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[00:00:06] Well, thank you very much everybody. [00:00:09] Been a busy day, right? We had a good a [00:00:13] good morning and now we're having a good [00:00:14] evening and we're going to a premiere in [00:00:17] a little while. But there's nothing more [00:00:19] important than what we're doing right [00:00:21] now in my opinion. [00:00:23] Today I'm signing a historic executive [00:00:26] order to combat the scourge of addiction [00:00:29] and substance abuse. Big deal in this [00:00:31] country and every probably in every [00:00:33] country. We're calling it the Great [00:00:36] American Recovery Initiative. I'm [00:00:39] grateful to be joined by co-chairs of [00:00:41] the sweeping new effort, Secretary of [00:00:43] Health and Human Services, Robert F. [00:00:45] Kennedy Jr. and senior advisor to the [00:00:48] White House Great American Recovery [00:00:50] Initiative, Katherine Bergam. Thank you [00:00:53] both very much. [00:00:55] >> Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. [00:00:57] >> Thank you. Where's Bobby? [00:00:59] >> Bobby. Hello, Bobby. Can make me. I love [00:01:02] Bobby. [00:01:03] >> He's doing a great job, Katherine. Do we [00:01:06] think so? Who's doing a better job? Him [00:01:07] or your husband? [laughter] [00:01:11] Husband. He's doing a good job. [00:01:12] >> I'm just getting started. So, [00:01:14] >> they're both doing very well. Now you're [00:01:15] going to do better than both of them. [00:01:17] Thanks as well to Attorney General Pam [00:01:20] Bondi, Secretary Doug Bergam, Secretary [00:01:23] Scott Turner, Secretary Doug Collins, [00:01:26] Special Envoy Steve Woodoff, who's got [00:01:29] some pretty good news, Chief of Staff [00:01:31] Susie Wilds, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty [00:01:34] McCary, NIH Director Dr. Jay Bacheria. [00:01:39] Oh, I've gotten good at that. [00:01:41] administrator of the Centers for [00:01:43] Medicare and Medicare and Medicaid [00:01:47] Services, Dr. Meas, who's doing a [00:01:50] fantastic job and director of the Office [00:01:53] of National Drug Control Policy, Sarah [00:01:55] Carter. I also want to uh introduce a [00:01:59] great friend of mine who happened to be [00:02:00] here and he's very much uh committed to [00:02:03] this. He knows how important it is for [00:02:05] our country. has built a a tremendous [00:02:08] American company. Uh it's called [00:02:11] WeatherTech. I guess you've seen the [00:02:13] ads. I've seen the ads. I think they're [00:02:14] great ads, but more importantly, it's a [00:02:16] great product. David McNeel. David, [00:02:19] congratulations on what you've done. [00:02:21] It's incredible. [00:02:22] >> Thank you, Mr. President. [00:02:23] >> Thank you. Really great. And the [00:02:24] president of WeatherTech, Ryan Granger. [00:02:28] Ryan, congratulations. What a great job. [00:02:31] They built an American company and uh [00:02:34] it's a thriving company, too. So, with a [00:02:36] great product. [00:02:37] >> It's great to be here in America. [00:02:38] >> You know, when I was in the private [00:02:40] sector, I'd always buy the floor mats, [00:02:41] but now that I'm the now that I'm [00:02:43] president, I no longer have to buy floor [00:02:45] mats. But you made a great floor mat, [00:02:47] and you still do and lots of other [00:02:50] >> many of those with me today have [00:02:53] personally known the heartache of a [00:02:55] loved one taken by drug or alcohol [00:02:57] addiction. I do. Just like millions of [00:03:00] American families, every year we lose an [00:03:02] estimated 300,000 people to drug and [00:03:04] alcohol abuse. And the real number is [00:03:07] probably much, much higher than that. [00:03:09] Thankfully, drug overdose deaths [00:03:12] plummeted by 21% in the last year. We're [00:03:14] working very hard on it. We've closed [00:03:18] the southern border, seized over 47 [00:03:20] million fentinyl pills, and 10,000 [00:03:23] pounds of fentanyl powder. That's a [00:03:25] record. And I have formally designated [00:03:28] Dr. [00:03:30] uh and and I tell you what, we have a a [00:03:32] group of doctors, some of them behind [00:03:34] me, who have just been uh incredible. [00:03:37] And they've really wanted this [00:03:38] designated the drug cartels as foreign [00:03:41] terrorist organizations. [00:03:43] And for some reason, they didn't want to [00:03:44] do that until we came along. But they [00:03:46] are indeed foreign terrorist [00:03:48] organizations. with our action in the [00:03:52] Gulf of America. That sounds so nice [00:03:54] when I hear the Gulf of America. Drugs [00:03:57] entering our country by sea are down [00:03:59] 97%. [00:04:00] So when you see the boats being hit, [00:04:03] those boats kill on average 25,000 [00:04:06] people a boat. So that's 25,000 I would [00:04:10] assume mostly American lives, but lives [00:04:12] are being saved. Now we're taking a bold [00:04:15] action to help Americans struggling with [00:04:17] all forms of addiction. so they can get [00:04:19] the help and the support that they need [00:04:21] to free themselves from the horrible [00:04:23] burden of dependency. The Great American [00:04:26] Recovery Initiative will bring together [00:04:28] federal, state, local, and private [00:04:30] sector resources to support addiction, [00:04:33] recovery, treatment, and prevention. And [00:04:36] it will help mobilize the full resources [00:04:39] and authority of the federal government [00:04:40] to help stop this tremendous plague. And [00:04:43] I'd now like to invite Secretary Kennedy [00:04:46] to start and then Katherine Bergam and [00:04:48] then I'll sign the order which I've just [00:04:50] signed and uh wanted to make sure the [00:04:53] signature was good. Took my time and we [00:04:56] get Let me just see. Pretty good. Not [00:04:58] not pretty good. [00:05:00] >> Uh let's give it a 10. Okay. Okay. For [00:05:03] Katherine, but uh I'd like Bobby to say [00:05:06] a few words and Catherine. Thank you [00:05:07] very much everybody. Please. [00:05:09] >> Uh Mr. President, thank you for your [00:05:10] leadership for signing an executive [00:05:12] order that tells the truth about one of [00:05:14] the greatest challenges that our country [00:05:16] faces. [00:05:18] Addiction is not a moral failure. It is [00:05:20] a disease. It's chronic. It's treatable. [00:05:24] And for too long, our nation has [00:05:25] responded with fragmentation, with [00:05:27] stigmatization, [00:05:30] and silence instead of science, [00:05:32] compassion, and coordination. [00:05:35] Today, President Trump changes that with [00:05:37] the Great American Recovery Initiative. [00:05:39] We finally bring the full strength of [00:05:41] the federal government together across [00:05:43] health care, law enforcement, housing, [00:05:46] labor, faith communities, and the [00:05:49] private sector to save lives, restore [00:05:52] families, and rebuild communities that [00:05:54] addiction has hollowed out. Nearly 50 [00:05:57] million Americans suffer from substance [00:05:59] use disorder. Many never receive [00:06:01] treatment. Even more don't believe that [00:06:04] help is possible. [00:06:06] That is not because recovery doesn't [00:06:08] work. It's because our systems have [00:06:10] failed to reach the people where they [00:06:11] are early enough, long enough, and with [00:06:14] dignity. This initiative fixes that. We [00:06:18] will align federal programs instead of [00:06:20] letting them operate in silos. We will [00:06:23] set clear, measurable goals and report [00:06:25] honestly to the American people. We will [00:06:28] use evidence-based care, modern science, [00:06:31] and continuous support just as we do for [00:06:33] heart disease, diabetes, and other [00:06:36] chronic illnesses. We will focus on [00:06:39] prevention before addiction takes hold. [00:06:41] We will intervene early. We will expand [00:06:45] access to treatment that leads to real [00:06:47] long-term recovery. [00:06:49] And we will support re-entry because [00:06:51] recovery does not end when treatment [00:06:53] ends. It succeeds when people return to [00:06:56] their families, their jobs, and their [00:06:58] communities with purpose and with hope. [00:07:01] As co-chair of this initiative alongside [00:07:03] of Katherine Bergam, whose leadership [00:07:06] and commitment strengthens this work, I [00:07:08] pledge urgency, accountability, and [00:07:10] honesty. [00:07:12] Katherine and I share the uh experience [00:07:15] of having been addicted and long-term [00:07:18] recovery. Almost everybody in this room [00:07:21] and almost everybody in our country has [00:07:23] been touched by addiction. Steve Witkoff [00:07:26] who was here had an extraordinary son [00:07:28] Andrew who was a superstar boy, a [00:07:31] straight A student, an athlete [00:07:35] uh and and a and a wonderful leader and [00:07:40] lost that son to addiction. President [00:07:42] Trump has talked about his own families [00:07:46] struggle with addiction. All of us are [00:07:48] touched. If it touches these people, [00:07:52] it can hurt every American. And [00:07:54] President Trump has often talked about [00:07:57] with compassion about the families who [00:08:00] lose children to this disease. 100,000 [00:08:02] children a year until recently. Now it's [00:08:04] about 76,000. [00:08:07] Those families are devastated forever. [00:08:09] And the cost on it to our country, not [00:08:12] only in dollars, but and just the [00:08:15] malaise and the despair that it imposes [00:08:17] is incalculable. [00:08:19] We are going to listen to states, [00:08:21] localities, frontline providers, and [00:08:23] tribal nations. We will partner with [00:08:26] communities and faith-based [00:08:28] organizations. We will work with [00:08:30] employers, clinicians, and recovery [00:08:32] leaders who know what works on the [00:08:34] ground. President Trump has already [00:08:36] acted decisively securing the border [00:08:39] against deadly drugs, signing the Halt [00:08:42] Fentel Act, strengthening treatment [00:08:44] programs, expanding access to Nellaxone, [00:08:49] medication assisted treatments, and [00:08:50] investing billions in prevention and [00:08:52] recovery. This executive order builds on [00:08:56] that record and accelerates it. Recovery [00:08:59] is not a side issue. It's an economic [00:09:02] issue, a workforce issue, a family [00:09:05] issue, a national security issue. When [00:09:08] Americans recover, communities grow [00:09:10] stronger. When families heal, children [00:09:13] thrive. And when we confront addiction [00:09:16] with courage instead of complacency, we [00:09:18] reclaim the promise of our country. This [00:09:21] initiative is about life. It's about [00:09:23] responsibility. And it's about building [00:09:25] a great American recovery together. With [00:09:29] this executive order and with major [00:09:31] announcements that I will announce next [00:09:34] week, we are taking decisive action to [00:09:37] make America healthy again. Thank you. [00:09:39] >> Thank you, Bobby. A great job and you're [00:09:41] doing a fantastic [applause] job. [00:09:44] He's doing a fantastic job [00:09:47] and I saw his wife yesterday and she [00:09:49] confirmed that he's doing a fantastic [00:09:50] job. So, she's on your side to know that [00:09:53] she's great. And thank you for being [00:09:55] here. We appreciate it. Katherine, [00:09:57] please go ahead. Thank you, Mr. [00:09:59] President. [00:10:00] >> Thank you so much. Your leadership today [00:10:03] uh relative to this announcement about [00:10:04] the great American recovery is a gift to [00:10:07] all Americans who are suffering from the [00:10:09] brain disease of addiction. I also want [00:10:12] to thank First Lady Melania Trump for [00:10:15] her leadership during the your first [00:10:17] camp your first administration and now [00:10:19] the the work she's doing championing [00:10:21] youth and children especially related to [00:10:24] foster care where early trauma and [00:10:26] instability are often consequences of [00:10:28] the disease of addiction. Addictions [00:10:30] touched this administration in real and [00:10:32] profound ways. President Trump, you've [00:10:35] openly spoke about your brother Fred, [00:10:37] whose struggle with addiction shaped [00:10:39] your life and your understanding of this [00:10:42] disease. And Susie Wilds carries the [00:10:45] lived experience of her father, the late [00:10:47] great Pat Summerall, whose recovery [00:10:49] journey became a source of hope for [00:10:51] millions. Vice President Vance has [00:10:53] shared his story of his mother's battle [00:10:55] and recovery. And as Secretary Kennedy [00:10:58] just said, he brings his own lived [00:11:00] experience. Proof that recovery is not [00:11:02] theoretical. It is possible. These [00:11:06] stories matter because they are not [00:11:07] isolated. They reflect the reality of [00:11:10] the over 190 million Americans, that's [00:11:14] half our nation, who are impacted in [00:11:17] some way by the disease of addiction. [00:11:20] And I am one of them. I started drinking [00:11:23] in high school and I was a blackout [00:11:25] drinker from the start. [00:11:27] For 20 years, I struggled, relapsing, [00:11:30] constantly, constantly starting over, [00:11:34] constantly trying to stay sober and [00:11:36] failing. I reached a point where I truly [00:11:38] did not believe there was one single [00:11:40] reason for me to keep living. And I was [00:11:42] suicidal at the end of my drinking. [00:11:45] One day, I was out walking alone. I [00:11:47] didn't have faith. I wasn't religious. [00:11:50] But something in me said I should ask [00:11:52] for help. [00:11:53] into and it out loud to no one because [00:11:56] it was just me. I said, "I don't know if [00:11:58] anyone is there, but I need help." And [00:12:01] that was the day I became sober. [00:12:04] 15 years later, I found myself somehow [00:12:07] standing in front of people as first [00:12:09] lady of North Dakota, thanks to him. Um, [00:12:12] and but I was asking people to share [00:12:14] their stories openly about addiction so [00:12:16] we could eliminate the shame and stigma, [00:12:18] so more people would reach out for help [00:12:20] and more lives could be saved. And today [00:12:23] I'm standing here in this incredibly [00:12:25] beautiful Oval Office. And if not for [00:12:28] the grace of God, I would not be alive [00:12:30] today with over 23 years in recovery. [00:12:35] [applause] [00:12:38] >> That's why I'm here. And my message is [00:12:40] simple. Never give up hope for recovery. [00:12:42] Mr. President, I also want to thank you [00:12:44] for allowing me to stand here with you [00:12:46] today. I was in this building in 2017 [00:12:49] when the administration announced the [00:12:50] national response to the opioid crisis. [00:12:53] And nearly a decade later, the crisis [00:12:55] remains. And in many ways, it has grown [00:12:57] worse. Not because we lack compassion, [00:13:00] not because we lack effort, but because [00:13:02] we never fully align our system with the [00:13:04] truth. Addiction is not a moral failure. [00:13:07] It is not a character flaw, and it's not [00:13:09] simply a behavioral issue. Addiction is [00:13:12] a lifelong chronic relapsing medical [00:13:14] disease. as real as diabetes, cancer, [00:13:18] and heart disease. And when we fail to [00:13:21] treat it as such, we don't treat the [00:13:22] disease, and we pay mightily for the [00:13:25] consequences. [00:13:27] Emergency rooms, jails, foster care, [00:13:30] overdose deaths, and broken families. [00:13:34] The Great American Recovery changes [00:13:36] that. This initiative represents a [00:13:38] fundamental shift from reaction to [00:13:40] prevention, from fragmentation to [00:13:42] coordination, from stigma to science, [00:13:45] from short-term fixes to long-term [00:13:46] recovery. And for the first time, we're [00:13:49] aligning federal leadership across [00:13:50] health, justice, labor, housing, [00:13:53] veterans, social services, the faith [00:13:55] office, and education around one single [00:13:59] shared truth. [00:14:01] When addiction is treated early and [00:14:02] correctly, people recovery recover and [00:14:05] families heal. Addiction is a [00:14:08] generational disease and if we don't [00:14:10] treat it properly, it repeats from [00:14:12] parent to child, from community to [00:14:15] community. And when we treat it like a [00:14:17] lifelong condition, that the condition [00:14:20] that it is, we stop that cycle. [00:14:24] We save lives. We restore families. We [00:14:26] rebuild communities. We return people to [00:14:28] dignity, purpose, and productivity. [00:14:31] Mr. President, thank you for seeing this [00:14:34] moment clearly. With your leadership and [00:14:37] the Great American Recovery Initiative, [00:14:39] we're establishing a new framework and a [00:14:41] new national response to the disease of [00:14:43] addiction, including treatment and care [00:14:46] that parallels other chronic diseases. [00:14:49] With this framework and treatment, [00:14:51] recovery is not the exception, it is the [00:14:55] expectation. [00:14:57] Thank you. [00:14:58] >> Thank you. [00:14:59] [applause] [00:15:05] >> You know, I saw them riding horses in a [00:15:07] video and they said, "Who is that?" I [00:15:10] was talking about her, not him. [00:15:13] [laughter] They explained it. I said, [00:15:14] "I'm going to hire him because anybody [00:15:16] has somebody like you to be with." It's [00:15:20] an amazing tribute and it's a great [00:15:22] couple, amazing couple. and she's very [00:15:25] much a part of his big success. He's he [00:15:27] was a fantastic success as you know uh [00:15:30] having been one of the most successful [00:15:32] business people and I saw him [00:15:35] campaigning a great governor two-term [00:15:37] governor [snorts] [00:15:38] uh he was did a fantastic job North [00:15:42] Dakota and uh he's done a great job and [00:15:45] I'll tell you what Katherine's a very [00:15:46] big part of it. I see it. It's just [00:15:49] really one of the fantastic couples. So [00:15:51] I appreciate it. What a beautiful job [00:15:53] you've just done. And I'm going to give [00:15:55] this to you and you can figure out what [00:15:57] you're going to do with Bobby, you know. [00:16:00] [laughter] [00:16:01] But let's let's have a good picture of [00:16:02] the two of them and everyone else. And [00:16:04] I'd like to ask Steve Whitkoff also to [00:16:06] say a couple of words while we're [00:16:07] finished because uh here's a very [00:16:10] special person uh who I knew very well, [00:16:14] an incredible person. So if you don't [00:16:16] mind, Steve, I'll ask you to do that in [00:16:18] just a second. All right. Please. [00:16:28] >> Okay. Thank you very much. [00:16:31] >> Thank you so much. Thank you. [00:16:32] >> Good job. [00:16:33] >> Thank you so much, [00:16:34] >> Steve. Please. [00:16:38] The president is doing the um same thing [00:16:41] to me now that he did to me in 2017. Do [00:16:44] you remember, Katherine? [00:16:45] >> Yeah. We were sitting next to each [00:16:46] other. [00:16:46] >> Yeah. [00:16:47] >> Yes. So I um I want to tell the story [00:16:50] about this. So I came to the um opioid [00:16:54] um conference and the president did not [00:16:56] know I was coming because I was invited [00:16:58] by the first lady and he leaned over saw [00:17:00] me in the aisle and he looked at me and [00:17:03] he said, "Steve." And then he realized [00:17:06] why I was there because I had lost my [00:17:07] son Andrew and the president was an [00:17:10] incredible friend when I lost him. He uh [00:17:13] I lived in his building at 502 Park [00:17:15] Avenue and I remember when him and the [00:17:18] first lady came and I talked about this [00:17:19] all the time and so he took my hand and [00:17:23] he said to me, "Come on up to the stage [00:17:25] and tell the world about your boy [00:17:27] Andrew." And of course that was um you [00:17:32] know something that was really [00:17:33] meaningful to me but um and I got [00:17:36] through it and I talk about it all the [00:17:38] time. I talked about it on the campaign [00:17:39] trail and so forth. He is a very special [00:17:41] man and he's begun and led the fight [00:17:45] against opioid addiction and alcoholism [00:17:48] and Katherine I feel like we sort of [00:17:50] bonded from that from that day and it's [00:17:54] just my blessing to work for you sir's [00:17:57] a special guy [applause] [00:18:04] he and a group of people Jared helped [00:18:06] and others helped Steve peace in the [00:18:09] Middle East and were there Yes, [00:18:10] >> couple of little flames, but they're [00:18:12] very little by comparison. And they'll [00:18:14] go out quickly. They're already going [00:18:15] out and he's now trying very hard to [00:18:19] settle up with Russia and Ukraine. And I [00:18:22] think a lot of progress is being made [00:18:24] there. And I I told that uh Russia's not [00:18:27] doing any shooting for a period of time [00:18:29] during this [00:18:30] >> horrendously cold weather [00:18:32] >> because of you. Uh so we uh we asked [00:18:36] President Putin if they could stop the [00:18:39] shooting for a week. They're h they're [00:18:41] being hit with uh proportionately the [00:18:44] kind of cold that we're being hit. It's [00:18:46] much colder in Ukraine to start off [00:18:47] with, but it's really cold now and he [00:18:50] agreed to do that. We appreciated that [00:18:52] very much. It's a nasty war. It's a [00:18:55] nasty nasty war. Uh would anybody else [00:18:58] have anything to say? I can say that I [00:19:00] am extremely late, but that's okay. [00:19:03] Don't worry about me. Would anyone else [00:19:05] have anything to say? Doug, you're doing [00:19:07] a fantastic job. We appreciate it. [00:19:09] Marty, uh, you are really something [00:19:12] special. Everyone's talking about you [00:19:14] every time. If I don't mention Marty, [00:19:16] Bobby always mentions. [laughter] [00:19:19] So, we have a great team. Jay, great. [00:19:23] Marty, great. You guys want to say [00:19:25] something? [00:19:25] >> Thank you. Thank you. Well, historically [00:19:28] with addiction, the entire society has [00:19:30] always been reactionary [00:19:32] and that's been the story of healthcare. [00:19:35] But at the FDA, we are looking into [00:19:37] incredible cutting edge therapeutics and [00:19:39] we are being proactive giving them [00:19:41] vouchers when we see something that's [00:19:43] promising to get an approval as quick as [00:19:45] weeks in an era of a 10 to 12 year [00:19:48] approval time. And the ultimate [00:19:50] therapeutic is community, houses of [00:19:53] worship, um addressing loneliness. And [00:19:57] so that's part of the MAHA agenda thanks [00:19:58] to Bobby's. Thank you, Mr. President. [00:20:00] >> Thank you very much. [00:20:01] >> Thank you, Jay. [00:20:02] >> Mr. President, in 2018, you launched the [00:20:05] the heal initiative, helping to end [00:20:08] addiction long-term at the NIH. It's [00:20:10] paid fruit. It's uh it's yielded fruit. [00:20:12] uh uh there the ingenuity of small [00:20:15] business has developed uh products that [00:20:17] can deal with pain without opioids. Uh [00:20:21] the the uh the lock zone which saves [00:20:24] lives that was the fruit of NIH and the [00:20:27] the kinds of investments that are your [00:20:29] administration that you made starting [00:20:31] from 20 from the first Trump term to now [00:20:34] uh will continue to pay pay dividends. [00:20:36] the kind of research that that uh that [00:20:38] the NIH is doing uh is is uh will help [00:20:41] turn the tide [00:20:43] make people's lives so much better is [00:20:46] restore families. Um all of the [00:20:48] addiction that that we've seen 80,000 [00:20:50] deaths we saw uh and the the huge spike [00:20:53] in in in addiction deaths, you know, [00:20:56] during the first Biden term is going to [00:20:57] be a thing of the past. Uh and I'm so [00:21:00] proud of you. [00:21:00] >> Can tell us some great things happening, [00:21:02] right, [00:21:03] >> money? There's great, really great [00:21:05] things happening, I hear. And some [00:21:08] pretty big announcements over a short [00:21:10] period of time, right? [00:21:11] >> Yep. Moving drugs over the counter, so [00:21:13] you don't need a prescription. You're [00:21:14] right. [00:21:15] >> Nlloxxone, which treats opioid, is one [00:21:17] of those drugs. And we're being [00:21:19] proactive with synthetic 70, a new [00:21:22] opioid that's showing up, and we're [00:21:24] working with the DOJ on addressing that [00:21:27] because chemists are coming up with new [00:21:29] opioids faster than the government has [00:21:31] been able to keep up. We're going [00:21:33] proactive on these new chemicals. [00:21:35] >> That's great. Now I hear fantastic [00:21:36] things. Thank you all very much. We [00:21:39] really appreciate it a lot. Thank you. [00:21:41] Oz doing a fantastic job. Thank you all [00:21:44] very much. [00:21:45] >> I appreciate it. [00:21:47] >> Thank you. Please. Thank you.