Remarks Honoring the 2016 World Series Champion Chicago Cubs

Jan. 16 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2017

1710

Over the course of these 8 years, I’ve seen

the goodness, the resilience, and the hope of

the American people. I’ve seen neighbors look-

ing out for each other as we rescued our econ-

omy from the worst crisis of our lifetimes. I’ve

hugged cancer survivors who finally know the

security of affordable health care. I’ve seen

communities like Joplin rebuild from disaster

and cities like Boston show the world that no

terrorist will ever break the American spirit.

I’ve seen the hopeful faces of young gradu-

ates and our newest military officers. I’ve

mourned with grieving families searching for

answers, and I found grace in a Charleston

church. I’ve seen our scientists help a para-

lyzed man regain his sense of touch and our

wounded warriors walk again. I’ve seen our

doctors and volunteers rebuild after earth-

quakes and stop pandemics in their tracks. I’ve

learned from students who are building robots

and curing diseases and who will change the

world in ways we can’t even imagine. I’ve seen

the youngest of children remind us of our obli-

gations to care for our refugees, to work in

peace, and above all, to look out for each other.

That’s what’s possible when we come to-

gether in the slow, hard, sometimes frustrat-

ing, but always vital work of self-government.

But we can’t take our democracy for granted.

All of us, regardless of party, should throw our-

selves into the work of citizenship. Not just

when there’s an election, not just when our

own narrow interest is at stake, but over the

full span of a lifetime. If you’re tired of arguing

with strangers on the Internet, try to talk with

one in real life. If something needs fixing, lace

up your shoes and do some organizing. If

you’re disappointed by your elected officials,

then grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and

run for office yourself.

Our success depends on our participation,

regardless of which way the pendulum of pow-

er swings. It falls on each of us to be guardians

of our democracy, to embrace the joyous task

we’ve been given to continually try to improve

this great Nation of ours. Because for all our

outward differences, we all share the same

proud title: citizen.

It has been the honor of my life to serve you

as President. Eight years later, I am even more

optimistic about our country’s promise. And I

look forward to working along your side, as a

citizen, for all my days that remain.

Thanks, everybody. God bless you, and God

bless the United States of America.

OTE: The address was recorded at approxi-

mately 2:45 p.m. on January 13 in the Oval Of-

fice at the White House for broadcast on Janu-

ary 14. In the address, the President referred

to Dunbar, PA, resident Nathan Copeland, a

patient at the University of Pittsburgh Medical

Center in Pittsburgh, PA. The transcript was

made available by the Office of the Press Sec-

retary on January 13, but was embargoed for

release until 6 a.m. on January 14.

Remarks Honoring the 2016 World Series Champion Chicago Cubs

January 16, 2017

The President. They said this day would nev-

er come. [Laughter] Here is something none

of my predecessors ever got a chance to say:

Welcome to the White House the World Se-

ries Champion Chicago Cubs!

Now, I know you guys would prefer to stand

the whole time, but sit down. [Laughter]

I will say to the Cubs: It took you long

enough. I mean, I’ve only got 4 days left. You’re

just making it under the wire. [

Laughter

]

Now, listen, I made a lot of promises in

2008. [Laughter] We’ve managed to fulfill a

large number of them. But even I was not cra-

zy enough to suggest that during these 8 years

we would see the Cubs win the World Series.

But I did say that there’s never been anything

false about hope. [Laughter] Hope, the audaci-

ty of hope.

Audience member. Yes, we can!

The President. Yes, we can.

Audience members. Yes, we did!

Audience member. Yes, we will!

The President. Now, listen, for those of you

from Chicago who have known me a long time,

Administration of Barack Obama, 2017 / Jan. 16

1711

it is no secret that there’s a certain South Side

team that has my loyalty. [Laughter] For me,

the drought hasn’t been that—as long. We had

the ’85 Bears; we had the Bulls’ run in the

nineties. I’ve hosted the Blackhawks a number

of times. The White Sox did win just 11 years

ago with Ozzie and Konerko and Buehrle. So I

can’t claim that I have the same just visceral joy

of some in this White House. [Laughter]

But FLOTUS is a lifelong Cubs fan. And I

will tell you, she had to go to another event,

but in the 8 years that I’ve been here—I told

the team this—in the 8 years that I’ve been

here, we’ve hosted at least 50 teams: football,

basketball, baseball, soccer, you name it. Mi-

chelle has never come to a single event cele-

brating a champion until today. And she came

and shook hands and met with every one of

these members of the Cubs organization and

told a story about what it meant for her to be

able to see them win, because she remembers

coming home from school, and her dad would

be watching a Cubs game, and the bond and

the family, the meaning that the Cubs had for

her in terms of connecting with her father and

why it meant so much for her. And I almost

choked up listening to it. And it spoke, I think,

to how people feel about this organization, and

that it’s been passed on generation after gener-

ation, and it’s more than just sports.

And that is not just true for FLOTUS. My

longest serving aide, Anita, is a Cubs fan.

[Laughter] “Fan” is not enough. When they

won, the next day she said, “This is the best day

of my life.” [Laughter] And I said: “What about

me winning the Presidency? What about your

wedding day?” She’s, like, “No, this is the

best.” My chief speechwriter, Cody Keenan—

[applause]—Cubs fan. In fact, there were a lot

of sick days during the playoffs. [Laughter]

One of my staff members was caught being in-

terviewed at a bar outside of Wrigley—[laugh-

ter]—and we’re watching him being inter-

viewed. You remember, Luke? And he’s look-

ing kind of sheepish about it. It’s, like, why ar-

en’t you in the office? [Laughter]

But look, the truth is, there was a reason not

just that people felt good about the Cubs win-

ning. There was something about this particular

Cubs team winning that people felt good about.

For example, David Ross and I have something

in common: We’ve both been on a “year-long

retirement party.” [

Laughter

] But unlike

“Grandpa,” my team has not yet bought me a

scooter with a motorized golf caddy. But there

are 4 days left. Maybe I’ll get that. [

Laughter

]

The last time the Cubs won the World Se-

ries, Teddy Roosevelt was President. Albert

Einstein and—or was it Thomas Edison—was

still alive. The first Cubs radio broadcast

wouldn’t be for almost two decades. We’ve

been through World Wars, cold war, a depres-

sion, space race, all manner of social and tech-

nological change. But during that time, those

decades were also marked by Phil Cavarretta

and Ernie Banks; Billy Williams, who’s here to-

day; Ron Santo, Ferg, Ryne Sandberg, Daw-

son, Maddux, Grace. Those decades were

punctuated by Lee Elia’s rants and Harry Ca-

ray’s exuberance: “Hey, Hey” and “Holy Cow”

and capped off by “Go Cubs Go.” [Laughter]

So the first thing that made this champion-

ship so special for so many is, is that the Cubs

know what it’s like to be loyal and to persevere

and to hope and to suffer and then keep on

hoping. And it’s a generational thing. That’s

what you heard Michelle describing. People all

across the city remember the first time a par-

ent took them to Wrigley or memories of

climbing in their dad’s lap to watch games on

WGN—and that’s part of the reason, by the

way, why Michelle had invited—made sure

that José Cardenal was here, because that was

her favorite player. And she was describing,

back then, he had a big afro, and she was de-

scribing how she used to wear her hat over her

afro the same way José did.

You could see all that love this season in the

fans who traveled to their dads’ gravesites to

listen to games on the radio, who wore their

moms’ old jerseys to games, who covered the

brick walls of Wrigley with love notes in chalk

to departed fans whose lifelong faith was finally

fulfilled.

None of this, of course, would have hap-

pened without the extraordinary contributions

of the Ricketts family. Tom met his wife Cece

in the bleachers of Wrigley about 30 years ago,

Jan. 16 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2017

1712

which is about 30 years longer than most of re-

lationships that begin there last. [Laughter]

Just saying. [Laughter] Our dear friend Laura

Ricketts met her wife Brooke in the ballpark as

well.

Brothers and sisters, they turned this team

around by hiring what has to be one of the

greatest, if not—I mean, he’s still pretty young,

so we’ll see how long he keeps on going—the

greatest general managers of all time, Theo

Epstein—[applause]—and along with Jed

Hoyer and Jason McLeod. They did just an un-

believable job. Theo, as you know—his job is

to quench droughts: 86 years in Boston, 108 in

Chicago. He takes the reins of an organization

that’s wandering in the wilderness, he delivers

them to the Promised Land. [Laughter] I’ve

talked to him about being DNC chair. [Laugh-

ter] But he’s decided wisely to stick to baseball.

That brings me to the other thing that was

so special about this championship, and that’s

just the guys behind me, the team. They

steamrolled the majors this year with a 103-win

record. All you had to know about this team

was encapsulated in that one moment in Game

5, down 3 games to 1, do or die, in front of the

home fans, when David Ross and Jon Lester

turned to each other and said, “I love you,

man.” And he said, “I love you too.” [Laughter]

It was sort of like an Obama-Biden moment

right there. [Laughter]

And then you’ve got the manager, Joe Mad-

don, who—[applause]—let’s face it, there are

not a lot of coaches or managers who are as

cool as this guy. Look how he looks right now.

[Laughter] That’s cool. That’s cool. He used

costume parties and his “Shaggin’ Wagon.”

[Laughter] So he’s got—I’m just saying—he’s

got a lot of tricks to motivate. But he’s also a

master of tactics and makes the right move at

the right time: when to pinch hit, when to

pinch run, when to make it rain—[laughter]—

in Game 7 of the World Series. That was—it

was masterful. So he set the tone, but also

some of the amazing players here set the tone.

My fellow “44”—Anthony Rizzo, who—the

heart of this team. Five years ago, he was a part

of the squad that lost 101 games. He stuck at it

and led the National League in All-Star votes

this year.

His business partner in the “Bryzzo Souve-

nir Company,” which delivers baseballs to fans

in all parts of the bleachers: Kris Bryant.

Now—where’s Kris? This guy had a good year.

[Laughter] You go from Rookie of the Year to

being the MVP. You win the World Series.

And then, like me, he marries up and comes to

the White House. And he did all this just in 10

days. [Laughter] I mean, it took me a long

time. So congratulations to the newlyweds, Jes-

sica and Kris Bryant.

And then you’ve got these young guys like

Báez and Russell: Báez turning tagging into an

art form; Russell becoming the youngest player

to hit a World Series Grand Slam since Mickey

Mantle. And you mix these amazing young tal-

ents with somebody like David Ross who, for

example, helped Anthony out of his “glass case

of emotions” in Game 7. [Laughter] But think

about what Rossie did in his final season:

caught a no-hitter, surpassed a hundred home

runs for his career, including one in his last

game ever. If there was ever a way to go out,

this was it.

And then you’ve got Ben Zobrist, who didn’t

get to come to the White House last year after

winning it all with the Royals, but then hits

.357 in the World Series, go-ahead RBI in the

10th inning of the Game 7, World Series MVP.

I think he’s earned his way here. So—[ap-

plause]. Hey! And is apparently a good guy, be-

cause I asked his wife—she was in line before

he was—and I said, has he gotten a big head

since he got the whole MVP thing? “No, he’s

so sweet, he’s so humble.” [Inaudible] You owe

her dinner tonight. [Laughter]

Extraordinary pitching staff, including Kyle

Hendricks, the first Cub to lead the majors in

ERA since 1938. Kyle, in turn, was the only

pitcher this year with a better ERA than Jon

Lester, who racked up 19 wins. Good job. Jake

Arrieta, 2015 Cy Young Award winner,

stretched a 20-game win streak featuring two

no-hitters across the past two seasons, then hit

a home run in the NLDS, and won two games

in the World Series. So, apparently, Pilates

works. [Laughter] Michelle says it does.

Administration of Barack Obama, 2017 / Jan. 16

1713

So—and then, finally, the game itself and

the series itself. To come back from a 3-1 defi-

cit against a great Cleveland Indians team

forced what is widely considered the Game 7

of all time. Dexter Fowler becomes the first

player to hit a leadoff home run in Game 7. Ja-

vy Báez hits another leadoff the fifth. David

Ross becomes the older player—oldest player

to knock one out in a Game 7 as well. Kyle

Schwarber, who’s been hurt and hobbled, then

suddenly, he comes in and gets seven hits in

the Series, three in Game 7 alone.

And then you’ve got the 10th inning, you’ve

got the rain. [Laughter] God finally feeling

mercy on Cubs fans. [Laughter] An entire

game, an entire season, an entire century of

hope and heartbreak all coming down to a one-

inning sprint. And then Zobrist knocked in

one, Montero knocked in another. Carl Ed-

wards, Jr., and Mike Montgomery teamed up

to shut the Indians down.

And then, at 12:47 a.m. Eastern Time, Bry-

ant—it looks like he’s going to slip; everybody

is getting a little stressed—tosses a grounder to

Rizzo. Rizzo gets the ball, slips it in his back

pocket—[laughter]—which shows excellent

situational awareness. [Laughter] That was im-

pressive. And suddenly, everything is changed.

No more black cats, billy goats, ghosts, flubbed

grounders. The Chicago Cubs are the champs.

And on ESPN, you’ve got Van Pelt saying,

“One of the alltime great nights.” You’ve got

Tim Kurkjian calling it “the greatest night of

baseball in the history of the game.” Two days

later, millions of people—the largest gathering

of Americans that I know of—in Chicago. And

for a moment, our hometown becomes the

very definition of joy. So, in Chicago, I think

it’s fair to say, you guys will be popular for a

while. [Laughter]

But, in addition, they’re also doing a lot of

good work. Anthony Rizzo and Jon Lester

raised money to help others beat cancer like

they did. Under the Ricketts family’s leader-

ship, last year alone, Cubs Charities supported

charitable grants and donations of nearly $4

million that reached nearly 120,000 children

and young adults across Chicagoland. Under

their “Let’s Give” initiative, Cubs staff, coach-

es, players, and spouses donated more than

1,500 hours of service last year to the commu-

nity. And after their visit here today, they will

head to Walter Reed to visit with some of our

brave wounded warriors.

So, just to wrap up, today is, I think, our last

official event—isn’t it?—at the White House

under my Presidency. And it also happens to

be a day that we celebrate one of the great

Americans of all time, Martin Luther King, Jr.

And later, as soon as we’re done here, Michelle

and I are going to go over and do a service

project, which is what we do every year to hon-

or Dr. King. And it is worth remembering—

because sometimes, people wonder, well why

are you spending time on sports; there’s other

stuff going on—that throughout our history,

sports has had this power to bring us together,

even when the country is divided. Sports has

changed attitudes and culture in ways that

seem subtle, but that ultimately made us think

differently about ourselves and who we were.

It is a game, and it is celebration, but there’s a

direct line between Jackie Robinson and me

standing here. There’s a direct line between

people loving Ernie Banks and then the city

being able to come together and work together

in one spirit.

And I was in my hometown of Chicago on

Tuesday, for my Farewell Address, and I said,

sometimes, it’s not enough just to change the

laws, you’ve got to change hearts. And sports

has a way, sometimes, of changing hearts in a

way that politics or business doesn’t. And some-

times, it’s just a matter of us being able to es-

cape and relax from the difficulties of our days,

but sometimes, it also speaks to something bet-

ter in us. And when you see this group of folks

of different shades and different backgrounds

and coming from different communities and

neighborhoods all across the country and then

playing as one team and playing the right way

and celebrating each other and being joyous in

that, that tells us a little something about what

America is and what America can be.

So it is entirely appropriate that we cele-

brate the Cubs today, here in this White

House, on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth-

day because it helps direct us in terms of what

Jan. 16 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2017

1714

this country has been and what it can be in the

future.

With that, one more time, let’s congratulate

the 2016 World Championship Chicago Cubs!

Good job! [Applause] Good job!

President of Baseball Operations Theo N.

Epstein. Talk about a tough act to follow.

Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you for

inviting us. We’re all honored to be here today,

and we appreciate you taking the time on such

an important day, Martin Luther King Day,

and during such an historic week, the last week

of your distinguished Presidency.

I was told on my way in here—actually, by

our club historian—it’s actually not the first

time this franchise has visited the White

House. It was 1888. [Laughter] And we were

known as the Chicago White Stockings, and we

stopped in here to visit President Grover

Cleveland. And apparently, the team demand-

ed to—for a proclamation to be named the

best baseball team in the country. The Presi-

dent refused, and the team went on their way.

[Laughter] And so here we are; we’re going to

make no such demands today. [Laughter] But

we appreciate those kind words.

The President was so kind to recognize our

three Hall-of-Famers here with us today who

are so synonymous with what it means to be a

Cub: Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins, Ryne

Sandberg. [Applause] Thank you for being

here. And of course, José Cardenal, who got

the longest hug from the First Lady we’ve ever

seen, her favorite player of all time, you’re the

MVP today. [Laughter]

And I want to, one more time, recognize all

of the Ricketts family who are here today.

Tom, who’s been such an ideal leader for our

organization. Laura, who’s been such a strong

supporter of this President. And, Todd, who

will embark on his journey in public service

with a significant role in the new administra-

tion next week. And, Pete, who’s busy govern-

ing Nebraska, couldn’t be here, but sends his

best. [Laughter]

Finally, we’d like to recognize all of our

wives and significant others who do so much to

support us behind the scenes, our great front

office, who have worked so hard—[inaudible].

So, Mr. President, as you alluded to, in

Cleveland on November 2 and into the early

morning of November 3, this special group of

players behind me, in one of the greatest

World Series games in history, ended the lon-

gest championship drought in American

sports. And when Kris Bryant’s throw settled

into Anthony Rizzo’s glove for the final out of

Game 7, the victory brought pride, joy, relief,

and redemption to Cub fans everywhere, in-

cluding many in the White House. [Applause]

Thank you.

So many of you were there, but the city of

Chicago erupted, unified into celebration that

continues to this day. It was a thrilling, emo-

tional time, and we think we even saw some

White Sox fans smiling—[laughter]—which,

Mr. President, brings us to you.

The President. Yes.

Mr. Epstein.

We know you may have a cer-

tain allegiances to another team on the other

side of town, but we know you’re a very proud

Chicagoan, and we know your better, wiser

half, the First Lady—[

laughter

]—has been a

lifelong and very loyal Cub fan, which we ap-

preciate very much. And of course, we have

great faith in your intelligence, your common

sense, your pragmatism, your ability to recog-

nize a good thing when you see one. [

Laughter

]

So, Mr. President, with only a few days re-

maining in your tremendous Presidency, we

have taken the liberty here today of offering

you a midnight pardon—[laughter]—for all

your indiscretions as a baseball fan. And so we

welcome you with open arms today into the

Cubs family.

To recognize this terrific conversion and this

great day, we have some gifts for you and your

family. First, Anthony. Anthony Rizzo has gra-

ciously agreed to share his number 44 with

“the 44.”

The President. There we go!

Mr. Epstein. And if you’re still not comfort-

able putting a Cubs jersey on, this one just says

Chicago, so you’re good with that one.

The President. All right. Thank you so much.

I appreciate it.

Mr. Epstein. Second, we have—at historic

Wrigley Field, we have a centerfield score-

Administration of Barack Obama, 2017 / Jan. 16

1715

board that’s actually a historic landmark, and

so we hope the National Park Service won’t

mind, but we took down a tile for you, number

44, which—[applause].

The President. That I like.

Mr. Epstein. Very few people have one of

those.

The President. I know. That’s very cool.

Mr. Epstein. We also wanted you to know

that, as a new fan, you have a lot—you have

some catching up to do. [Laughter] And you’ve

been busy the last 8 years, and your family as

well, so Laura Ricketts is here to present you

with a lifetime pass to Wrigley Field for you

and your family.

The President. Nice! I love how it says,

“Nontransferable.” [Laughter]

Mr. Epstein. Yes. It’s strictly—it’s just an

emolument.

The President. Can you imagine if somebody

walks up and is, like—[laughter].

Co-owner and member of the Board of Di-

rectors Laura Ricketts. You don’t have to bring

it with you.

Mr. Epstein. And finally, every time we win

a game in Chicago, we fly the “W” flag, as you

know. So we brought one for you, signed by

the entire team, and we’d love for you to fly it

at your new library, which we plan to do our

very best to support.

The President. We will do so. Thank you so

much. Look at that. This is some nice swag.

I’m telling you. Thank you so much. This is

great.

Former pitcher Ferguson Jenkins.

You’ve got

to get him to put the uniform on. [

Laughter

]

Mr. Epstein. It’s just day one. It’s just day

one.

The President. Fergie, we’re doing okay so

far. [Laughter] Let’s not get carried away.

Mr. Epstein. So, Mr. President, thank you

for the dignity and integrity with which you’ve

served this country for the last 8 years, for your

tremendous service to Chicago and Illinois be-

fore that and for hosting us here today. We

wish you all the best and look forward to seeing

you on Wrigley Field.

The President. Thank you. Well, everybody,

the—thank you so much. Let me say, first of

all, best swag I’ve gotten as President repre-

sented right here. [Laughter] And let me also

say on behalf of a lot of folks here in the White

House, you’ve brought a lot of joy to a lot of

people here, and we’re grateful. I know my for-

mer Chief of Staff, now mayor of Chicago,

Rahm Emanuel; folks like Dick Durbin, and

we’ve got a whole congressional delegation

here; I see Lisa Madigan, my dear friend—just

a lot of people have been rooting for you for a

long time.

So, even though it will be hard for me, Fer-

gie, to wear a jersey—[laughter]—do know

that among Sox fans, I’m the Cubs number-

one fan. [Laughter] All right?

OTE

: The President spoke at 1:40 p.m. in the

East Room at the White House. In his remarks,

he referred to Oswaldo J. Guillén Barrios, for-

mer shortstop, Paul H. Konerko, former first

baseman, and Mark A. Buehrle, former pitcher,

Major League Baseball’s Chicago White Sox;

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Anita J.

Decker Breckenridge; White House Trip Man-

ager Luke P. Rosa; David W. Ross and Miguel

A. Montero, catchers, Billy L. Williams, former

left fielder, Ryne D. Sandberg, former second

baseman, Andre D. Dawson and José R. Carde-

nal, former right fielders, Greg A. Maddux, for-

mer pitcher, Mark E. Grace, former first base-

man, Lee C. Elia, former manager, Tom Rick-

etts, co-owner and chairman of the board of di-

rectors, Jed D. Hoyer, executive vice president

and general manager, Jason McLeod, senior vice

president of player development and amateur

scouting, Anthony V. Rizzo, first baseman, Kris-

topher L. Bryant and E. Javier Báez, third base-

men, Addison W. Russell, shortstop, Benjamin

T. Zobrist, second baseman, W. Dexter Fowler,

center fielder, Kyle J. Schwarber, left fielder,

and Carl F. Edwards, Jr., and Michael P. Mont-

gomery, pitchers, Chicago Cubs; Julianna Zo-

brist, wife of Mr. Zobrist; Timothy B. Kurkjian,

sports analyst, ESPN; and Illinois State Attorney

General Lisa Madigan. Mr. Epstein referred to

Cubs historian Ed Hartig; Todd M. Ricketts,

President-elect Donald J. Trump’s prospective

nominee to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce;

and Gov. J. Peter Ricketts of Nebraska.

Jan. 16 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2017

1716

Statement on the First Anniversary of the Implementation of the Joint

Comprehensive Plan of Action To Prevent Iran From Obtaining a Nuclear

Weapon

January 16, 2017

Today marks the 1-year anniversary of the

implementation of the Joint Comprehensive

Plan of Action (JCPOA), a deal that has

achieved significant, concrete results in making

the United States and the world a safer place.

This historic understanding reached between

the United States, France, the United King-

dom, Germany, China, Russia, the European

Union, and Iran has rolled back the Iranian nu-

clear program and verifiably prevents Iran

from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

One year ago, the International Atomic En-

ergy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran had ful-

filled key commitments spelled out under the

JCPOA. Instead of steadily expanding, Iran’s

nuclear program faces strict limitations and is

subject to the most intrusive inspection and

verification program ever negotiated to moni-

tor a nuclear program. Iran reduced its urani-

um stockpile by 98 percent and removed two-

thirds of its centrifuges. Meanwhile, Iran has

not enriched any uranium at the Fordow facili-

ty nor used advanced centrifuges to enrich. In

short, Iran is upholding its commitments, dem-

onstrating the success of diplomacy.

While this deal was intended to address

Iran’s nuclear program, we have remained

steadfast in opposing Iran’s threats against Isra-

el and our Gulf partners and its support for vio-

lent proxies in places like Syria and Yemen. We

continue to be deeply concerned about U.S.

citizens unjustly imprisoned in Iran. And our

sanctions on Iran for its human rights abuses,

its support for terrorist groups, and its ballistic

missile program will remain until Iran pursues

a new path on those issues. There is no ques-

tion, however, that the challenges we face with

Iran would be much worse if Iran were also on

the threshold of building a nuclear weapon.

The United States must remember that this

agreement was the result of years of work and

represents an agreement between the world’s

major powers, not simply the United States

and Iran. Moreover, the Iran deal must be

measured against the alternatives. A diplomat-

ic resolution that prevents Iran from obtaining

a nuclear weapon is far preferable to an uncon-

strained Iranian nuclear program or another

war in the Middle East.

Remarks During White House Press Secretary Joshua R. Earnest’s Final

Briefing and an Exchange With Reporters

January 17, 2017

[The President joined the briefing in progress.]

The President. I’m not interrupting because

he was saying nice things about you guys—

[laughter]—because I largely concur.

When I first met Josh Earnest, he was in Io-

wa. I think he was wearing jeans. He looked

even younger than he was. And since my entire

campaign depended on communications in Io-

wa, I gave him a pretty good once-over. And

there are a couple things I learned about him

right away. Number one, he’s just got that all-

American, matinee, good-looking thing going.

[Laughter] That’s helpful. Let’s face it. Face

made for television. [Laughter] Then, the guy’s

name is Josh Earnest—[laughter]—which, if

somebody is speaking on your behalf, is a pret-

ty good name to have. [Laughter]

But what struck me most, in addition to his

smarts and his maturity and his actual interest

in the issues, was his integrity. There are peo-

ple you meet who you have a pretty good in-

kling right off the bat are straight shooters and

were raised to be fundamentally honest and to

treat people with respect. And there are times

where that first impression turns out to be