♪♪ (four ruffles and flourishes) ♪♪ Announcer:
Ladies and gentlemen, the
President of the United States and Mrs. Michelle Obama. (cheers) ♪♪ (Hail to the Chief) ♪♪ (drum roll) ♪♪ (Herald Trumpets) ♪♪ (drum roll) ♪♪ (Herald Trumpets) ♪♪ Announcer:
Ladies and gentlemen, The
National Anthem of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland followed by The National Anthem
of the United States. ♪♪ (Herald Trumpets) ♪♪ (canon fire) ♪♪ (God Save the Queen) ♪♪ ♪♪ (The Star-Spangled Banner) ♪♪ ♪♪ (Under The Double Eagle March) ♪♪ ♪♪ (Fife and Drum Corps) ♪♪ The President:
Good morning, everyone. Audience:
Good morning! The President:
The storied relationship
between the United States and the United Kingdom
is steeped in tradition. And last night, as President, I
shared with the Prime Minister a uniquely American
tradition of bracketology. (laughter) March Madness. He's learned to appreciate one
of our great national pastimes. His team has told me he has
decided to install a hoop at 10 Downing Street. (laughter) Today, we carry on another
tradition -- an official visit for one of our closest friends
and our dearest allies. Prime Minister
Cameron, Mrs. Cameron, members of the British
delegation -- on behalf of the American people, it is
my great honor to welcome you to the United States. (applause) David, Samantha -- on behalf
of Michelle and myself, we welcome you to
the White House. And, Samantha, just let me say
that we are delighted that you've made America your
first official foreign trip. (applause) It's now been 200 years
since the British came here, to the White House
-- under somewhat different circumstances. (laughter) They made quite an impression. (laughter) They really lit up the place. (laughter) But we moved on. (laughter) And today, like so many
Presidents and Prime Ministers before us, we meet to reaffirm
one of the greatest alliances the world has ever known. This visit is also an
opportunity to reciprocate the extraordinary and gracious
hospitality shown to us by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth,
by David and Samantha, and by the British people during
our visit to London last year. And we are proud that this visit
comes as Her Majesty begins her Diamond Jubilee, celebrating
60 extraordinary years on the British throne. (applause) It is remarkable to consider:
Down the decades we've seen nations rise and fall; wars
fought and peace defended; a city divided,
a wall come down; countries imprisoned behind an
Iron Curtain, then liberated. We've seen the demise of a Cold
War and the rise of new threats; the transition from an
Industrial Revolution to an Information Age where new
technologies empower our citizens and our adversaries
like never before. Our world has been
transformed over and over, and it will be again. Yet, through the grand
sweep of history, through all its
twists and turns, there is one constant -- the
rock-solid alliance between the United States and
the United Kingdom. (applause) And the reason is simple. We stand together and we work
together and we bleed together and we build together,
in good times and -- (no audio) -- is a safer and better
and more just place. Our alliance is essential --
it is indispensable -- to the security and prosperity that
we seek not only for our own citizens, but for
people around the world. And that is why, as President,
I've made strengthening this alliance and our alliances
around the world one of my highest foreign
policy priorities. And because we have, I can stand
here today and say with pride and with confidence -- and I
believe with David's agreement -- that the relationship between
the United States and the United Kingdom is the strongest
that it has ever been. (applause) And so in the sunlight of
this beautiful morning, with children from both
nations in attendance -- (applause) -- we reaffirm the enduring
values in which our alliance is forever rooted. We believe that every person, if
they're willing to work hard, if they play by the rules,
deserve a fair shot, deserve a chance to succeed. So in these tough
economic times, we stand united in our
determination to create the jobs that put our
people back to work, in expanding trade that
is both free and fair, and in fighting for a global
economy where every nation plays by the same rules. We believe that our citizens
should be able to live free from fear. So, like generations before us,
we stand united in the defense of our countries and against
those who would terrorize our people, or endanger the
globe with the world's most dangerous weapons. We believe in the universal
rights of all people, so we stand united in our
support for those who seek to choose their leaders
and forge their future, including the brave citizens
of the Middle East and North Africa, who deserve the same
God-given rights and freedoms as people everywhere. And we believe in the inherent
dignity of every human being. So we will stand united in
advancing the developments that lift people and nations out of
poverty -- the new crops that feed a village, the care that
saves a mother in childbirth, the vaccine that allows a child
to live a long and healthy life. This is what we believe. This is who we are. This is what we do together,
what we achieve together every single day. And this is the alliance that
we renew today -- guided by the interests we share, grounded
in the values that we cherish not just for our time
but for all time. And finally, I would just note
that while this is not the first official visit of my presidency,
it is one of the few where I have not had to pause
for translation. (laughter) We Americans and Brits speak
the same language -- most of the time. (laughter) So let me just say, David,
we are chuffed to bits that you are here -- (laughter) -- and I'm looking
forward to a great natter. I'm confident that together
we're going to keep the relationship between
our two great nations absolutely top-notch. (laughter) David, Samantha -- the warmest
of welcomes from Michelle and myself, but more importantly,
from the American people. We are honored to have you here. (applause) Prime Minister Cameron:
President Obama, First
Lady, Mr. Vice President, members of both Cabinets, guests
of honor, ladies and gentlemen: Thank you for such an
incredibly warm welcome. And I have to say, Barack, with
that spectacular command of our shared language -- (laughter) -- with all these Union flags
and with so many friends at home, you are really
making me feel very at home here in Washington. So I am a little
embarrassed, as I stand here, to think that 200 years ago -- (laughter) -- my ancestors tried
to burn this place down. (laughter) Now, looking around me, I can
see you've got the place a little better defended today. (laughter) You're clearly not taking any
risks with the Brits this time. (laughter) And thank you also for
the lessons last night. I will leave America with some
new words -- alley-oops -- (laughter) -- brackets, fast breaks, and
who knows -- maybe that hoop will be installed in
Downing Street after all. It was a great evening. Thank you very much indeed. Now, of course, since that
unfortunate episode 200 years ago, generations of British
and American servicemen and women have fought together. Our grandparents fought
in the same campaign. My grandfather, wounded
a few days after D-Day, the greatest-ever British and
American operation in history. And yours, Barack, serving under
General Patton as the allies swept through France. Whether it is
defeating the Nazis, standing up to the Soviets,
defending the Korean Peninsula, or hunting down al
Qaeda in Afghanistan, there can be no more tangible
illustration of our two nations defending our values and
advancing our interests than the mutual sacrifice made
by our servicemen and women. And let us once again pay
tribute to their valor, their courage, their
professionalism and their dedication here in
Washington today. (applause) From the Balkans to Baghdad,
across the world and across the decades, we have been
proud to serve with you. When the chips are down, Britain
and America know that we can always count on each other
because we are allies not just prepared to say the right thing,
but to do the right thing, and to do it in the right
way -- promoting our values, standing up for our ideals. The partnership between our
countries, between our peoples, is the most powerful partnership
for progress that the world has ever seen. That is why whenever an American
President and a British Prime Minister get together, there is
a serious and important agenda to work through. And today is no different. Afghanistan, Iran, the Arab
Spring, the need for trade, for growth, for jobs
in the world economy, the biggest issues in the world
-- that is our agenda today. But what makes our relationship
so vigorous and so lasting is that it draws its strength from
roots far deeper and broader than government or the military. It is a meeting of
kindred spirits. When the world's brightest minds
want to generate the innovations that will make tomorrow
more free and more fair, they look to our great
universities like Harvard and Stanford, Cambridge and Oxford. When the most audacious and
entrepreneurial philanthropists, like the Gates Foundation, want
not just to give out to charity but to eliminate polio and other
avoidable diseases so that no child in our world
should die unnecessarily, they find partners across the
Atlantic in the British aid agencies, like Save
the Children, Oxfam, and Christian Aid. And when a great innovator like
Sir Tim Berners-Lee wanted a partner to make the
World Wide Web a reality, he turned to America. Why? Because he knew that it was in
America that he would find that same spirit of
creativity, innovation, and risk-taking that defines our
unique approach to enterprise and to business. He's not alone. In 2010, transatlantic
partnerships produced eight of the nine Nobel
prizes in science. Foreign direct investment
between Britain and America is the largest in the world and
now stands at $900 billion. This creates and sustains
around a million jobs each side of the Atlantic. And it provides a strong
foundation for bilateral trade worth nearly
$200 billion a year. In fact, American investment in
the UK is eight times larger than China; and UK investment
in America is nearly 140 times that of China. So, yes, the world is changing
at a faster rate than ever before, and the ways we
will influence events are changing with it. But one thing remains unchanged
-- the ceaseless back-and-forth between our two nations through
ideas, friendship, business, and shared endeavor. And that's why I believe that we
can be sure that in 50 years' time, an American President and
a British Prime Minister will stand on this very spot, just as
we do now; they will stand here, as we do, for freedom and for
enterprise: our two countries -- the united states of
liberty and enterprise. That is why I'm so
pleased to be here today, to celebrate an essential
relationship that, as you say, has never been stronger, and
to work with you to make sure we deliver that, and to
make our countries closer and closer still. Thank you. (applause) ♪♪ (Herald Trumpets) ♪♪ (drumming) ♪♪ (Herald Trumpets) ♪♪ ♪♪ (Stars and Stripes) ♪♪
