Former President Bill Clinton says ‘America needs the Oklahoma Standard’ amid divisiveness
Saturday marks 30 years since the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City killed 168 people, including 19 children.
Updated: 11:05 AM CDT Apr 19, 2025
AND YOU HAVE. THANK YOU. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE WELCOME BACK OUR FRIEND, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON. HALL PARK. THANK YOU. PLEASE. I’VE HAD THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE. I’VE BEEN WATCHING ON THE MONITOR. I WANT TO THANK. FIRST OF ALL. DOCTOR, THANK YOU FOR THE INTRODUCTION AND FOR YOUR WONDERFUL WORK. AND. I HAD A NICE VISIT WITH A PASTOR IN THE MUSIC ROOM. AND THANK YOU, MAYOR. MAYOR HOLT AND GOVERNOR KEATING. MAYOR. NORWICH. SENATOR LANKFORD. GOVERNOR. STITT. CHAPLAIN. WILSON. AND JORDAN SMITH, THANK YOU FOR. SINGING ONE OF MY FAVORITE HYMNS. THE GUY THAT WROTE THAT. HYMN. WAS THE MUSIC DIRECTOR OF A PENTECOSTAL CHURCH IN LOUISIANA, WHOSE PASTOR WAS ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS. AND I LOVED SINGING IT. AND IT WAS SUNG AT MY MOTHER’S FUNERAL. SO. THIS HAS BEEN VERY MOVING FOR ME. LISTENING TO ALL OF YOU AND REMEMBERING. 30 YEARS AGO, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT DAY WHEN I WOKE UP. I WENT JOGGING WITH THE WINNERS OF THE BOSTON MARATHON, GIVING ME THE ILLUSION AND ILLUSION. IT WAS THAT I WAS SOMEHOW PRETTY FIT. AND. THEN I GOT. BACK TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE DEVASTATING NEWS. THAT TRUCK BOMB. AS YOU ALL KNOW BETTER THAN I CLAIMED, 168 LIVES. 19 OF THEM WERE LITTLE CHILDREN IN THE BUILDINGS, DAYCARE CENTER. I ALWAYS LIKE TO START WITH THAT WHEN I TALK TO PEOPLE BECAUSE. A LOT OF TIMES FANATIC WILL TELL YOU I’M SORRY, THIS, THAT OR THE OTHER THING HAD TO HAPPEN. BUT YOU KNOW, THERE HAS TO BE COLLATERAL DAMAGE SOMETIMES TO MAKE A STATEMENT. I NEVER HAVE HEARD ANYBODY SAY THAT WHO HAD TO LIVE WITH THE DAMAGE. MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR JOBS, I MEAN, THEIR LIVES WERE PUBLIC SERVANTS, AS WE ALL KNOW. THEY GOT AMAZING COVERAGE AFTER THIS HAPPENED. ABOUT WHAT THEY DID EVERY DAY. AS A MATTER OF CHOICE, SHOWING UP FOR WORK TO DO BUSINESS FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THEY HELPED VETERANS AND FARMERS AND THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED. THEY HELPED TO KEEP OUR COUNTRY SAFE. ONE OF THE SECRET SERVICE AGENTS, AL WITCHER, WHO LOST HIS LIFE, WAS A MEMBER OF MY DETAIL. AND HE LEFT ME, AND HE WAS VERY POPULAR AND VERY GOOD AT WHAT HE DID. BUT HE HAD A FAMILY AND HE SAID, YOU KNOW, YOU TRAVEL TOO MUCH. I WANT TO BE HOME MORE. AND OKLAHOMA CITY WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE TO RAISE MY KIDS. ALL OF US WHO KNEW HIM THOUGHT HE WAS GOING ON A MUCH SAFER JOURNEY. WHICH SHOWS YOU HOW LITTLE ANY OF US CAN KNOW ABOUT WHAT TOMORROW WILL BRING. THAT BOMBING? PROFOUNDLY SHOOK THE COUNTRY. AND DID MORE TO ALL OF YOU. BUT IN THE END, IT BROUGHT OUT THE BEST IN AMERICA. FIRST RESPONDERS, DOCTORS, NURSES, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS FROM ALL ACROSS AMERICA PUT THEIR OWN LIVES ON HOLD AND SHOWED UP HERE. MY FEMA DIRECTOR, JAMES LEE WITT, WOULD CALL ME DAILY AND JUST GIVE ME, HE SAID. THIS GROUP SHOWED UP, THAT GROUP SHOWED UP. HE SAID, YOU CAN’T BELIEVE IT. THEY’RE JUST APPEARING. AND I SAID, WELL, YOUR JOB IS TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT THE LOCAL PEOPLE MAKE FULL USE OF THEM. AND WE TALKED ABOUT. HOW THRILLING IT WAS. AND I STILL RUN INTO PEOPLE ALL AROUND WHO TELL ME THEY WENT TO OKLAHOMA CITY AND HOW GRATEFUL THEY ARE AFTER ALL THIS TIME, THAT THEY HAD THE CHANCE TO DO IT. THERE WERE OTHER THINGS. A LOT OF DONATIONS CAME IN. WE ALL REMEMBER THE DRAWINGS OF SCHOOLCHILDREN THAT WERE FEATURED FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THE CARDS, THE TEDDY BEARS. THE PENNIES. EVERYBODY FOUND THEIR WAY TO SAY SOMETHING THAT WAS HUMANE AND SUPPORTIVE. THE DOMESTIC TERRORISTS WHO DID THIS AWFUL THING. BELIEVED THAT IT WOULD SPARK A NATIONWIDE UPHEAVAL. AGAINST THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT. AND WOULD EVENTUALLY DESTROY OUR GOVERNMENT AND OUR DEMOCRACY. AND OUR WAY OF LIFE. INSTEAD, YOU GAVE THEM, AS THE MAYOR SAID SO ELOQUENTLY, THE OKLAHOMA STANDARD. YOU GAVE THEM. SERVICE, HONOR, AND KINDNESS. I KNOW OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS. YOU ARE PROBABLY MANAGING YOUR LOSSES BETTER, BUT I KNOW THE PAIN HAS NEVER GONE AWAY. I KNOW YOU STILL MISS THE PEOPLE YOU LOST. BUT BY CONTINUING. TO LOVE THEM AND HONOR THEM. AND WORKING TO REBUILD YOUR OWN LIVES AND THE LIVES OF THIS COMMUNITY. YOU’VE GONE A LONG WAY. TO REDEEM THE LIVES THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO LIVE. AND JUST AS IMPORTANT, YOU HAVE GIVEN AMERICA A VERY GREAT GIFT. EVERY YEAR. WE GET TOGETHER AND REAFFIRM YOUR MODEL OF HOW, DESPITE ALL OF OUR DIFFERENCES. IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T NOTICED, WE’VE GOT A FEW. IN SPITE OF ALL OF THEM. WE CAN STILL FIND A WAY TO MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER WITH. THE OKLAHOMA STANDARD. SERVICE. HONOR. KINDNESS. DID IT WORK? ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LOOK AROUND. I MEAN, THE DIFFERENCE, JUST THE PHYSICAL DIFFERENCE IN BEING IN THIS CITY TODAY AND 30 YEARS AGO IS BREATHTAKING. BUT EVERY TIME I’M HERE. I TALK TO PEOPLE WHO SERVED IN RESTAURANTS OR WORKING WITH WHATEVER HOTEL I’M STAYING IN, OR JUST PEOPLE. AND I SAY, YOU LIKE LIVING HERE? AND THEY JUST FEEL LIKE THEY’RE WALKING WITH A LITTLE SPRING IN THEIR STEP BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY LIVE IN A PLACE THAT THEY CAN BE PROUD OF. SO I DID MY ANECDOTAL POLL LAST NIGHT AND TODAY, AND YOU’RE STILL WINNING. I THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT. BECAUSE. IN RECENT YEARS. THE COUNTRY HAS GROWN MORE POLARIZED. AND ON THAT AWFUL DAY 30 YEARS AGO, YOU WERE THE CENTER OF THE POLARIZATION. NOW LOOK WHAT YOU’VE BUILT. AND YET WE HAVE THESE. DIFFERENCES. AND IT SEEMS TO ME I LISTEN TO THIS A LOT BECAUSE I’M OLD AND I CAN’T RUN FOR ANYTHING ANYMORE. AND I ALWAYS KID. I’M ALMOST AS OLD AS PRESIDENT TRUMP. BUT BUT. THE. IF YOU LISTEN TO A LOT OF WHAT I READ AND HEAR TODAY, IT’S LIKE THESE EVERYBODY’S ARGUING ABOUT WHOSE RESENTMENTS MATTER MOST. WHOSE RESENTMENTS ARE MORE VALID. WHEN IS IT OKAY TO STRETCH THE TRUTH A LITTLE BIT, TO INCREASE YOUR ADVANTAGE? IF OUR LIVES ARE GOING TO BE DOMINATED BY THE EFFORT TO DOMINATE PEOPLE, WE DISAGREE WITH. WE’RE GOING TO PUT THE 250 YEAR OLD MARCH TOWARD A MORE PERFECT UNION AT RISK. NONE OF US WOULD EVER GET MUCH DONE. BELIEVE ME, WE’VE ALL GOT SOMETHING TO BE MAD ABOUT. SOMETHING LEGITIMATE TO BE MAD ABOUT. YOU MADE A DIFFERENT DECISION. SO. MY ADVICE TO AMERICA TODAY IS THAT WE WERE THERE FOR YOU WHEN YOU NEEDED US. AMERICA NEEDS YOU, AND AMERICA NEEDS THE OKLAHOMA STANDARD. AND IF WE ALL LIVE BY IT, WE’D BE A LOT BETTER OFF. WE WOULD. WE WOULD GET A FAIRER ECONOMY, A MORE STABLE SOCIETY. WE WOULD UNDERSTAND ONE ANOTHER AND WE WOULDN’T FEEL WEAK IF WE ADMITTED WE WERE WRONG ABOUT SOMETHING. DOES YOU GOOD EVERY NOW AND THEN TO ADMIT YOU’RE WRONG. YOU KNOW I DID. THIS CHURCH WOULD BE OUT OF BUSINESS IF NOBODY EVER DID ANYTHING WRONG. WE’RE LAUGHING. BUT YOU KNOW IT’S TRUE. AND SO I ASK YOU TO THINK ABOUT THAT. I THINK ALL THE TIME. ABOUT THE BREATHTAKING CHANGES YOU MADE HERE. BECAUSE OF HOW YOU DECIDED TO RESPOND. AND THIS IS HARD WORK. PRESIDENT EISENHOWER, WHO I THINK WAS UNDERRATED FOR SEVERAL YEARS. SAID THAT HE WORRIED ABOUT WHETHER DEMOCRACY COULD LAST IN AMERICA BECAUSE IT REQUIRED, IN THE END, SUCH CONCENTRATION AND DISCIPLINE AND THE WILLINGNESS NOT TO DO THINGS AS WELL AS TO DO THEM. BUT WHEN WE COME HERE. BECAUSE YOU LOST SO MUCH. YOU ARE ABLE TO. FEEL. WHAT YOU COULD DO TO MAKE IT BETTER, TO MAKE IT DIFFERENT, TO REALLY BUILD SOMETHING INSTEAD OF JUST KEEP TEARING DOWN. AND I AND YOU HAVE DONE IT. AND I CAME HERE TODAY IN PART JUST TO SAY TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, LOOK AT THIS. THIS IS WHAT YOU GET WITH SERVICE AND HONOR AND KINDNESS PUT TOGETHER. AND. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE USE THE PHRASE MORE PERFECT UNION IN SPEECHES BECAUSE IT HAS A NICE RING TO IT. AND THE FOUNDERS PLEDGED THAT THEY WERE GETTING ORGANIZED TO GIVE US A MORE PERFECT UNION. BUT IT’S 18TH CENTURY LANGUAGE. THE MODERN MEANING IS, HEY FOLKS, LET’S FACE IT, WE ARE NOT PERFECT AND WE ARE NEVER GOING TO BE PERFECT. BUT WE CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER. AND SO WE HAD TO SHED ALL THE BAGGAGE THAT KEEPS US FROM DOING BETTER. THAT’S WHAT WE OWE. 30 YEARS LATER, THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE IN OKLAHOMA CITY. THAT’S WHAT WE OWE THE FAMILIES. THE PEOPLE WHO SURVIVED THEM. I WISH I COULD LIVE 30 MORE YEARS TO SEE WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN. BECAUSE IN SPITE OF ALL THIS BEST POSITIONED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD FOR THE 21ST CENTURY. IF WE DON’T BLOW IT. IF WE DON’T FORGET HOW YOU GOT FROM 30 YEARS AGO TO TODAY. AND. IT IS TRUE THAT I WAS. I STILL REMEMBER AS IF IT WERE 30 MINUTES AGO, COMING HERE WITH HILLARY TO THAT MEMORIAL SERVICE AND SAYING, YOU HAVE LOST TOO MUCH, BUT YOU HAVE NOT LOST EVERYTHING. YOU HAVE CERTAINLY NOT LOST AMERICA. AND WE WILL BE WITH YOU FOR AS MANY TOMORROWS AS IT TAKES. I DO THINK WE KEPT THAT COMMITMENT. LORD KNOWS WE TRIED, BUT TODAY OKLAHOMA CITY, AMERICA NEEDS YOU. I WISH TO GOODNESS EVERY AMERICAN COULD JUST SEE LIFE UNFOLD HERE. HEAR THESE STORIES. LISTEN, YOU KNOW I LOVE I LOVE SITTING BACKSTAGE AND LISTENING TO FRANK KEATING. I WONDERED IF HE MISSED HIS CALLING, IF HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PREACHER. BUT AT THE TIME, HE WAS A GOOD CATHOLIC BOY AND THERE WASN’T A BIG SPACE FOR HIM THERE. AND SOME OF YOU WERE WITH US LAST NIGHT, LAUGHED WHEN I TOLD THE STORY ABOUT HOW HE BEAT MY BRAINS OUT IN A STUDENT CONTEST AT GEORGETOWN. WHEN WE WERE BOTH THERE. IT’S IMPORTANT NOT TO FORGET. THAT. WE ALL DO OUR BEST TO FIND OUR WAY THROUGH LIFE. NONE OF US WILL BE RIGHT ALL THE TIME. AND HERE WE ARE. THE DAY BEFORE EASTER, I WANT TO SAY JUST ONE THING ABOUT THIS. IN SAINT PAUL’S FAMOUS LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS, WHERE HE DESCRIBES WHAT LOVE IS, WHICH IS OFTEN READ AT MARRIAGES, WEDDINGS, WRONGLY, BECAUSE THE WORD FOR LOVE. IS AGAPE, WHICH MEANS LOVE OF YOUR FELLOW HUMAN BEING. AND WE ALL MEMORIZE AS KIDS, ALL OF US WHO WERE CHRISTIANS. NOW BYARS FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE, WHICH WAS CHARITY IN THE OLD EDITIONS OF THE BIBLE. BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE. HOW COULD LOVE BE EVEN GREATER THAN FAITH? BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF HUMAN LIFE. THE END I LOVE THIS. IT’S MY FAVORITE. IT’S THE ONLY THING THAT I THINK EVERY POLITICIAN IN THE WORLD OF ANY RELIGION WOULD BENEFIT FROM INTERNALIZING. WHERE SAINT PAUL COMPARES LIFE ON EARTH. FLEETING THOUGH IT IS WITH ETERNAL AFTERLIFE WITH GOD. AND HE SAYS, NOW WE SEE THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, BUT THEN FACE TO FACE. NOW I KNOW IN PART. BUT THEN I WILL KNOW, EVEN AS I AM KNOWN. AND NOW ABIDETH FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE. THESE THREE BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE. WHY? BECAUSE WE CANNOT HAVE PERFECT KNOWLEDGE. WE HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE THINGS THROUGH THE EYES OF GOD. AND LIKE I SAID, THAT’S WHAT KEEPS THE CHURCHES OPEN AND THE CHAPLAINS BUSY. AND THANK GOD IT DOES. BUT. WE HAVE NO IDEA. AND I CAN’T MAKE THIS NOT A TRAGEDY. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT ALL 168 OF THOSE PEOPLE WOULD HAVE DONE WITH THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. BUT WE DO KNOW WHAT THEY DID THAT WAS GOOD. WE KNOW THE LOVE THAT THEY GENERATED WHICH WAS WORTHY. AND YOU MADE A CHOICE TO LIVE BY WHAT YOU CALL NOW. THE OKLAHOMA STANDARD. IT IS PERFECTLY CONSISTENT WITH THE COMMANDS OF THE SCRIPTURE. PERFECTLY APPROPRIATE FOR TOMORROW BEING EASTER. AND PERFECTLY FIT. TO ACKNOWLEDGE 30 YEARS OF TRYING TO DO WHAT PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO, WHICH IS TO TAKE WHATEVER COMES AND MAKE THE BEST YOU CAN OF IT. I KNOW OF NO OTHER EXAMPLE. THAT CAN COMPARE TO WHAT YOU HAVE DONE HERE, AND I, AS A CITIZEN, AM GRATEFUL FOR IT. I’M GLAD I COULD BE THERE TO HELP A LITTLE BIT. I LOVE IT IN MY OLD AGE WHEN YOU STILL INVITE ME BACK. JUST KNOW THIS. YOU NEEDED YOUR COUNTRY. THEN. I WAS A SYMBOL OF IT. AND SO I’M GRATEFUL THAT YOU LET ME COME BACK OVER AND OVER AGAIN. BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT, YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU NOW. WE HAVE ALL THESE ASSETS BEGINNING WITH OUR PEOPLE AND OUR GREAT INSTITUTIONS. ARE WE REALLY GOING TO PUT THEM AT RISK TO PROVE WE’RE ALWAYS RIGHT, AND THAT OUR RESENTMENTS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN SOMEBODY ELSE’S? I WISH EVERY AMERICAN WOULD GET A COPY OF THE OKLAHOMA STANDARD IN THE MAIL ON THEIR CELL PHONES TOMORROW. I BET YOU WOULD HAVE A TERRIFIC IMPACT. DON’T GIVE UP. WE NEED YOU NOW. THANK YOU. COME ON, COM
Former President Bill Clinton says ‘America needs the Oklahoma Standard’ amid divisiveness
Saturday marks 30 years since the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City killed 168 people, including 19 children.
Updated: 11:05 AM CDT Apr 19, 2025
Saturday marks 30 years since the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City killed 168 people, including 19 children. Bill Clinton was the president at the time of the bombing, and he traveled to Oklahoma City in the days after to grieve with the victims’ families and share some words of hope. He was one of the keynote speakers during a ceremony on April 23, 1995, at the Oklahoma State Fair Arena. Prior to coming to Oklahoma City in 1995, he and his wife, former First Lady Hillary Clinton, planted a flowering dogwood tree at the White House. The former president returned to Oklahoma City in 2000 to dedicate the outdoor memorial of the Oklahoma City National Memorial. He was back on Saturday for the 30th remembrance ceremony, saying America needs the Oklahoma Standard during a time of divisiveness. “My advice to America today is that we were there for you when you needed us. America needs you, and America needs the Oklahoma Standard. And if we all live by it, we’d be a lot better off,” Clinton said. He added that he wished everyone had a copy of the Oklahoma Standard handy. “I wish every American would get a copy of the Oklahoma Standard in the mail or on their cellphones tomorrow. I bet you it would have a terrific impact. Don’t give up. We need you now more,” Clinton said. Open the video player above to watch former President Bill Clinton’s speech in its entirety. W2lmcmFtZSBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vaGVhcnN0dGVsZXZpc2lvbmRhdGFqb3VybmFsaXNtLmh0dmFwcHMuY29tL29rbGFob21hX21lbW9yaWFsL2luZGV4Lmh0bWwiIHNjcm9sbGluZz0ieWVzIiBmcmFtZWJvcmRlcj0iMCIgc3R5bGU9IndpZHRoOiAwOyBtaW4td2lkdGg6IDEwMCUgIWltcG9ydGFudDsgYm9yZGVyOiBub25lOyIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxMDAwcHgiXVsvaWZyYW1lXQ==
OKLAHOMA CITY —Saturday marks 30 years since the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City killed 168 people, including 19 children.
Bill Clinton was the president at the time of the bombing, and he traveled to Oklahoma City in the days after to grieve with the victims’ families and share some words of hope. He was one of the keynote speakers during a ceremony on April 23, 1995, at the Oklahoma State Fair Arena.
Prior to coming to Oklahoma City in 1995, he and his wife, former First Lady Hillary Clinton, planted a flowering dogwood tree at the White House.
The former president returned to Oklahoma City in 2000 to dedicate the outdoor memorial of the Oklahoma City National Memorial. He was back on Saturday for the 30th remembrance ceremony, saying America needs the Oklahoma Standard during a time of divisiveness.
“My advice to America today is that we were there for you when you needed us. America needs you, and America needs the Oklahoma Standard. And if we all live by it, we’d be a lot better off,” Clinton said.
He added that he wished everyone had a copy of the Oklahoma Standard handy.
“I wish every American would get a copy of the Oklahoma Standard in the mail or on their cellphones tomorrow. I bet you it would have a terrific impact. Don’t give up. We need you now more,” Clinton said.
Open the video player above to watch former President Bill Clinton’s speech in its entirety.
