“The flame first lit here in Athens never died. It was ultimately nurtured by a great Enlightenment. It was fanned by America’s founders, who declared that ‘We, the People’ shall rule; that all men are created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights…The basic longing to live with dignity, the fundamental desire to have control of our lives and our future, and to want to be a part of determining the course of our communities and our nations—these yearnings are universal. They burn in every human heart.” —President Obama speaking in Athens, Greece, the birthplace of democracy. Follow along with the trip: go.wh.gov/POTUSabroad
“So many of our ideas of democracy, so much of our literature and philosophy and science can be traced back to roots right here in Athens. I’m told there is a saying from those ancient times—kalos kai agathos—when someone or something is good and beautiful on the outside, but also good and noble on the inside, in terms of character and in terms of purpose. And I think that’s a fine description of the friendship that exists between the Greek people and the American people.” —President Obama speaking in Greece on his final foreign trip: go.wh.gov/POTUSabroad
“Be kind, be useful, be fearless.” Listen in as President Obama offers some words of wisdom to his final class of White House interns in this edition of West Wing Week.
We owe our veterans our thanks, our respect, and our freedom. Watch First Lady Michelle Obama and the Cleveland Cavaliers surprise a group of veterans who visited the White House this week to thank them for their service.
“On Veterans Day, we acknowledge, humbly, that we can never serve our veterans in quite the same that they served us. But we can try. We can practice kindness. We can pay it forward. We can volunteer. We can serve. We can respect one another. We can always get each other’s backs.” —President Obama honoring America’s veterans at Arlington National Cemetery: go.wh.gov/VeteransDay
“We all go forward, with a presumption of good faith in our fellow citizens—because that presumption of good faith is essential to a vibrant and functioning democracy. That’s how this country has moved forward for 240 years. It’s how we’ve pushed boundaries and promoted freedom around the world. That’s how we’ve expanded the rights of our founding to reach all of our citizens. It’s how we have come this far.” —President Obama speaking today in the Rose Garden on bringing our country together after the election: go.wh.gov/WJ48yw
When President Obama took office, we were in the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes. Today, U.S. businesses have created 15.5 million new jobs. Take a look at the progress we’ve made together.
“These look like a couple of Obamas right here!” Relive the White House Halloween celebration and the rest of President Obama’s week in this edition of West Wing Week.
“That’s POTUS!” Watch President Obama greet some especially adorable visitors at the White House Halloween celebration. #ObamaAndKids
The Man of Steel meets with the Commander-in-Chief.
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