- 5/19/2025
President Trump presents the families of fallen officers the first Medals of Sacrifice in the Oval Office.
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00:00Well, thank you very much, everybody.
00:09It's a real honor to welcome all of you to the White House, the famous Oval Office.
00:16And we award the first ever Medals of Sacrifice to three heroic law enforcement officers from Palm Beach County, Florida.
00:25I went to the service.
00:28It was crazy.
00:30It was just horrible.
00:32Earlier today, Congressman Brian Mast, who's right here, introduced a bill to ensure this new medal will be awarded to any law enforcement officer or first responder who gives his or her life in the line of duty.
00:45I also want to recognize Laura and Eric Trump for their work to make this medal a reality.
00:52Thank you, Laura.
00:53And thank you, Eric.
00:54Appreciate it very much.
00:55Thanks, as well, to Attorney General Pam Bondi, who's with us.
01:00Pam, thank you very much.
01:01I appreciate it.
01:02So busy.
01:03She's so busy, but you wouldn't miss it.
01:05Secret Service Director Sean Curran.
01:08Sean, wherever you may be.
01:10Hi, Sean.
01:10Congressman Byron Donalds, State Representative Meg Weinberger, and Dan Newland.
01:19Thank you, Dan.
01:20Thank you, everybody.
01:21Thank you, Byron.
01:22Thank you, everyone.
01:23Really great that you're here.
01:25I also want to express our gratitude to Major Paul Verkota.
01:30Where is Paul?
01:31Paul.
01:32Thank you, Paul.
01:34Captain Ryan Mugrich.
01:36Thank you, Captain.
01:38Lieutenant Shandon Hood.
01:40Thank you, Shandon.
01:42Sergeant Scott Yoder.
01:44Thank you very much, Sergeant.
01:46Deputy Sheriff Christopher Farron.
01:49Thank you very much, Christopher.
01:51And Deputy Sheriff Chris Cameron.
01:55Thank you very much.
01:57And all of the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office.
02:00We have many people here representing that incredible office.
02:04I know it very well.
02:05Very special thanks as well to Alexander Arnault, who's a tremendous person with his father, who
02:14they own Tiffany.
02:16And they really devoted a tremendous time and effort to helping us design this beautiful
02:23medal.
02:25And thank you very much, Alexander.
02:26I appreciate that you came.
02:27You came all the way from France and the incredible team at Tiffany & Company.
02:32And Tiffany is doing great.
02:33He's a fantastic leader.
02:37You know all about the fantastic, the great Arnault family.
02:43And the fact that you came for this is very, very meaningful, actually.
02:47It's really incredible.
02:48But for crafting this beautiful medal, and I know he looked at it, and he worked on it,
02:52and he had his best people working on it, and people are loving it.
02:56And this will go on for a long time.
02:58You'll be making that medal for a long time.
03:00Unfortunately, in one way, it's very sad.
03:04But we properly respect the ones that have lost their lives.
03:08Today, we also remember three remarkable heroes who will become the medal's first ever
03:15recipients.
03:15It's a big honor, Corporal Louise Piaz, Jr., Deputy Sheriff Ralph Butch Waller, Jr., and
03:25Deputy Sheriff Ignacio Dan Diaz.
03:29And thank you very much.
03:30You're represented by family members who are, I was there with them.
03:35That was devastation.
03:37They were devastated.
03:39We're profoundly grateful to be joined by their loved ones.
03:43Corporal Piazza's former wife, Doris.
03:47Thank you, Doris, for being with us.
03:49Thank you very much.
03:51And his son, Cameron.
03:53Good-looking son, too.
03:56Deputy Waller's wife, Denise.
03:58Thank you, Denise, very much.
04:01And Deputy Diaz's daughter, Alexandria.
04:05Thank you very much.
04:06I want to thank you all.
04:08And the three officers we recognize today were close friends.
04:11They were really close friends and colleagues.
04:13And together, they dedicated their lives to protecting the people of Palm Beach County and
04:18well beyond.
04:19And they were beloved by everyone and respected by all really, really top-of-the-line people.
04:26Countless times when I was in Florida, they proudly saved.
04:30And they saved a lot of lives.
04:32They were going around saving a lot of lives.
04:34Their reputation was incredible.
04:36They served in motorcades for presidents called presidential motorcades.
04:42It was a very dangerous job, actually, and I was deeply honored to attend their memorial
04:46service last year in a horrific accident in November.
04:50The three officers were working to restart one of their motorcycles on the shoulder of
04:55a road when they were struck by a SUV, struck dead center, and all three perished from their
05:04injuries.
05:06Essentially, they perished immediately.
05:08This was a terrible tragedy.
05:10It shook the entire Palm Beach community like very, very few events I've ever seen.
05:17All of Florida mourned their loss.
05:18And today, our entire nation joins in honoring these three incredible patriots taken from us
05:24much too soon, much, much too soon.
05:28To Doris Cameron, Denise, Alexandria, and to all of those who love these brave men, we are
05:34deeply sorry for your loss and eternally grateful for their sacrifice, their great, great sacrifice.
05:40Just respected by everybody.
05:43We'll never forget their legacy, and we will never forget the debt we owe all of these great law enforcement heroes
05:50who have given their lives to keep our community safe and make America strong again.
05:55We have so many unbelievable people in the police department and other departments.
06:00First responders, firemen, a lot of brave, incredible people.
06:05And I'd now like to ask my son, Eric Trump, to say a few words, followed by Congressman Brian
06:11Mast.
06:12And Alexander Arnault is going to be giving out the medals.
06:16Then I'll present the medals of sacrifice.
06:19Thank you very much, everybody.
06:20Thank you for being here, too.
06:23Please.
06:26Mr. President, thank you very much.
06:29My father and I attended that funeral that day, and I can't tell you how moving that experience
06:33was.
06:34And one simple question was asked, why is there no medal, medal of valor, medal of sacrifice
06:41that commemorates law enforcement officers, first responders who have fallen in the line
06:46of duty?
06:47And Congressman Mast, he was there with me that day.
06:50He was with my father, and we said, we're going to take care of this problem.
06:53We're going to get involved.
06:54And the first call that was made was to the great Arnault family who owns Tiffany's, and
06:58they said, without hesitation, that they'd be honored to design something absolutely beautiful
07:03that's a tribute to these incredible officers, these incredible EMS responders.
07:08And here we are, roughly six months later, with something that's truly beautiful.
07:12I want to thank the Tiffany's family, the Arnault family, for all the work they've put
07:17into their entire team.
07:19I can tell you this has been a nonstop effort.
07:22I want to thank the congressman.
07:23Without the congressman and his staff, we would not be here today.
07:26I want to thank the president for allowing us to do this.
07:29It's such an important mission.
07:30This medal could be given for hundreds and hundreds of years to come.
07:35And last but not least, I want to send, on behalf of this entire nation, on behalf of
07:38our entire family, the incredible families of the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office and your
07:44incredible families, they made the ultimate sacrifice and know that we all appreciate their
07:51dedication.
07:52Many of us knew them, have met them, and we love them very much, and I'm sure they're
07:56missed.
07:57But today, hopefully, this is a great tribute to them.
08:00And I know, because of our wonderful president, that this medal will be given out for many
08:04years to come.
08:05Thank you very much.
08:08I would just start by thanking all of our law enforcement officers.
08:14The job is always dangerous.
08:16And you do it still every single day.
08:19And I would thank the families, because the job, as you are a reminder of, is often deadly.
08:26And I would thank you, Mr. President, because for the first time in our nation's history,
08:33you're willing to say to all of our first responders, all of our law enforcement, all
08:38of our firefighters, we're going to recognize that sacrifice from the office of the presidency
08:44for each and every one of them.
08:45And that's never taken place before, that recognition, that it's a job that's always
08:51dangerous and often deadly.
08:53And there's a debt that can never be repaid.
08:57But you're willing to recognize that debt.
08:59So thank you, Mr. President, for recognizing the debt.
09:02Mr. President, Congressman, thank you very much for involving Tiffany in this process.
09:12We're very honored for having made these medals.
09:15Tiffany is a jeweler, as everyone knows it, but also a maker of American heritage.
09:20We were making the Medal of Honor in the 19th and early 20th century, and it's only natural
09:26that we followed with this heritage, just as we work on other very important American
09:32heirlooms.
09:33This medal was made in Providence, Rhode Island, in our largest factory in the U.S., out of silver,
09:40plated in 24-karat gold, just like the ceiling of this office, and represents the coat of arms
09:47of the United States.
09:49Mr. President, thank you very much.
09:50Thank you very much.
09:52Byron, would you like to say if you would like to ask us?
09:57First, to be brief, to the families, we are so sorry for your sacrifice.
10:03But your officer from your family represented not just Palm Beach County, but the United States with honor.
10:09Mr. President, thank you for allowing this to go forward.
10:12To my colleague, Congressman Mass, thank you for your leadership.
10:15We will always honor first responders in the United States of America.
10:20Thanks, man.
10:20Okay.
10:21So?
10:22Do you want to help us out?
10:25You're the one who made it?
10:30That's beautiful.
10:31That's beautiful.
10:32Good.
10:33So can we ask the families to step forward?
10:38Chair, would you like to help us?
10:45Please?
10:46Thank you very much.
10:48Thank you, sir.
11:01Thank you very much.
11:02First of all, please.
11:06Thank you, sir.
11:07Thank you very much.
11:12Thank you very much.
11:13Take care of yourself.
11:15Thank you very much.
11:16Sure thing.
11:18Okay.
11:19Okay.
11:32I got to get out of here.
12:02I would like to thank you very much for honoring my husband and his brothers and for what you do for the country, making this so very special for them and for all the people to come. It's a club you never want to be in, but you honor them, and it just means the world. Thank you. Thank you for everything.
12:29Thank you, brother. Appreciate it. Thank you.
12:36Do you want me to go over there or here?
12:40Come on over there.
12:48I viewed my dad as Superman, someone my whole life you look up to.
12:55He's an amazing guy, and it's horrible that this happened to all three families, but I'm glad that something was done about it, and we got represented, and everyone in the future will be, so thank you.
13:13Thank you very much.
13:15You'd be very proud of me.
13:20Thank you very much.
13:22Thank you very much.
13:27Thank you very much.
13:29Thank you very much.
13:41Thank you so much.
13:57Mr. President, on behalf of Sheriff Rick Bradshaw and every member of the Palm Beach County
14:22Sheriff's Office, we can't thank you enough for taking the lead on this and recognizing
14:27the extreme sacrifice of our three brothers.
14:32Words really can't express how thankful we are.
14:34Thank you very much.
14:36And we have a fourth, and we're going to give this to you.
14:40Hopefully it's maybe never going to be given out.
14:44We'll give it to Sheriff Bradshaw, who's an incredible sheriff.
14:46And you've done an amazing job, and we'll have it should something happen.
14:53And that's right here.
14:54Okay?
14:54So, and I hope it never has to be given up, frankly.
15:01Thank you very much.
15:02Thank you, Mr. President.
15:03Thank you very much.
15:04Mr. President.
15:06Well, thank you.
15:06Do you have any questions for what you just saw?
15:10They're so important.
15:11I mean, people have talked about it for years.
15:13I want to thank Brian Mass for what he's done, Congressman.
15:17He's been unbelievable.
15:19He's a great representative.
15:22And he worked hard.
15:25He wanted to do it right.
15:26And we wanted to go somehow.
15:28We could get him done pretty easily in one way, but we wouldn't get him done by Tiffany.
15:33And the fact that the Arnault family stepped up was absolutely incredible.
15:38It means more.
15:40When you get a name like that, I think it means something extra.
15:45But these were incredible people, and they're looking down on you right now, and they're very,
15:49very proud.
15:50Very, very proud of all of you.
15:53It's too bad.
15:54We had to be doing this.
15:56But I was there with you that day.
15:59That was a rough day.
16:01Thank you very much.
16:02Would you have any questions?
16:04Yeah.
16:04Mr. President, do you have plans to give this award to any other families who possibly find
16:12themselves in the same position as having made this sacrifice?
16:15And then after the test, do you want to question about your response?
16:17Having to do from a previous?
16:19We're looking at the possibility of that, yeah.
16:22You know, you had a lot of people, a lot of people die in the line of duty when you think
16:27of it.
16:28And we figured it was time to start.
16:30We haven't had the situation arise.
16:32This was a terrible situation.
16:33We haven't had it arise yet.
16:35But we're looking at going back a little bit and see what we can do about that.
16:40Yes.
16:40Yes.
16:41Yes.
16:41Yes.
16:41Yes.
16:41Yes.
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