Ends Monday.
>>> IF YOU GIVE POWER TO JOE
BIDEN, THE RADICAL LEFT WILL
DEFUND POLICE DEPARTMENTS ALL
ACROSS AMERICA.
THEY WILL PASS FEDERAL
LEGISLATION TO REDUCE LAW
ENFORCEMENT NATIONWIDE.
THEY WILL MAKE EVERY CITY LOOK
LIKE DEMOCRAT-RUN PORTLAND,
OREGON.
NO ONE WILL BE SAFE IN BIDEN’S
AMERICA.
>> THE PRESIDENT TONIGHT
PAINTING HIMSELF AS THE LAW AND
ORDER PRESIDENT.
WITH US AGAIN TONIGHT IS JON
MEACHAM, PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING
PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN AND
AUTHOR.
HE WAS A SPEAKER AT LAST WEEK’S
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION.
DIDN’T SEE HIM ON THE DOCKET OF
SPEAKERS TONIGHT.
HE’S ALSO THE AUTHOR OF THE NEW
BOOK "HIS TRUTH IS MARCHING
ON: JOHN LEWIS AND THE POWER OF
HOPE."
BRAND-NEW, REVEALING PORTRAIT OF
THE LATE CONGRESSMAN, WHICH IS
JUST OUT NOW.
JON, I’M SITTING HERE WATCHING
THIS EVENT TONIGHT, KNOWING I
WAS GOING TO GET TO TALK TO YOU.
THE LAST TWO PARAGRAPHS OF THE
SPEECH -- FORGIVE ME, WHAT WE
WOULD CALL BOILERPLATE --
AMERICA, PATRIOTISM.
THOSE WERE THE ONLY NORMAL
THINGS ABOUT THE NIGHT.
THAT’S HOW OUR PRESIDENTS
NORMALLY SPEAK.
LAST TWO GRAPHS.
OTHER THAN THAT, THE LAST NIGHT
OF A CONVENTION WITH CAMPAIGN
SIGNAGE ON THE WHITE HOUSE SOUTH
LAWN.
THE FIREWORKS ON PUBLIC PARKLAND
THAT SPELL OUT "TRUMP 2020." HOW ABOUT ENDING THE NIGHT WITH
HOW ABOUT ENDING THE NIGHT WITH
THE OLD PATRIOTIC FAVORITE "NESS
UM DORMA" AS SUNG FROM THE
TRUMAN BALCONY.
IT WAS A LOT, BUT TELL ME HOW
FAR FROM NORMAL TONIGHT WAS.
>> WELL, I KEPT THINKING ABOUT
TWO EVENTS, TWO THINGS ON EITHER
SIDE OF THE FIRST FLOOR RIGHT
BEHIND THE PRESIDENT, AND YOU
COVERED THE WHITE HOUSE FOR A
LONG TIME.
YOU KNOW THAT GEOGRAPHY WELL.
ON THE ONE SIDE IS THE STATE
DINING ROOM WHERE ABOVE THE
MANTDLE, BELOW A PORTRAIT OF
LINCOLN, IS ENGRAVED A PASSAGE
OF A LETTER THAT JOHN ADAMS
WROTE ABIGAIL ADAMS WHEN HE
FIRST MOVED IN 1800-1801.
AND IT SAID "MAY NONE BUT GOOD
AND HONEST MEN EVER LIVE UNDER
THIS ROOF."
AND THAT IS A PRAYER THAT I’M
AFRAID HAS NOT BEEN ANSWERED IN
THIS HOUR.
AND THEN I WAS THINKING ABOUT
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HOUSE, THE
EAST ROOM.
AND ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO, I THINK
2011, WHICH NOW SEEMS AS THOUGH
YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THE PELL
PANICIAN WAR, I WAS HONORED TO
BE A GUEST AT THE KIND OF EVENT
WE ASSOCIATE AT THE WHITE HOUSE
WHERE BARACK OBAMA WAS GIVING
OUT THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF
FREEDOM.
AND THERE WERE TWO PEOPLE AMONG
ABOUT TEN RECIPIENTS THAT DAY.
ONE WAS GEORGE HERBERT WALKER
BUSH OF GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT.
AND THE OTHER WAS JOHN ROBERT
LEWIS OF TROY, ALABAMA.
AND THAT WAS A PRESIDENT WHO
UNDERSTOOD THAT HE WAS, IN FACT,
IN CHARGE OF THE AFFAIRS AND HAD
THE FATES OF THE ENTIRE COUNTRY
IN HIS HANDS, NOT SIMPLY HIS
BASE OF SUPPORTERS.
AND I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT THE
LAST TWO WEEKS, THE CHOICE IS
VERY CLEAR.
I THINK THAT LAST WEEK WE SAW,
HOWEVER IMPERFECT YOU MAY THINK
THE POLICY IS, HOWEVER IMPERFECT
YOU MAY THINK THAT DIRECTION
MIGHT BE, YOU SAW A PATRIOTIC
VISION OF THE COUNTRY PRESENTED
LAST WEEK.
THIS WEEK YOU SAW A
PROPAGANDISTIC ONE.
LAST WEEK YOU SAW A GENEROUS
ONE.
THIS WEEK YOU SAW A GREEDY ONE.
AND IT’S NOT JUST STYLE.
THIS IS SUBSTANCE TOO.
AND YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT
THIS BEFORE.
BUT THERE WAS A CONVERSATION IN
THIS COUNTRY THAT WENT ON FOR
ABOUT 80 YEARS STARTING IN 1933,
WHICH WAS THE LAST TIME WE FACED
A CRISIS OF THIS DEPTH AND SCOPE
WITH THE GREAT DEPRESSION, THE
PANDEMIC NOW, WHERE FRANKLIN
ROOSEVELT STARTED A CONVERSATION
WHERE HE WAS AT ABOUT THE
20-YARD LINE ON THE RELATIVE
ROLE OF THE STATE IN THE
MARKETPLACE AND THE RELATIVE
PROJECTION OF FORCE AGAINST
COMMONLY AGREED UPON FOES AND
RIVALS.
AND HISTORICALLY SPEAKING,
RONALD REAGAN WAS PROBABLY OVER
ON THE 20-YARD LINE ON THE OTHER
SIDE, AND EVERYBODY GOVERNED ON
THAT FIELD.
AND IT WASN’T PERFECT.
ONE OF THE REASONS DONALD TRUMP
IS PRESIDENT IS IT WASN’T
PERFECT.
IT DIDN’T PRODUCE RESULTS FOR
EVERYBODY.
BUT IT WAS A COHERENT
CONVERSATION.
AND THIS IS NOT A SEQUENTIAL
CHAPTER TO THAT DYNAMIC.
AND WHATEVER YOU MIGHT THINK
ABOUT VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN,
HE’LL BE ON THAT FIELD, AND
PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL SIMPLY BE
OUTSIDE TRYING TO PUT HIS NAME
ON THE STADIUM.
>> ABOUT A MINUTE LEFT.
WILL WE EVER BE ABLE TO SEE THE
STRUCTURE AGAIN?
AND I’LL MATCH YOU ANOTHER ONE.
THE MADISONS COMING UP WHAT
PASSED FOR THE DRIVEWAY WITH
SCORCH MARKS AND LINGERING SMOKE
ON THE BUILDING, WHEN WE FEARED
IT WAS ALL LOST.
THE VIGILS OUTSIDE FDR’S WHITE
HOUSE AT ALL THOSE DESPERATE
MOMENTS IN OUR HISTORY AT NIGHT.
WILL WE EVER LOOK AT THE
STRUCTURE AND NOT SEE A BRANDED
THEME PARK THAT WAS ON DISPLAY
TONIGHT?
>> HISTORY CAN TEACH BY POSITIVE
EXAMPLE AND BY WHAT THE ANCIENTS
CALLED NEGATIVE EXEMPLUM, RIGHT?
SO WE NOW KNOW -- I HOPE WE KNOW
WHAT THE BOTTOM IS.
AND I THINK IF THIS PRESIDENT IS
RE-ELECTED, WE WILL GO BELOW
THIS BOTTOM.
BUT LET THIS NIGHT BE A MARKER
FOR US THAT WE DON’T WANT TO