Rep. Moore urges Trump to present Presidential Medal of Freedom to Pat Buchanan

Republican Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia has sent a letter to President Donald Trump encouraging him to award Patrick Buchanan, Catholic author and three-time presidential hopeful, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“For more than half a century, Mr. Buchanan stood boldly for the American worker, the American family, and the American nation at times when it was neither popular not politically expedient,” Moore wrote in his letter. “His clear-eyed warnings about porous borders, deindustrialization, foreign entanglements, and the decline of traditional values were once dismissed by elites but have since been proven exactly right.”

Buchanan has long advocated against abortion, same-sex marriage, mass immigration, and many other pieces of the elite consensus. He has a long history in politics, first making his name as a presidential campaign adviser for Richard Nixon and as Nixon’s speechwriter. His political analyses have been published in many print and television outlets, and he helped found The American Conservative.

Perhaps Buchanan’s greatest claims to fame are his three unsuccessful presidential runs. In 1992 and 1996, Buchanan attempted to gain the Republican nomination, and in 2000 he ran as a third-party candidate for the Reform Party. While he never gained the presidency, many have credited his campaign with profoundly shaping the American political landscape and laying the groundwork for a more humane and Christian future.

Some have welcomed the suggestion that Buchanan be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“Buchanan didn’t just predict the challenges we face today; he laid the intellectual foundation for the America First resurgence that has redefined our politics,” President of the Heritage Foundation Kevin Roberts stated on X. “Honoring him would not only recognize his extraordinary contributions but also send a powerful message: the era of globalism is over, and the future belongs to those who put America first.”

CatholicVote Vice President and Co-Founder Joshua Mercer has also signaled his support, and R. R. Reno, the editor of First Things, said in January that Buchanan should be “the first man on Trump’s list” of honorees.

Despite Buchanan’s popularity in many conservative circles, he has been criticized for statements some have argued are antisemitic. He referred to the US Congress as “Israeli-occupied territory” on the television show McLaughlin Group, and, in a 1990 column, Buchanan questioned established historians’ views of the Treblinka concentration camp where 850,000 died of asphyxiation, writing, “Diesel engines do not emit enough carbon monoxide to kill anybody,” according to Reason.

Buchanan has consistently denied all allegations of antisemitism, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Trump has yet to comment publicly on whether he is considering awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Buchanan.