English subtitles for clip: File:President Trump Presents the Medal of Freedom to Lou Holtz.webm

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The President: Well,
thank you very much.

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Today it's my privilege
to present our nation's

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highest civilian honor,
the Presidential Medal of

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Freedom, to one of the
greatest coaches in

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American history: the
legendary Lou Holtz --

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a friend of mine.

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Great gentleman.

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Great man.

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We're delighted to be
joined this afternoon by

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members of Lou's wonderful
family, along with the

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Director of National
Intelligence, John

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Ratcliffe -- John, thank
you for being here; and

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Senator Lindsey Graham,
who I think most people

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know -- I would say they
know you, for the most

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part; and Pat Cipollone,
a big fan of Notre Dame.

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Right?

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Thank you, Pat,
for being here.

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Lou was born during the
Great Depression in the

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steel town of Follansbee,
West Virginia.

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We love West Virginia.

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He grew up in poverty
in a two-room cellar.

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But as Lou says, "I knew
God and my family loved

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me, and their love was
all the wealth I needed.

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That's everything I needed.

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That's all I wanted."

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As a child, Lou sat on his
uncle and grandfather's

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lap and listened to Notre Dame
football games on the radio.

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They were big fans of
Notre Dame, I guess, even

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before you.

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That wasn't too
long ago, was it?

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(Laughter.) They
were big fans.

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And you -- so he learned at an
early age about Notre Dame.

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At the age of nine, he took
the field in his first game.

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He then played
throughout high school.

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And Lou went on to attend
Kent State, where he did

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very well, on an
ROTC scholarship.

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After graduation, Lou
served as an officer in

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the United States Army and then
pursued his dream of coaching.

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He wanted to be a coach
right from the beginning

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because he knew
he was a leader.

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He didn't have to say it;
he knew he was a leader.

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In 1961, Lou made what he
described as "the smartest

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decision of my life."

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And I knew your wife,
and I will tell you,

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that was your smartest
decision, right?

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(Laughter.) We got
to know her well.

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She was strong and good.

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He married his
wife of 59 years.

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Beth passed away just a
short while ago, and it

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was a very tough time,
I will tell you.

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It was a very tough time
for Lou and the family.

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But we know that she's
looking down from heaven

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right now with
incredible pride.

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She's so proud
of this man.

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I got to know her over the
last few years, and she

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was a -- she was
a great woman.

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But she's looking
down right now.

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She's very proud
of you, Lou.

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In 1969, Lou became head
coach of William & Mary.

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And over three seasons,
he won the Southern

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Conference and led the
Tribe to their first bowl

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game in 22 years.

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And, by the way -- and I
have to tell you, when we

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were researching this out,
I knew he was supposed to

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be a good coach, but I
didn't know how good he

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was, because these
stats are very amazing.

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You'll see.

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I was really very impressed,
John, I will tell you.

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Lou then became head coach
of North Carolina State,

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which had won only nine games
over the previous three years.

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Not too good.

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He took it off -- he took
it over, and under Coach

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Holtz, they won the ACC
title and achieved the

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highest national ranking
in NC State's history.

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Lou went on to coach, and
so I guess you were making

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a lot of money by this
time because they were

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trying to get him to go to
all these different schools.

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He was a hot coach.

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Nothing like
being hot, right?

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(Laughter.) He
had his choice.

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He had his choice to go into
a lot of different places.

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Lou went on to coach at the
University of Arkansas.

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He built the Razorbacks
up from a five-and-five

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record into a top five
team in the nation.

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They won everything.

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Lou left Arkansas with the
best win-loss record ever

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and a very fat
bank account.

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(Laughter.) He then
coached at the University

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of -- you were making a
lot of money all of the sudden.

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Huh?

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I know how that works.

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He then coached at the
University of Minnesota,

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which was ranked dead
last in the Big Ten.

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Before he signed his
contract, he prayed, and

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then he did something
that was unprecedented.

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He inserted a clause --
with great negotiation

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talent, which he has --
that they call today the

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"Notre Dame clause."

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It stipulated that if Lou
did really well and went

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to a bowl game, he would
be free to go to Notre

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Dame should they
ask him to go.

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So he had something
going, right?

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You great football player.

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You are -- you are some
player, I'll tell you.

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(Laughter.) You
are something.

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You just -- and you're --
you weigh about 30 pounds

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less than you weighed when
you played in the NFL, right?

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(Laughter.) I'm
very impressed.

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In just two years, he
secured a top 20 ranking

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and propelled the Golden
Gophers to victory at the

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Independence Bowl.

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So he was on his
way to Notre Dame.

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He knew it.

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Nobody else did.

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I guess the Notre Dame
officials knew it.

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He was offered a coaching
job at Notre Dame

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immediately, and he also
took it immediately, as

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much as he loved the
team that he just left.

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When he became the head
coach a year later, the

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Fighting Irish
were losing team.

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They were doing
very, very poorly.

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Lou got to work and
quickly returned Notre

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Dame to the status of a
football powerhouse and

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the legend that they were.

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At the end of Lou's first
season, the team faced off

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against their archrivals,
the University of Southern

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California Trojans.

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The Fighting Irish were
down 17 points in the

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fourth quarter, but they
soon pulled off -- Notre

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Dame -- one of the
greatest comebacks

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in college football history.

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They scored two touchdowns
in less than eight minutes

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and then kicked a field
goal in the final two

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seconds of the game.

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At that moment, Holtz
said he felt the spirit

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of Notre Dame.

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He loved Notre Dame.

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And do you still
remember that game?

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Lou Holtz: Oh, very -- my
son roughed the punter.

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(Laughter.) The President:
Oh, I -- (laughs) --

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you weren't too
happy about that.

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Lou Holtz: Oh, no.

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I understood why a certain
species of animals devour

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their young.

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(Laughter.) The President:
So your son has a little

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of you in him as well.

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(Laughter.) For the next
decade, the Fighting Irish

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won 80 percent of their
games and went to nine

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consecutive New
Year's Day Bowls.

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And in 1988, the cover of
Sports Illustrated said,

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"Notre Dame is back."

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"Notre Dame is back."

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He was on the cover of
Sports Illustrated and

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many other covers.

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Notre Dame remained number
one in the country for the

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longest stretch in
the school's history.

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See, I didn't know
all this stuff.

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I knew you were a great
coach; I didn't know you

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were this good,
to be honest.

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(Laughter.) This is
beyond a great coach.

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So you had the longest
streak in the history of

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Notre Dame at number one.

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What do you think
about that, Lindsey?

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Sounds like you
in the Senate.

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Senator Graham: Yeah.

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(Laughter.) Except we
don't play with a helmet.

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The President: He
had an easy race.

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You know, he had
an easy race.

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The problem was his
opponent had $140 million.

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That's -- that was
a record, I guess.

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Wasn't it, huh?

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Guess what?

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Here's Lindsey.

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During the tenure at Notre
Dame, he coached a -- Lou

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coached a record number
of games, secured 100

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victories, and delivered
Notre Dame's most recent

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national championship.

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So he did some
job at Notre Dame.

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Then Lou became the head
coach at the University

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of South Carolina,
which he loves.

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He loves South Carolina
-- which had won only one

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bowl game in 108 years.

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He was going to take it easy,
and then he gets another offer.

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Man, oh, man.

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I'm watching that
money just pile up.

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(Laughter.) He was going
to go and just relax now.

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He did his thing
at Notre Dame.

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He won national championships
-- the longest streak.

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Then he goes to University
of South Carolina,

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and I can imagine why.

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He loves -- you do like money
a little bit, don't you?

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Right?

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He was offered a big deal.

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Lou tripled that number
and secured a top 20

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ranking immediately.

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Over the course of his
career, Lou won nearly 250

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games -- and is one of the
highest ever, by the way

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-- and is the only coach
in NCAA history to take

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six different teams
to a bowl game.

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Think of that.

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Wherever Lou went,
football glory followed.

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He was inducted into the
College Football Hall of

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Fame in 2008.

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And I will say this about
Lou: Everybody loves him.

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Everybody respects him.

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He's tough as hell, and
yet they all respect Lou.

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They just -- it's amazing.

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They love him, and
they respect him.

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Sometimes it's a
combination that doesn't

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come together, you know?

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They respect, but you
are -- you are something.

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"I never coached football;
I coached life," he said.

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And it's true.

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His players really
always loved him.

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He's turned his
inspirational story and

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motivational message into
three best-selling books.

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He's also been
an exceptional

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philanthropist.

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That's all that stuff
that he collected.

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He's opened educational
opportunities for

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students, provided insulin
pumps to diabetic children.

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And we've just brought
down the price and the

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cost of insulin.

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Right?

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You're shaking your head.

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It's amazing what
we did, right?

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Insulin -- you
couldn't buy it.

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It was destroying families.

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People were
going without it.

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Now it's $35, right?

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You can't believe it.

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I see you're
an insulin pro.

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You're involved, right?

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Family.

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Audience Member:
(Inaudible.)

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The President: That's great.

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No, it's -- we've done
a great job with costs.

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But insulin, maybe, Lindsey,
is one of the best -- $35.

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They were paying 10
times that amount.

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You couldn't get it.

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So we changed
that around, Lou.

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And supported
cancer research.

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And has traveled to 13
countries to visit the

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American troops.

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Lou's leadership and his
faith and kindness have

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inspired and uplifted
millions of fellow citizens.

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He's one of the greatest
titans in American

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football history.

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00:09:44,283 --> 00:09:46,786
And his towering
reputation will endure

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00:09:46,786 --> 00:09:50,622
forever in the chronicles
of athletics, but more

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00:09:50,623 --> 00:09:52,625
importantly, in the
chronicles of life --

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00:09:52,625 --> 00:09:54,060
because he's really
a life teacher.

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That's what he is;
he's a life teacher.

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00:09:56,262 --> 00:09:59,031
He teaches people how
to live and how to live

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00:09:59,031 --> 00:10:02,468
properly, and how to
live with dignity.

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00:10:02,468 --> 00:10:06,171
So I'd like to now ask
the military aide to come

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00:10:06,172 --> 00:10:11,344
forward and prepare for me
to give our highest medal.

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00:10:11,344 --> 00:10:14,246
We have the Congressional
Medal of Honor, and we

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00:10:14,246 --> 00:10:16,949
have the Presidential
Medal of Freedom.

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00:10:16,949 --> 00:10:18,784
And I will say, I
give away a lot of

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00:10:18,784 --> 00:10:23,055
Congressional Medal of Honors,
and that's a tough one to get.

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00:10:23,055 --> 00:10:25,123
You know, that's a tough
one to get, because they

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00:10:25,124 --> 00:10:28,894
come in with -- when they
come in, a lot of times,

264
00:10:28,894 --> 00:10:31,497
mostly, they can't come
in for obvious reasons.

265
00:10:31,497 --> 00:10:34,233
But they come in where --
they're unbelievably

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00:10:34,233 --> 00:10:35,767
brave people.

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00:10:35,768 --> 00:10:40,006
And they have had more
bullet holes and bullets

268
00:10:40,006 --> 00:10:42,308
shot at them and in them.

269
00:10:42,308 --> 00:10:44,944
That's the Congressional
Medal of Honor.

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00:10:44,944 --> 00:10:46,411
Your route is a
much easier one.

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00:10:46,412 --> 00:10:49,148
(Laughter.) As tough as it
may have been, it's a much

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00:10:49,148 --> 00:10:49,815
easier one.

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00:10:49,815 --> 00:10:50,483
Lou Holtz: That's true.

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00:10:50,483 --> 00:10:51,851
The President: I always
say that about the two.

275
00:10:51,851 --> 00:10:52,551
Lou Holtz: I'll
remember that.

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00:10:52,551 --> 00:10:54,553
(Laughter.) The President:
It's -- your route

277
00:10:54,553 --> 00:10:55,888
is a much easier -- the
Presidential Medal of Freedom.

278
00:10:55,888 --> 00:10:58,057
So I'd like to ask first
Lou to say a few words,

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00:10:58,057 --> 00:11:01,894
and then we're
going to present.

280
00:11:01,894 --> 00:11:04,430
Thank you very much.

281
00:11:04,430 --> 00:11:06,965
Lou Holtz: Thank you.

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00:11:06,966 --> 00:11:08,901
(Applause.) Thank you.

283
00:11:08,901 --> 00:11:11,436
Thank you, Mr. President.

284
00:11:11,437 --> 00:11:14,340
I'm humbled by the
various comments and

285
00:11:14,340 --> 00:11:16,942
the opportunity to
receive this award.

286
00:11:16,942 --> 00:11:19,745
But I want to assure you
how proud I am not only to

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00:11:19,745 --> 00:11:23,115
receive the award; I'm
even prouder to receive

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00:11:23,115 --> 00:11:26,052
it from President Donald
Trump, who I think was the

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00:11:26,052 --> 00:11:27,720
greatest President
during my lifetime.

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00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:30,523
And the things you've
done for this country

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00:11:30,523 --> 00:11:32,992
have given people
the opportunity.

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00:11:32,992 --> 00:11:37,396
(Applause.) As far as
making money -- I do

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00:11:37,396 --> 00:11:40,833
have to correct one
thing, Mr. President.

294
00:11:40,833 --> 00:11:43,269
You talk about
making money.

295
00:11:43,269 --> 00:11:46,172
When I went to Notre Dame,
they had a policy: The

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00:11:46,172 --> 00:11:48,774
head football coach was
not allowed to make more

297
00:11:48,774 --> 00:11:50,443
than the president
of Notre Dame.

298
00:11:50,443 --> 00:11:54,579
The president of Notre
Dame was a priest who took

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00:11:54,580 --> 00:11:56,215
a vow of poverty.

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00:11:56,215 --> 00:11:58,284
(Laughter.) I made
95,000 (inaudible).

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00:11:58,284 --> 00:12:01,620
I get this award;
I accept it humbly.

302
00:12:01,620 --> 00:12:04,757
And you don't go in life
saying, "I want to win

303
00:12:04,757 --> 00:12:06,125
this award."

304
00:12:06,125 --> 00:12:09,528
You just wake up one
day and it happens.

305
00:12:09,528 --> 00:12:13,299
But this award, as great
as it is, does not define

306
00:12:13,299 --> 00:12:15,167
who Lou Holtz is.

307
00:12:15,167 --> 00:12:20,673
My beautiful family, my
precious wife, my friends:

308
00:12:20,673 --> 00:12:23,242
You have determined who I
am, and I just try to be

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00:12:23,242 --> 00:12:24,543
a solid person.

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00:12:24,543 --> 00:12:28,948
As I think it was said,
the two most important

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00:12:28,948 --> 00:12:31,483
days of your life was the
day you were born; the

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00:12:31,484 --> 00:12:34,720
other is the day you
discover why you're born.

313
00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:36,956
When we discover we're
born basically (inaudible)

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00:12:36,956 --> 00:12:39,558
other people and overcome
problems and difficulties

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00:12:39,558 --> 00:12:41,627
that are going
to come our way.

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00:12:41,627 --> 00:12:44,396
And I just cannot be
prouder to be a part

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00:12:44,396 --> 00:12:45,231
of this country.

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00:12:45,231 --> 00:12:48,300
I could not be prouder to
receive this award from an

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00:12:48,300 --> 00:12:53,305
individual I respect
and admire as much as

320
00:12:55,808 --> 00:12:57,742
President Trump.

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00:12:57,743 --> 00:13:00,679
Thank you, sir.

322
00:13:00,679 --> 00:13:04,617
The President: Thank you.

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00:13:04,617 --> 00:13:06,584
So nice.

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00:13:06,585 --> 00:13:08,554
Thank you.

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00:13:08,554 --> 00:13:09,521
(Applause.)

326
00:13:09,522 --> 00:13:14,693
Military Aide:
Attention to orders.

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00:13:14,693 --> 00:13:17,596
Louis L. Holtz, an American sports 
legend, is awarded the

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00:13:17,596 --> 00:13:18,330
Medal of Freedom.

329
00:13:18,330 --> 00:13:20,933
A member of the College
Football Hall of Fame,

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00:13:20,933 --> 00:13:25,204
Coach Holtz's achievements
include 249 wins, 12 bowl

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00:13:25,204 --> 00:13:27,606
game victories, and a
national championship.

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00:13:27,606 --> 00:13:30,509
He is the only football
coach to lead six

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00:13:30,509 --> 00:13:32,144
different programs
to bowl games.

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00:13:32,144 --> 00:13:34,813
His tenure at Notre Dame
was historic, securing 10

335
00:13:34,813 --> 00:13:38,817
straight winning seasons and
the 1988 National Championship.

336
00:13:38,817 --> 00:13:40,953
Off the field, he's
a staple of sports

337
00:13:40,953 --> 00:13:43,822
television, a powerful
motivational speaker, a

338
00:13:43,822 --> 00:13:46,592
devout Catholic, and a
dedicated philanthropist.

339
00:13:46,592 --> 00:13:49,194
The United States
proudly honors Louis L.

340
00:13:49,195 --> 00:13:51,997
Holtz for his contributions
to our nation.

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00:13:51,997 --> 00:13:55,233
Signed, Donald J.
Trump, the President

342
00:13:55,234 --> 00:14:00,239
of the United
States of America.

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00:14:03,008 --> 00:14:08,013
(The Medal of Freedom is
presented.)

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00:14:10,816 --> 00:14:14,687
The President: Beautiful.

345
00:14:14,687 --> 00:14:15,988
(Applause.)

346
00:14:15,988 --> 00:14:21,193
Lou Holtz: Thank you.

347
00:14:21,193 --> 00:14:22,494
Whoa.

348
00:14:22,494 --> 00:14:26,365
Okay, that's it.

349
00:14:26,365 --> 00:14:27,666
(Laughter.)

350
00:14:27,666 --> 00:14:34,173
The Press: Mr. Holtz, congratulations.

351
00:14:34,173 --> 00:14:39,345
How are you feeling?

352
00:14:39,345 --> 00:14:44,350
Lou Holtz: I feel so
indebted to so many people

353
00:14:48,654 --> 00:14:52,157
in my life that had such a
positive influence on it.

354
00:14:52,157 --> 00:14:54,193
For a guy that graduated
in the lower third of his

355
00:14:54,193 --> 00:14:58,364
high school class, I feel
fortunate to be able to be

356
00:14:58,364 --> 00:15:02,334
here but also to be part
of this great country and

357
00:15:02,334 --> 00:15:04,603
to be next to an
individual that I respect

358
00:15:04,603 --> 00:15:05,971
as much as him.

359
00:15:05,971 --> 00:15:08,874
So I say it: You've
honored a lot of people.

360
00:15:08,874 --> 00:15:11,377
You go look at all the
people -- in Tiger Woods

361
00:15:11,377 --> 00:15:14,045
and Jack Nicklaus --
they're recognized

362
00:15:14,046 --> 00:15:15,547
for what they did.

363
00:15:15,547 --> 00:15:17,416
I'm recognized for
what other people did.

364
00:15:17,416 --> 00:15:20,853
I never made a block or a
tackle, but I did try to

365
00:15:20,853 --> 00:15:22,454
teach people to
make good choices.

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00:15:22,454 --> 00:15:24,290
That's all I've
ever tried to do.

367
00:15:24,290 --> 00:15:25,089
But thank you.

368
00:15:25,090 --> 00:15:26,759
The President: Such
a great statement.

369
00:15:26,759 --> 00:15:27,426
Thank you, Lou.

370
00:15:27,426 --> 00:15:29,094
The Press: Mr. President,
Mitch McConnell says COVID

371
00:15:29,094 --> 00:15:30,095
relief may be in sight.

372
00:15:30,095 --> 00:15:31,096
Will you support
this bill?

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00:15:31,096 --> 00:15:32,498
Do you support --

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00:15:32,498 --> 00:15:33,032
The President: I will.

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00:15:33,032 --> 00:15:33,866
And I think --

376
00:15:33,866 --> 00:15:34,766
The Press: -- the
900-billion-dollar --

377
00:15:34,767 --> 00:15:36,035
The President: --
we're getting very close.

378
00:15:36,035 --> 00:15:38,771
And I want it to happen,
and I believe that they're

379
00:15:38,771 --> 00:15:39,938
getting very close to a deal.

380
00:15:39,938 --> 00:15:40,606
Yeah.

381
00:15:40,606 --> 00:15:41,939
The Press: And
you'll support it?

382
00:15:41,940 --> 00:15:42,608
You'll sign it?

383
00:15:42,608 --> 00:15:43,275
The President: I will.

384
00:15:43,275 --> 00:15:43,942
I will.

385
00:15:43,942 --> 00:15:44,610
Absolutely.

386
00:15:44,610 --> 00:15:45,311
Yeah.

387
00:15:45,311 --> 00:15:45,978
The Press: Okay.

388
00:15:45,978 --> 00:15:47,313
And, Mr. President, can I
ask you to respond to the

389
00:15:47,313 --> 00:15:48,646
comments by your Attorney
General who indicated he

390
00:15:48,647 --> 00:15:50,582
has not seen, at this
point, any evidence of

391
00:15:50,582 --> 00:15:53,352
fraud enough to overturn
the election results?

392
00:15:53,352 --> 00:15:55,853
Given that, why is now
not the time to concede?

393
00:15:55,854 --> 00:15:57,723
The President: Well, he
hasn't done anything.

394
00:15:57,723 --> 00:15:59,091
So he hasn't looked.

395
00:15:59,091 --> 00:16:01,293
When he looks, he'll see
the kind of evidence that

396
00:16:01,293 --> 00:16:04,063
right now you're seeing
in the Georgia Senate.

397
00:16:04,063 --> 00:16:05,731
You know, they're going
through hearings right now

398
00:16:05,731 --> 00:16:08,834
in Georgia, and they're
finding tremendous volume.

399
00:16:08,834 --> 00:16:11,270
So they haven't looked
very hard, which is a

400
00:16:11,270 --> 00:16:13,271
disappointment, to be
honest with you, because

401
00:16:13,272 --> 00:16:15,140
it's massive fraud.

402
00:16:15,140 --> 00:16:17,476
Whether you go to
Wisconsin, where we just

403
00:16:17,476 --> 00:16:21,347
filed a case, or Michigan,
or if you look at what's

404
00:16:21,347 --> 00:16:23,247
happening in Georgia,
as an example, or

405
00:16:23,248 --> 00:16:28,053
Pennsylvania; if you look
at Nevada, which is moving

406
00:16:28,053 --> 00:16:30,689
along very rapidly, or
Arizona -- you saw those

407
00:16:30,689 --> 00:16:33,525
numbers come out yesterday
-- we found massive fraud.

408
00:16:33,525 --> 00:16:35,394
And in other states also.

409
00:16:35,394 --> 00:16:38,464
This is a -- probably the
most fraudulent election

410
00:16:38,464 --> 00:16:39,565
that anyone has ever seen.

411
00:16:39,565 --> 00:16:43,702
The Press: Do you still
have confidence in Bill Barr?

412
00:16:43,702 --> 00:16:48,774
The President: Uh, ask me that
in a number of weeks from now.

413
00:16:48,774 --> 00:16:50,743
They should be looking
at all of this fraud.

414
00:16:50,743 --> 00:16:52,878
This is not civil; he
thought it was civil.

415
00:16:52,878 --> 00:16:54,646
This is not civil;
this is criminal stuff.

416
00:16:54,646 --> 00:16:56,647
This is very bad
criminal stuff.

417
00:16:56,648 --> 00:17:00,986
So I just say this: We
went through an election.

418
00:17:00,986 --> 00:17:03,055
At 10 o'clock, everybody
said, "That was an easy

419
00:17:03,055 --> 00:17:04,522
victory for Trump."

420
00:17:04,522 --> 00:17:06,759
All of a sudden, the votes
started disappearing --

421
00:17:06,759 --> 00:17:08,827
miraculously disappearing.

422
00:17:08,827 --> 00:17:11,864
We found much of it, but
we found far more votes

423
00:17:11,864 --> 00:17:15,100
than we need in almost
all of these states.

424
00:17:15,099 --> 00:17:17,336
And I think I can say in
all of these states, far

425
00:17:17,336 --> 00:17:20,139
more votes than we need
to win every one of them.

426
00:17:20,138 --> 00:17:22,640
And I want to just thank
my team because my team is

427
00:17:22,641 --> 00:17:24,476
doing an unbelievable job.

428
00:17:24,476 --> 00:17:27,079
And more importantly,
I want to thank the 74

429
00:17:27,079 --> 00:17:30,182
million-plus people that
voted, which, Lou, is the

430
00:17:30,182 --> 00:17:34,520
largest amount of people
that a sitting President

431
00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:37,623
has ever had --
74 million-plus.

432
00:17:37,623 --> 00:17:42,361
And because the level of
loyalty, I've never seen

433
00:17:42,361 --> 00:17:43,695
anything like it.

434
00:17:43,695 --> 00:17:47,433
All over the country, they
know it was a fixed election.

435
00:17:47,433 --> 00:17:48,934
It was a rigged election.

436
00:17:48,934 --> 00:17:51,370
They know it, and I
appreciate their support.

437
00:17:51,370 --> 00:17:52,504
Thank you all very much.

438
00:17:52,504 --> 00:17:53,071
(Applause.)