, nearly every political crisis and cultural challenge that animates the country today.
When the political class was busy declaring “the end of history” in the 1990s, Buchanan was warning that mass migration would erode our national identity, that reckless interventions abroad would sap our strength, and that “free trade” deals like NAFTA would gut the American working class and hollow out our industrial heartland.
Looking back now, his speeches read like prophecy. His famous “Culture War” address to the 1992 Republican National Convention—derided by elites at the time—warned of the relentless advance of the Left’s social agenda: abortion on demand, the degradation of religious liberty, women in combat units, and the redefinition of the family.
When he accepted the Reform Party nomination in 2000, Buchanan spoke words that now ring truer than ever:
There has to be one party that will stand up for our sovereignty and stand up for our workers and stand by those folks being sacrificed on the altar of the global economy. There has to be one party that will defend America’s history and heritage and heroes against the Visigoths and Vandals of multiculturalism. There has to be one party willing to drive the money changers out of the temples of our civilization.
The elites scoffed. The uniparty jeered. But Buchanan never stopped speaking for the forgotten men and women of this country.
As President Trump himself knows, boldness on behalf of the American people is always met by opposition from Washington’s uniparty establishment. And Buchanan endured more than his fair share of it. The neoconservative gatekeepers of the 1990s—men like Norman Podhoretz, Bill Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, and George Will—dismissed him as a nativist, a protectionist, and an antisemitic isolationist. They said his ideas were beyond the pale of “respectable” conservatism. They worked to marginalize him, to push his voice out of the movement he helped build.
Even William F. Buckley joined in on the criticism, levelling a spurious accusation of antisemitism against Buchanan. And though National Review gave Buchanan a “tactical endorsement” only a few months later, the damage had been done. In hindsight, we can see that Buckley’s attempt to police the conservative movement, rather than engage in an intellectually honest debate about foreign policy, hindered one of its greatest champions. We must learn from this mistake.
Here’s the truth: Pat Buchanan was always closer to the American people than were his critics. Out on the campaign trail, rubbing elbows with factory workers, small business owners, and churchgoing families, he understood their hopes and fears in a way that his critics never could. And despite every charge thrown at him, Buchanan’s words and actions were always animated by love—love for his country, love for its people, and a belief that America could and must be renewed.
In a 2017 interview, Buchanan humbly reflected on his legacy: “The ideas made it, but I didn’t.”
It’s time to change that.
History has vindicated Buchanan—resoundingly, undeniably, time and again. His warnings about globalism, about the hollowing out of our industries, about the dangers of endless wars and cultural collapse, have proven prescient. And his courage, his willingness to endure mockery and scorn in defense of his principles, should be a lesson for every American who still believes in this country’s promise.
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Awarding Pat Buchanan the Presidential Medal of Freedom would not just honor a man—though doing so would be long overdue. It would also send an unmistakable message that the era of conservative timidity is over, that the movement which once censored and sidelined its boldest voices is gone for good.
From now on, we will not apologize for loving this country. We will not apologize for defending its sovereignty, its borders, its families, its faith. And from now on, we will celebrate—not shun—the great Americans who paved the way for our renewal.
Pat Buchanan belongs among the conservative movement’s greatest heroes. President Donald Trump should award him the Medal of Freedom. And every American who loves this country should stand and cheer when he does.
