Subscribe

The White House Blog: The President

  • Watch Live: President Obama's Middle East Trip

    Posted by Colleen Curtis on March 20, 2013 at 10:29 AM EDT

    This week, President Obama is making the first trip of his second term, visiting Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan. We will be posting regular updates from the road and livestreaming several of the President's events on whitehouse.gov/live.

    • Wednesday, March 20 (2:05 PM ET) — President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu hold a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem
    • Thursday March 21 (11:00 AM ET) — President Obama delivers a speech at the Jerusalem Convention Center
    • Friday March 22 (11:45 AM ET) — President Obama and King Abdullah II of Jordan hold a press conference in Amman, Jordan

    read the rest

  • President Obama's Bracket for the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

    Posted by Matt Compton on March 20, 2013 at 10:00 AM EDT

    Yesterday President Obama continued what's become a March tradition: For the fifth time, he sat down to fill out his brackets for the NCAA men and women's basketball tournaments -- and shared his picks with ESPN.

    The President has Louisville, Ohio State, Florida, and Indiana headed to Atlanta for the Final Four.

    He picked the Hoosiers to top the Cardinals in the National Championship game on April 8.

    President Obama's 2013 NCAA Tournament Bracket

    Download the full predictions here.

    We’ll share the President’s pick for the women’s tournament on Friday. Be sure to check back!

    Update! Here is President Obama's bracket for the women's tournament. 

  • Reaffirming the Incredible Bond Between the United States and Ireland

    Posted by Megan Slack on March 19, 2013 at 5:20 PM EDT

    President Barack Obama welcomes Taoiseach Enda Kenny of Ireland and the Irish delegation to the Oval Office

    President Barack Obama welcomes Taoiseach Enda Kenny of Ireland and the Irish delegation to the Oval Office, March 19, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

    Today, President Obama held a bilateral meeting with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny at the White House before the two leaders traveled to the Capitol for a St. Patrick's Day Luncheon.

    In their Oval Office meeting -- the fifth since President Obama took office -- the President and Taoiseach reaffirmed the incredible bond between the United States and Ireland. 

    "We have an incredibly strong partnership on economic issues, on security issues," President Obama said. "The Taoiseach has shown great leadership during difficult times in Ireland. And we’re seeing progress in the Irish economy."

    Noting one example of this progress, President Obama mentioned a deal to sell American-made planes to Ireland that will help businesses here in the U.S create jobs. 

    read the rest

  • President Obama Hosts a Celebration of Women's History Month at the White House

    Posted by Colleen Curtis on March 18, 2013 at 7:12 PM EDT

    President Barack Obama with First Lady Michelle Obama and Amanda McMillan at the Women’s History Month reception, March 18, 2013.

    President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the Women’s History Month reception in the East Room of the White House, March 18, 2013. Standing at right are First Lady Michelle Obama and Amanda McMillan, who introduced the President. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

    President Obama today welcomed a group of accomplished and inspiring women to a reception in the East Room of the White House. The group, which included leaders like A&E Networks CEO Abbe Raven, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Girl Scouts' CEO Anna Maria Chávez, astronaut Sunita Williams, activists Dolores Huerta and Lilly Ledbetter, and WNBA star (and 3-time Olympic Gold Medalist) Tamika Catchings, joined the President, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden to celebrate the progress women make in this country each and every day. President Obama highlighted the changes we've seen in the past century:

    When I look around this room, it is hard to believe that 100 years ago this month, thousands of women were marching right outside this house demanding one of our most fundamental right: the right to vote, to have a say in our democracy. And today, a century later, its rooms are full of accomplished women who have overcome discrimination, shattered glass ceilings, and become outstanding role models for all of our sons and daughters. And that means we've come a long way, and that’s thanks to the efforts of so many people like you.

    Because of the hard work and exemplary leadership of the women in this room, military families have protected family and medical leave. Women have legal recourse to fight against pay discrimination... Women have the opportunity to serve on the front lines of our military conflicts, and that means that they're getting paid and promoted equally. Women have the opportunity to make their own choices about their health.

    read the rest

  • To Mark Nowruz, President Obama Speaks to the People and Leaders of Iran

    Posted by Colleen Curtis on March 18, 2013 at 2:04 PM EDT

    As families and friends gather around the Sofreh-e Haft Sin to celebrate Nowruz, President Obama extends his best wishes for the new spring and new year.

    In his message, the President speaks directly to the people and leaders of Iran about the opportunity to begin a new relationship between our two countries. In expressing his hope that Americans and Iranians will one day work together, build together, and innovate together, the President says “As a new spring begins, I remain hopeful that our two countries can move beyond tension. And I will continue to work toward a new day between our nations that bears the fruit of friendship and peace.”

    Eid-e Shoma Mobarak.

    Watch the video here | Read the transcript of President Obama's message in English | Read the transcript of President Obama's message in Persian | Read the transcript of President Obama's message in Arabic | Download MP4 |

  • President Obama Nominates Thomas Perez for Secretary of Labor

    Posted by Colleen Curtis on March 18, 2013 at 1:11 PM EDT

    President Barack Obama announces Thomas Perez as his nominee for Labor Secretary, in the East Room of the White House, March 18, 2013.

    Thomas Perez delivers remarks after President Barack Obama announced Perez as his nominee for Labor Secretary, in the East Room of the White House, March 18, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

    President Obama today announced that he has chosen Thomas Perez, the head of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, to be the next Secretary of Labor. Speaking in the East Room of the White House, the President introduced Perez, the son of Dominican immigrants and a lawyer who helped pay his way through college by working as a garbage collector, to the American people.

    "His story reminds us of this country’s promise, that if you’re willing to work hard, it doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, what your last name is -- you can make it if you try," President Obama said. "And Tom has made protecting that promise -- for everybody  -- the cause of his life."

    read the rest

  • Weekly Address: Time to Create the Energy Security Trust

    Posted by Matt Compton on March 16, 2013 at 5:30 AM EDT

    President Obama discusses the need to harness American energy in order to reduce our dependence on oil and make the United States a magnet for new jobs. He highlights his all-of-the-above approach to American energy -- including a proposal to establish an Energy Security Trust, which invests in research that will help shift our cars and trucks off of oil.

    Transcript | Download mp4 | Download mp3

  • Ben Rhodes Previews President Obama's Trip to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan

    Posted by Megan Slack on March 15, 2013 at 5:20 PM EDT

    In the first foreign trip of his second term in office, President Obama will visit Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. The trip is an important opportunity to meet with the new Israeli government and speak to the Israeli people, as well as meet with the Palestinian leadership and the King of Jordan.

    We asked Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, to preview the upcoming trip and some of the issues the President would be discussing in his meetings. Check it out below or watch the video on YouTube.

    Learn more about the trip.

  • President Obama Visits the Argonne National Research Lab to Talk About American Energy Security

    Posted by Colleen Curtis on March 15, 2013 at 4:57 PM EDT

    President Barack Obama delivers remarks at Argonne National Laboratory, March 15, 2013.

    President Barack Obama delivers remarks on clean energy at Argonne National Laboratory’s Nanoscale Materials Center in Lemont, Ill., March 15, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

    Few areas hold more promise for creating good jobs and growing our economy than how we use American energy, and today President Obama visited the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois to talk about the progress we are seeing from his all of the above approach to energy independence and the risk that this important sector faces from the arbitrary cuts being imposed by the so-called sequester.

    As President Obama noted in his remarks, these cuts do not distinguish between wasteful programs and vital investments. "They don’t trim the fat; they cut into muscle and into bone," the President said. "Like research and development being done right here that not only gives a great place for young researchers to come and ply their trade, but also ends up creating all kinds of spinoffs that create good jobs and good wages."   

    Includes Video
    read the rest

  • Photo Gallery: Behind the Scenes in February 2013

    Posted by Christopher Sponn on March 15, 2013 at 11:15 AM EDT

    The White House Photo Office just released their latest behind-the-scenes photos, covering President Obama’s State of the Union Address, his visit to a pre-k classroom in Georgia, and around the White House.

    Check out some of the best images below, and see the full set of 33 photos on our Flickr gallery.

    • President Barack Obama hugs students in Decatur

      President Obama hugs students in a pre-kindergarten classroom in Decatur, Ga., Feb. 14, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

      1 of 6
    • President Barack Obama confers with Chief of Staff Denis McDonough

      President Barack Obama talks with Chief of Staff Denis McDonough in the Oval Office, Feb. 6, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

      2 of 6
    • Former Staff Sergent Clinton Romesha and his family in the Oval Office

      President Obama and the First Lady visit with former Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha and his, Feb. 11, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

      3 of 6
    • President Barack Obama shakes hands as he arrives to deliver the State of the Union

      President Obama reaches to shake hands before the State of the Union address, Feb. 12, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

      4 of 6
    • First Lady Michelle Obama with Big Bird at the White House Kitchen

      First Lady Michelle Obama with Big Bird in the White House Kitchen, Feb. 13, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

      5 of 6
    • President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama record a message for ABC "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts

      President Obama and the First Lady record a message for anchor Robin Roberts, Feb. 19, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

      6 of 6

    To learn more: