President Biden Delivers Remarks at Former President Obama’s Portrait Unveiling Transcript

John Rogers: (00:00)
Mr. President, Dr. Biden, President Obama, Mrs. Obama, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this ceremony. I’m John Rogers, the Chairman of the White House Historical Association, and on behalf of the women and men of the association, I’m thrilled to celebrate with all of you the presentation of two magnificent American portraits today to honor and commemorate the indelible legacy of our 44th President and First Lady. Mrs. Obama, President Obama, it is a privilege to be able to carry forward this time-honored tradition of unveiling the official portraits and welcome them to the White House to be forever accessible and viewed by the public on these historic walls. Since it’s founding in 1961 by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, the White House Historical Association has been of service and our privilege to be able to acquire official portraits of those who previously were missing from the White House Collection and to commission all of the portraits on record of each president and first lady since our founding. Surviving the modern era of photography and film and technology, few mediums can transport us with such immediacy and intimacy than the American portrait.

Capturing at once the power, the restraint, the courage, and the beauty of the human spirit, the portraits of our first family stand apart, each a painstaking exploration of a singular person, a human life conveyed in still, otherwise ever in motion and fulfilling the obligations to their oath. More than just the unveiling of our assemblage today, it’s integral to the broader set of symbols and rituals and emblematic gestures distinctly American that sustain the superiority and the standing of our republic, bridging one presidency to the next, the way we do one generation to the next, honoring the past as much as we look to the future. As we become more culturally and demographically diverse with ideas that are both molten and disparate pertaining to the future of our nation, our work to ensure the promise of what President Obama once called the unlikely story that is America has never been more intertwined with preserving what has been symbolically and foundationally at the heart of our storied resilience as a nation.

And in this way, today is a reminder that America is governed not by a disconnected series of presidents, but rather by the enduring presidency. And within the greater story that’s told by the 43 other portraits, we boldly celebrate their contrast and their confluence, certainly artistically, but also as distinguished chapters in the American narrative.

And notably today, as the first Black American first family at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and with whom… And with whom we shared the joy of watching your wonderful daughters grow up here and come of age. Mrs. Obama, we thank you for your advocacy on behalf of this house and for making it possible for visitors to take pictures of these magnificent portraits among the other historic artifacts throughout the White House. I had the personal privilege of being with you and your mom when we inducted your inaugural gown into the Smithsonian Collection. And may I say that the beauty of that white chiffon gown is only exceeded by the woman who wore it, and whose spirit is captured in this portrait.

The tradition of service continues with Dr. Biden. She’s our steward. We are honored that you were with us when we celebrated our 60th anniversary and we look forward to our continued work with you on the educational mission of our association. And we are ever thankful to you and you, Mr. President, for hosting this wonderful ceremony today. And to our artists, Robert McCurdy and Sharon Sprung, we are grateful for your artisanship and dedication to your own craft. Together, these portraits fulfill a beautiful collaboration and are a testament to what’s possible when we serve one another in an effort to give voice to one another. And I suspect that, beginning tomorrow, these two portraits will be the most photographed by visitors from across the United States and the world. And it’s now my pleasure to introduce an admirer of great institutions and national treasures, the President of the United States of America.

President Joe Biden: (05:45)
Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. ” Whoa” is right. Thank you all very much. Please. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Please. Thank you.

Thank you, John Rogers and the White House Historical Society. Barack and Michelle, welcome home. Welcome home. Jill and I and Kamala and Doug are honored to host you and so many friends who have been part of this incredible journey. It includes members of your cabinet staff, some of whom were foolish enough to come work with me. And there’s someone else that I’d like to acknowledge tonight, Mrs. Robinson, this is your house as well. Thank you.

It’s good to see you again, mom, it really is. It’s also good to see Ms. Wilson, who known affectionately as Mama Kaye. One of your best friends and Malia and Sasha’s godmother. And as they say in Southern [inaudible 00:07:29], “You done good kid.” And President Kennedy once observed that every president must endure the gap between what he would like and what is possible. He was right. The history books are full of stories about presidents trying to bridge that gap, stories that include the burdens of the office, the difficult decisions, how the work is always serious and often solemn, and all of that’s true, but so is this. With Barack as our president, we got up every day and went to work full of hope, for real, full of purpose and excited about the possibility before us. There are few people I’ve ever known with more integrity, decency, and moral courage than Barack Obama.

Mr. President, nothing could have prepared me better or more to become President of the United States than be at your side for eight years. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. No matter what the issue was, no matter how difficult, no matter what it was about, you never did it just the easy way, what the easy way out was. It was never about doing it that, it was always about doing what was right, literally. Just go down the list of historic presidencies. He never gave up on the simple truth that healthcare was a right for all Americans. When so many were telling him, including me at one point, “Take the compromise. Take the compromise.” We weren’t sure we could get anything done on ACA. “Think about the compromise.” You refused. You went big and now the Affordable Care Act is there permanently and is even being improved on.

Because I remember what you told me, you said, “How can I look those people in the eye and leave anybody behind?” You weren’t about to do that. His Recovery Act brought America back from a great recession. The Auto Rescue protected an iconic industry that represents the nation’s heart and soul. And there were a whole lot of people, some maybe even in this room that were telling you we should let the industry go bankrupt. We should let it go. But you wouldn’t, you persisted, you insisted. And I remember our conversations and I’m proud. I’m proud we stood together and wouldn’t let that happen.

You bet on the American worker. You believed in the American worker. Even though he knew it would be controversial, you stood up for hundreds of thousands of dreamers, dreamers who only know America’s their home. It always boggles my mind that others can’t understand that a three year old kid’s going to say, “No, mom. Leave me in this side of the Rio Grande, you go ahead and go.” I’m serious. So they could stay and contribute and they’ve been contributing incredibly, their talents, and it’s a great generation they represent.

I can go on and defend all that you’ve done, expanding civil rights, issue declaring the call on the climate crisis, helped us find that amazing grace, that amazing grace, even in darkness and countless hours over countless meetings under intense pressure, we always knew Barack Obama, we always knew what you’d…

[inaudible 00:11:01]. We always knew Barack Obama. We always knew what you’d do, what you thought was right, even if it was going to cost you politically. We trusted him, all of you in this room. We believed in him and we counted on him, and I still do. And I still do. President, that’s why the country elected you twice. That’s why you’ll be considered one of the most consequential presidents in our history, along with one of the most consequential first ladies. Michelle, he knows, we all know, he couldn’t have done it without you. I know I couldn’t.

In fact, we had lunch once a week, every week, come hell or high water. Everybody wondered all the important things we talked about. Probably 40% of the time we talked about family. We most talked about our girls and my grandchildren and my children. You embody dignity beyond measure, Michelle. Together, you and Barack made history. You both generated hope for millions of people who were left behind for so long. And it matters. You both did it with such grace and such class. You dreamed big and secured lasting winds for the American people, helping lift their burden with the blessing of hope. I so underestimated the notion of just having hope. This is a gift of the Obama presidency to the country and to history. It’s a gift I felt personally. As we used to say in the Senate, Mr. President, excuse a point of personal privilege, you were always there. I remember how you were with me when our son was passing. I remember the eulogy you gave in his behalf. You’ll never fully understand how much it meant to Jill and me and the entire family.

I always remember that night we accepted the nomination in Denver. My granddaughter Finnegan, who is a great friend of your daughters, called and came up to the room, our room, and said, “Pop, can we move the beds out of my room?” I said, “Why do you want to move the beds out of the room?” She said, “Well,” so her two sisters and Malia and Sasha, “we could all get sleeping bags and lie on the floor and sleep together and watch the convention on the floor.”

That image of them all together will stay with me forever. I think it melded our families in ways that it’s hard for other people to understand. For eight years, we grew to be a family for each other, through our highs and our lows. A family from different backgrounds brought together by a shared value set. All the things that the families have done together, I imagine, there may have been other relationships like this, the president and vice president, but none comes to mind.

Jill and I have been waiting to host events at the White House for a long time coming out of the pandemic. It’s fitting. It’s fitting that we can do that now by unveiling the portraits of two dear friends and two great Americans who are still held very tightly in the hearts of the American people, portraits that are going to hang on the walls of this sacred place, the people’s house, forever, and a reminder of all here and now for those to come to power that hope and change matters.

Barack and Michelle, it’s my honor to invite you both to the stage for the unveiling of your official portraits. Come on up.

Barack Obama: (14:53)
Everybody. Yes. Okay. There we go. Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Please, everybody have a seat. Have a seat. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Sit down, everybody. Thank you very much. It is great to be back. President and Dr. Biden, Vice President Harris and Second Gentleman Emhoff, thank you so much for your hospitality. Thanks for letting us invite a few friends to the White House. We will try not to tear up the place.

Someone once said that if you’re looking for a friend in Washington, get a dog. Our family was lucky enough to have two wonderful dogs. But I was even luckier to have a chance to spend eight years working day and night with a man who became a true partner and a true friend.

Joe, it is now America’s good fortune to have you as president. You guided us … You have guided us through some perilous times. You’ve built on and gone beyond the work we all did together to expand healthcare, to fight climate change, to advance social justice, and to promote economic fairness. Thanks to your decency and thanks to your strength, maybe most of all thanks to your faith in our democracy and the American people, the country’s better off than when you took office, and we should all be deeply grateful for that. So thank you so much

To all the former Obama-Biden staffers who are here in person, some of you are watching at home, thank you for being a part of this. When people ask me what I miss most about the White House years, it is not Air Force One that I talk about, although I miss Air Force One. It’s the chance that I had to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with all of you, to have a chance to witness so many talented, selfless, idealistic, good people working tirelessly every day to make the world better. For eight years, and even longer for some of you, I drew on your energy and your dedication and your goodness. You inspired me, and I never wanted to disappoint you. I tried to reflect the same heart and character that you displayed every day. Even during the toughest times, it was all of you that kept me going. So it’s good to be back to have a chance to see all of you and to once again say thank you.

Now, as much as I miss our work together, what’s been a special joy is to see what’s happened since, because so many of you are doing amazing things, whether it’s in government, in the private sector, in academia, or nonprofits, and I’m especially glad to see so many of you serving President Biden as well as you served me.

Although now some of you who, let’s face it, you were kids back then, are now in charge and running the show, which that’s a little shocking and may also explain some of the gray hairs I’m seeing on some of you. But it validates what I had always hoped, which was that our time together would only be the beginning of incredibly impactful careers. Some of you who I’ve had a chance to stay in touch with, I’m thrilled to see that you started families of your own. I am a little disappointed that I haven’t heard of anyone naming a kid Barack yet …

Michelle Obama: (21:26)
Or Michelle.

… Or Michelle, but there is still time. Finally, I want to say a special thanks to the White House staff. We had a chance to see them all beforehand. Yes. Yeah. You took incredible care of our family for …

You took incredible care of our family for eight years, and along the way you became a part of it, and we have not ever forgotten the kindness that you showed us. Now, when Michelle and I had our portraits unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery a few years back, I said that as far as I could tell, no one in my family tree had ever sat for a portrait before. I certainly had not, and now all of a sudden we’ve done it twice. But these portraits have a special significance because, as Joe mentioned, they will hang in the White House alongside portraits of other presidents and first ladies dating back to George and Martha.

So it was important to find the right people to paint them. I want to thank Sharon Sprung for capturing everything I love about Michelle, her grace, her intelligence, and the fact that she’s fine. She’s fine, she is. Her portrait is stunning. I want to thank Robert McCarty for taking on a much more difficult subject and doing a fantastic job with mine. Robert is known for his paintings of public figures. Tony Morrison, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali. But what I love about Robert’s work is that he paints people exactly the way they are, for better or worse. He captures every wrinkle on your face. Every crease in your shirt. You’ll note that he refused to hide any of my gray hairs; refuse my request to make my ears smaller. He also talked me out of wearing a tan suit, by the way.

His work is so precise that for glance, it looks like a photograph, and Robert also paints his subjects looking straight ahead. So it feels like you’re face to face forming a connection, and that appealed to me, in part, because presidents so often get airbrushed. They even take on a mythical status, especially after you’ve gone and people forget all the stuff they didn’t like about you. But what you realize when you’re sitting behind that desk, and what I want people to remember about Michelle and me, is that presidents and first ladies are human beings like everyone else. We have our gifts. We have our flaws. You’ve all experienced mine. We have good days and bad days. We feel the same joy and sadness, frustration and hope. While it takes a certain amount of self-confidence to be president, there are nights where we lie awake wondering if this or that decision was the right one.

I’ve always described the presidency as a relay race. You take the baton from someone, you run your leg as hard and as well as you can, and then you hand it off to someone else, knowing that your work will be incomplete. The portraits hanging in the White House, chronicle the runners in that race. Each of us tasked with trying to bring the country we love closer to its highest aspirations. When future generations walk these halls and look up at these portraits, I hope they get a better honest sense of who Michelle and I were, and I hope they leave with a deeper understanding that if we could make it here, maybe they can too. They can do remarkable things, too. Now it is my pleasure to introduce someone who needs no introduction: Michelle was the best thing about living in the White House, and let me tell you, the Patriot chefs here delivered delicious pies on request. So that is saying something. I could not ask for a better life partner, and in my humble opinion, America could not have asked for a better first lady. Please give it up for Michelle Obama.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, guys. Okay. Thank you, everybody. Well, let me thank my husband, first of all, for such spicy remarks, and of course, thank you to Joe and Jill. President Biden, and First Lady Jill Biden. Thank you for inviting us back. This means so much to us. We were saying at lunch that the girls have lived in this house longer than they’ve lived anywhere, and so this as out of a home as this can be as wonderful as it can be, it is a special place because we raised our girls here, and it means so much to come back to friends and to be able to spend time talking about our girls. So I am grateful to both of you for the work that you’re doing, the love that you’re showing us, our staff, and the work that you’re doing for this country, thank you so much, and, of course, to Vice President Harris. I love to say this, Second Gentleman Emhoff. Let’s say it again, second gentleman, you’re doing a great job.

Thank you for joining us today, and I can’t go any further without of course acknowledging all of the amazing staff, friends. You’re more than staff, your friends, your family, to us, particularly the people who’ve been part of my team over the years. I don’t have time to name everyone. Thank goodness. But you all know who you are from the campaign to the White House to today. I would not be who I am without your passion and your faith and all the love that you poured into everything that we accomplished together, and it was amazing, historic. What did Sam Kass use to say?

Speaker 1: (30:26)
Unprecedented.

Unprecedented, You all mean the world to me, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. So thank you. Proud of you. Proud of the work that you’ve done. Proud of what you’re doing. I also want to take the time to recognize the resident staff, as Barack said, you guys made this a home. We snatched up a few of you all and took you with us. But for those of you who we couldn’t bring, we miss you so much. We miss you so much. The best part about this house was you all. So it’s so good to see you, and you all look good, so good. I’d also like to recognize Stewart McLaurin, of course, John Rogers. It’s been amazing working with you all over the years. I have to recognize Bill Allman, who has been fabulous to work with over the years, and of course, Thelma Golden, and my dear friend, Michael Smith, we are where we are because of their comprehensive and rigorous work to identify these incredible artists.

That brings me to our artists, of course. Robert McCurdy, you did a good job. You did a good job, but I got to spend a lot of time with Sharon Sprung, and Sharon now joins a small, but mighty group of women who’ve painted an official portrait here at the White House. I’m thrilled that this extraordinary work was going to be enshrined forever as part of our nation’s history. But, Sharon, it was wonderful to work with you. You are a true spirit. That’s one of the reasons why we connected. Your work is phenomenal, but it was your essence, your soul, the way you saw me, the way we interacted, and it shows in this beautiful work. So thank you for your brilliance, your artistry, and your patience in this process. I remember I went to see the work in Brooklyn, and poor Sharon, because no one…

… see the work in Brooklyn, and poor Sharon, because no one is supposed to know who the artists are. Her studio is her home. She had this piece in her home. You couldn’t have guests over. You were frightened that it would get out. You just wanted it out of your space. And every year I thought about, she must be going crazy. Thank you. Thank you so much. Let’s give them both a round of applause.

Oh, believe it or not, it is still a bit odd for me to stand in this historic space, see this big, beautiful painting staring back at me. Growing up on Euclid Avenue … Mommy … I never could have imagined that any of this would be part of my story. But even if it’s all still a bit awkward for me, I do recognize why moments like these are important. Why all of this is absolutely necessary. Traditions like this matter. Not just for those of us who hold these positions, but for everyone participating in and watching our democracy.

You see the people, they make their voices heard with their vote. We hold an inauguration to ensure a peaceful transition of power. Those of us lucky enough to serve, work, as Barack said, as hard as we can for as long as we can, as long as the people choose to keep us here. And once our time is up, we move on. All that remains in this hallowed place are our good efforts and these portraits. Portraits that connect our history to the present day. Portraits that hang here as history continues to be made. For me, this day is not just about what has happened, it’s also about what could happen.

Because a girl like me, she was never supposed to be up there next to Jacqueline Kennedy and Dolly Madison. She was never supposed to live in this house and she definitely wasn’t supposed to serve as first lady.

Speaker 2: (35:40)
We love you, Michelle.

Love you back. But I’ve always wondered where does that “supposed to” come from? Who determines it? Too often in this country, people feel like they have to look a certain way or act a certain way to fit in. That they have to make a lot of money or come from a certain group or class or faith in order to matter. But what we’re looking at today, a portrait of a biracial kid with an unusual name, and the daughter of a water pump operator and a stay-at-home mom. What we are seeing is a reminder that there’s a place for everyone in this country, because as Barack said, if the two of us can end up on the walls of the most famous address in the world, then again, it is so important for every young kid who is doubting themselves to believe that they can too.

That is what this country is about. It’s not about blood or pedigree or wealth. It’s a place where everyone should have a fair shot. Whether you’re a kid taking two buses and a train just to get to school, or a single mother who’s working two jobs to put some food on the table, or an immigrant just arriving, getting your first apartment, forging a future for yourself in a place you dreamed of. That’s why for me, this day isn’t about me or Barack, it’s not even about these beautiful paintings, it’s about telling that fuller story, a story that includes every single American in every single corner of the country, so that our kids and grandkids can see something more for themselves.

And as much as some folks might want us to believe that that story has lost some of its shine, that division and discrimination and everything else might have dimmed its light, I still know deep in my heart that what we share, as my husband continues to say, is so much bigger than what we don’t. Our democracy is so much stronger than our differences. And this little girl from the south side is blessed beyond measure to have felt the truth of that fullest story throughout her entire life, never more so than today.

Thank you to President Biden, to Sharon, and to all of you today for playing a part in this day and all the days that led to it. Now it is my privilege to introduce someone who is stepping in shoes and doing it well, someone who has devoted so much of her life to education, working to broaden the idea of whose story matters. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my friend, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.

Dr. Jill Biden: (38:44)
Thank you. Joe, honestly. Everybody stood, but Joe. Thank you, Michelle for a friendship I treasure. 14 years ago. 14 years ago, Michelle, on a cool night in November, a sea of people gathered in Grant Park to be a part of history. There was laughter and music and dancing. There were tears as friends and strangers alike held each other, overwhelmed with the joy that hope and change had been realized. The crowd roared, radiating the sense that anything we could dream was within our reach.

But at the heart of that enormous moment was a family. Two little girls who would grow up exploring the secret halls and hideaways of the White House. A mom who would bring her whole heart to serving the American people as First Lady, while still guiding and protecting her family with a ferocious devotion. A grandmother who would do absolutely anything for the family she loves, and even move to Washington, DC. And a father who showed the world the meaning of yes we can.

For Joe and me, and our entire family, standing on that stage next to you was like waking up in a new world. A place where with hard work anything was possible. And it wasn’t just the Bidens. So many of you were also there. You remember how it felt. It was magic, wasn’t it? That night your family connected us all. And our family, the Obama-Biden team, every one of you who were fired up and ready to go, together, we changed the course of this country forever. When I look at these portraits, I see family. Your family, the family we all built, and the families across America that we served together. I see love, joy, and fellowship, and we are honored to hang them today and share them with the world.

Thank you for being with us. Now please join us in the state dining room for a reception. Thank you for being here.

Speaker 3: (42:41)
Ladies gentlemen, please remain-

President Biden Delivers Remarks at Former President Obama’s Portrait Unveiling Transcript

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