White House honours Greek Independence Day
US President Donald Trump held a ceremony at the White House on Monday evening to celebrate Greek Independence Day.
The US President was accompanied by Archbishop Demetrios and an enthusiastic crowd of Greek-Americans, cabinet members, ambassadors and staff.
“Today we commemorate the uprising of the Greek people to regain their independence from a foreign empire,” Trump said, and celebrate “the countless ways Greeks have contributed to America” and have celebrated this country.
Citing the contributions of Greek culture to world history, the American President mentioned Homer and Aristotle and geometry and map-making, among others, and said that Greece is the birthplace of democracy.
Trump hailed Greek Americans noting their contribution in everything including sports, adding a special mention of Greek-Americans in the audience who had served in the US armed forces.
The American President also highlighted members of the audience for their spirit and faith in America and the American Dream, including a man who started by working at a barbershop and built a successful construction business; a woman who through the Greek Orthodox Church helped feed people and care for the homeless in America by organising more than 20,000 women across the country; and a man who having fled Albania as a child with his family decided to become a Greek Orthodox priest.
“You are a very, very competitive people, and you never quit,” Trump said, adding that Greek immigrants had deepened the bonds of affection and the pride in the American nation.
Following Trump’s brief address, Archbishop Demetrios thanked the president for his continued support and said it was an honour to be in the White House, which symbolised a nation of freedom for all.
Remarks by the American President at Greek Independence Day Celebration
THE PRESIDENT: Wow. That’s a nice crowd of people. So we were just given this great hat. You know what that says? Huh? “Make Greece Great Again.” Right? (Applause.) Right?
Okay. Thank you all very much. A great honor to be here. And so many of my friends celebrate Greek Independence Day.
We’re deeply privileged to have with us His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios, who’s been a friend of mine for a long time. (Applause.) It’s a great honor. To all the members of the Greek Orthodox community, welcome to a very, very special place called the White House. You’ve been hearing about it for a long time. You’ll be hearing about it for a long time. But it is a very, very special kind of a home. It becomes home, and there’s nothing like it.
We’re also grateful to be joined by Greece’s Ambassador to the United States, Haris Lalacos. Where’s Haris? Thank you very much. (Applause.) Great job. As well as the Ambassador from Cyprus, Marios Lysiotis. Lysiotis. (Applause.) Hi. How are you? Thanks, Marios. And the appointed Ambassador from the European Union, Stavros Lambrinidis. (Applause.) Thank you very much.
I want to thank the members of my Cabinet for being here also this evening. Thank you to Secretary Alex Azar. Where’s Alex? What a job he’s doing. (Applause.) First time in 51 years, prescription drug prices have come down. First time that’s happened. (Applause.) That’s Alex Azar. Thank you, Alex. Great job.
Secretary Elaine Chao. Where’s Elaine? (Applause.) Great job Elaine is doing. Where is Elaine? Thank you, Elaine.
Secretary Betsy DeVos, who has done fantastically. (Applause.) Thank you. Education. Education. Very important. Right, Betsy?Acting Secretary David Bernhardt, who’s going to be a permanent secretary very soon. David? Where are you, David? Where is David? He’s here someplace. Thank you, David. (Applause.) Along with Representative Chris Pappas. We really appreciate it very much. (Applause.)
Today, we commemorate the Greeks’ long struggle to regain their independence from a foreign empire. (Applause.) On March 25th, 1821 — it’s true. (Applause.) Yeah, we have an honorary Greek in the room: Mr. Howard Lorber. I call him an honorary Greek. (Applause.) And Harry LeFrak is here someplace, who’s my guy. Hi, Harry. We have a lot of great honorary — they all want to be Greek, you know? (Laughter.) They all want to be Greek.
On March 25th, 1821, Greek patriots rose up and fought to liberate their country, restore their sovereignty, and reclaim their destiny. Right?
This evening, we also celebrate the countless ways Greek Americans strengthen and uplift and inspire our nation. You live by the values that are the foundation of America’s greatness. You really do. You honor hard work. You love your families. You enrich your culture. And you embrace the American Dream and you keep faith in the blessings of Almighty God. And that’s great. (Applause.)
The United States — and all of Western civilization — has been profoundly shaped by the extraordinary achievements of the Greek people, stretching all the way back to ancient times. Long time. It’s a great culture.
Greek poets and philosophers like Homer and Aristotle have helped humanity pursue truth, and virtue, and justice. Ancient Greece achieved extraordinary feats of architecture, geometry, map-making, and so much else that has inspired all wonders of the world. And Greece is the birthplace of democracy. Have you heard that? (Applause.) Have you heard that?
As a famous Greek historian wrote, “Happiness depends on being free, and freedom depends on being courageous.” And you are courageous.
In every generation, Greek Americans have summoned the courage to defend our freedom. Today, we are honored to be in the presence of Greek Americans who have served in the American Armed Forces — many, many great Greek Americans — (applause) — including Senior Airman Gregory Manuel, who is currently a reservist with the 42nd Intelligence Squadron. I love that word. Where is Gregory? Where are you, Greg? Look at him. Handsome guy. (Applause.) Handsome guy. Good. Thank you very much for being here, Gregory. And Major Carl Hollister, who served in the Army for more than 20 years. And we’re very proud of Carl. Where’s Carl? (Applause.) Carl? Thank you. Thank you, Carl.
To Gregory and Carl, and everyone who has defended America and its uniform: We applaud your patriotism and we salute your noble service to our nation. We very much appreciate it. Thank you very much. Great job. (Applause.)
Americans of Greek descent have made lasting contributions to every arena of American life — in business, science, education, music, religion, and sports. You know, they didn’t say “sports.” I added sports. (Laughter.) I know a lot of great athletes. It’s true. I added that one. They didn’t have that on. That’s not good. (Laughter.) Going to have to fire that writer. Get out of here. You’re fired. (Laughter.) They’ve done a great job in sports. Great athletes.
Here with us today is George Marafatsos. George was born in the mountains of Sparta, Greece. (Applause.) When he was 10, his family immigrated to the United States. He earned money — a lot of money — helping out his grandfather’s barbershop.
Today, George has built a successful construction business and has served for more than 30 years as a parish councilmember at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Silver Spring, Maryland. (Applause.) Where’s George? George? Where are you, George? Good job. Have you made a lot of money in construction, George? Was that better than the barbershop, or did you like the barbershop better? (Laughter.) See, he covers all fields, from barbershops to all sorts of things. Good. That’s great. We love the construction business, too. (Laughter.)
And there’s the great Elaine Chao. Good. Hi, Elaine. Elaine came. I was very upset when I didn’t see you here, Elaine. Secretary of Transportation. She’s fantastic. (Applause.) Maybe George can build you a couple of roads, right? (Laughter.) Under budget and ahead of schedule. Okay?
Also here with us is Aphrodite Skeadas. (Applause.) For more than 40 years, Aphrodite has served the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society. (Laughter and applause). I worked on that one. I had to get it right. I don’t know if I did or not, but I tried. (Laughter.) She’s helped lead efforts with more than 20,000 women across the country to feed the homeless, provide scholarships to students, and to help families in times of need.
To Aphrodite and every woman who serves with The Society, thank you for bringing hope to American families. And that’s what you’ve done. Where’s Aphrodite? (Applause.) Where is she? That’s what I thought. Thank you very much. Great job.
Today, we’re also grateful to be joined by Father Kosmas Karavellas. Father Kosmas was born in Greece to parents who had fled communist Albania. When he was five years old, his family arrived in the United States on the Fourth of July. Good day to arrive. When he was a young man, sitting in church, a little girl came up to him and said, “I really love the Christ in you.” Soon after, he decided to become a priest. Where are you, by the way? Right? Right? Where are you? Yes! (Applause.) I knew I liked you when I met you backstage.
Now, for more than 33 years, Father Kosmas has served the Greek Orthodox community in Annapolis, Maryland. Is he doing a good job? Doing good? (Applause.) He said, “Yes!” You’re okay. He said “outstanding,” actually. That’s very good. Can’t do better than that, right? Thank you very much. He helped build a new church, and he’s ministered to countless souls.
Father, today we express our immense gratitude for your lifetime of service. You’re an incredible man. I’ve heard it from many people in this room. Thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank you very much.
Each of these remarkable individuals represent the stories of so many Greek Americans in the room. Many of them are in this room with us right now. And are you having a good time? Is everybody having a good time? (Applause.)
You have devoted your lives to your families, your communities, and to our country. Through your grit and your drive, and your will to succeed — you are very, very competitive people, I can tell you that. (Applause.) They don’t ever quit. You don’t ever give up. That’s what we want.You’ve brought jobs and promise to cities and towns across America. And you’ve deepened the bonds of affection and renewed the pride of patriotism that unites us as one people, one family, and one glorious nation under God. (Applause.)
I want to thank you. God bless you. And again, I want to wish all of you a joyous Greek Independence Day. (Applause.) Thank you.
Thank you for being at the White House. Thank you all for being at the White House.AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. You know, we — if I might say, we have an economy that’s as good as it’s ever been in our history. (Applause.) We have unemployment numbers — (applause) — we have unemployment numbers that are setting records and doing phenomenally. We have a country that’s the envy of the world, from an economic standpoint and from many other standpoints. We’re doing better than we’ve ever done. Is that right, Howard? I think you can speak to it. And, Harry, you can speak to it.
We know there’s never been — rarely, certainly — there’s rarely been a time like this, economically. The world is talking. When presidents and prime ministers and other come to see me, they all say, “Congratulations on this great economy that you’ve built.” And they try and do the same thing. And it doesn’t work out so well, but that’s okay. But they’re trying.
But we have — (applause) — we have an economy that’s as good as it’s ever been. We have car companies moving in. Many, many car companies. I was with Prime Minster Abe of Japan.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: Four more years. (Laughs.) I was with Prime Minister Abe. They’re sending many companies. Toyota just announced a $13.5 billion investment in the United States. They’re opening up more plants and expanding. (Applause.) And many other companies. So, we’re very proud of it.
But now, before I sign the Greek Independence Day proclamation, which I look forward to doing — I’ve now done it already twice; this is my third time. You know what that means? Time flies. Look how this happened. And I wouldn’t miss it. I wouldn’t miss it. I was supposed to be at another event today. I said, “You mean…” — the people came over — I said to them, “You mean I won’t be able to be there for my Greek friends?” They said, “No, sir. Not this time. But next year.” I said, “No, no, no. I’m doing it this time.” So — (applause.)
So I’d like to invite a friend of mine, Archbishop Demetrios, to say a few words. And then we’re going to sign this great proclamation. Thank you all very much. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.)
Proclamation on Greek Independence Day, 2019
On the 198th anniversary of Greek Independence Day, we celebrate the rich history and enduring bond between the United States and Greece. Our strong alliance and unwavering friendship are rooted in mutual respect and a shared commitment to freedom, justice, and democracy.
The common bond between the United States and Greece is rooted in thousands of years of tradition, stretching back to ancient Greece. The lessons of ancient Greek democracies are among the greatest and most enduring ever taught. From them the world came to know and understand the foundational principles of human liberty, self‑government, and the rule of law ‑‑ the very principles that fueled America’s own drive for independence and shaped our Republic. Decades after securing our independence, American citizens expressed their appreciation by supporting the people of Greece in their fight for their own freedom.
Today, our Greek-American partnership is robust and gaining momentum. The inaugural United States‑Greece Strategic Dialogue, held last December, and the United States‑Greece Commercial Dialogue, held last September, highlighted the strength of the bilateral relationship and bolstered confidence in Greece as a regional leader. We applaud the historic 2019 decision of the Greek Parliament to ratify the Prespa Agreement, which resolved the long-standing naming dispute with North Macedonia. This ratification confirmed Greece’s role as a partner with an abiding commitment to advancing stability, security, and prosperity in the region. Additionally, the 2018 Thessaloniki International Fair forged opportunities for enhanced collaboration in technology, enterprise, and innovation.
Our common vision for a peaceful and prosperous region is particularly evident in our ongoing defense relationship. The rotation of NATO aircraft and equipment through Thessaloniki and Alexandroupoli, the complex bilateral training events, and the availability of Souda Bay for the naval forces of the United States reflect mutually beneficial cooperation to ensure our mutual strength and security. Our bilateral relationship has also afforded many opportunities to support partnerships and initiatives that address the areas of defense and security, law enforcement and counterterrorism, and energy security and diversification.
The strong people-to-people ties that undergird our friendship also serve to fortify our alliance. We continue to identify opportunities to increase student and professional exchanges and English language programs. These programs make tremendous contributions to the economic, cultural, and political power of our two great democracies. This summer, we will launch the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program with Greece to develop the next generation of leaders who will sustain and enhance our strong partnership.
On this day, we honor the shared values that bind our two countries as faithful allies and friends, and we recognize the profound impact Greek‑Americans have had on every aspect of our culture. Together, recalling the spirit of the ancient Greeks, we reaffirm our abiding belief that democratic institutions offer the greatest opportunity to safeguard human rights, dignity, and freedom for all.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 25, 2019, as Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-third.
