Former President Bill Clinton returned to Oklahoma City on Saturday morning to mark the somber 29th anniversary of the deadly 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building—a brutal act of domestic terrorism that killed 168 Americans, including 19 innocent children. Clinton, now 78, was president at the time of the attack and delivered a message of unity and resilience that helped the nation begin to heal in one of its darkest moments.
On Saturday, Clinton stood once again before a grieving yet resilient community, recalling that tragic day with emotion and reflection. “I still remember as if it were 30 minutes ago,” he said. “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.’”
He added, “I do think we’ve kept that commitment.”
The ceremony took place near the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, the site that now stands in solemn remembrance of the bombing carried out by Timothy McVeigh, a domestic extremist who targeted the federal building with a truck bomb in one of the deadliest acts of homegrown terror in U.S. history.
While Clinton’s words struck a chord with many in attendance, some viewers online noticed his hands shaking during the speech, prompting renewed concerns about his health. Clinton has previously addressed these tremors, firmly denying speculation that he suffers from Parkinson’s disease. “If I had Parkinson’s, I wanted to know so I could prepare,” Clinton said in an earlier interview. “And I had it tested and the doctor said ‘no.’ He says it’s just a normal aging phenomenon.”
Former President @BillClinton at Oklahoma City Bombing 30th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony: "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." pic.twitter.com/71TYyKGGrZ
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 19, 2025
Clinton’s appearance marks a significant moment of reflection, not just for Oklahoma City but for the country at large, as Americans continue to confront issues of extremism, violence, and national unity. The former president has faced a number of health scares in recent years, including a quadruple heart bypass in 2004 and a hospitalization in 2021 due to a sepsis infection.
Despite his age and ailments, Clinton delivered his remarks with conviction, honoring the victims, comforting survivors, and once again playing the role he performed so memorably in 1995: consoler-in-chief.
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