Biden honors former Sen. Bob Dole

At a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda honoring Bob Dole on Thursday, President Biden spoke about the World War II veteran, calling him one of the country’s greatest patriots.

Video Transcript

JOE BIDEN: Bob and I, like many of us in here, we disagreed on a number of things, but not in any of the fundamental things. We still found a way to work together. We genuinely, we genuinely, respected one another as colleagues, as fellow Americans.

It was real. It wasn't fake. And we became great friends. And because Bob deserves a final word, I'd like to read a portion of his final message that he left to the country, that I hope we all listen to in the days and weeks, and months to come.

And I quote Bob Dole. "I cannot pretend that I have not been a loyal champion of my party. But I've always served my country best when I did it so, first and foremost, as an American. Where we prioritize principles over party, humanity over personal legacy, where we do that, we accomplish far more as a nation. By leading with shared faith in each other, we become America at its best."

He went on to say, "A beacon of hope, a source of comfort in crisis, a shield against those who threaten freedom, our nation has certainly faced periods of division. But at the end of the day, we've always found ways to come together. We can find that unity again." Then the message said, "End of message."

My fellow Americans, America has lost one of our greatest patriots. We may follow his wisdom, I hope, and it's timeless truth, that the truth of the matter is, as divided as we are, the only way forward for democracy is unity, consensus, the only way. May we follow his wisdom and his timeless truth and reach consensus on the basic fundamental principles we all agree on. May God bless Bob Dole. May God bless America, and may God protect our troops.