Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2022

July 4, 2022

The President. Hey, everybody. Welcome to the White House. It's like this every weekend, you know, we just have several thousand people.

Look, I want to welcome you all to the White House and tell you how happy we are you're able to be here. And what a day to celebrate and to celebrate with all of you.

Now I'm going to turn it over to the boss.

The First Lady. Thanks, Joe. So, you know what? I think Andy Grammer should do just one more. What do you guys think?

Will you do it, Andy? Will you come back up? Yes! Yes, come on back up. Okay he's coming. He's coming.

Audience members. "Fine by Me"! "Fine by Me"! "Fine by Me"! Musician Andy Grammer. When Jill asks you to stay, you stay. This one is called "Give Love."

[*At this point, Mr. Grammer performed the song "Give Love."*]

The First Lady. Let's give it up for Andy Grammer! Thank you. Oh my God, you're so great. [Laughter] Honestly.

Joe, you're great too. [*Laughter*]

So sharing this evening with you has really just been so special for me and for Joe and for all the Biden family. I can't thank you all enough for your support, especially our military families. Can we give it up for our military families?

And speaking of that, I want to say thank you to our military band and all their members.

Honestly, they're incredible, aren't they? And still to come is White Ford Bronco.

So are you ready for the fireworks? [*Laughter*]

Okay, so God bless you all. Thank you for coming. Happy Fourth of July. And here's our President.

The President. And she still hangs out with me. [Laughter]

Shooting in Highland Park, Illinois

Hey, guys, one serious note: You know, theâthere was a shooter, as you well know, in Highland Park, in Chicago. And they haveâI talked to the Governor and to the mayor. We're giving all the help we can possibly give, including FBI and special service.

At any rate, they've identified the individual. They haven't stated the name, and I'm not going to do that now either. But they're trying to find him. And six people have passed, and others are wounded.

But we've got a lot more work to do. We've got to get this under control. We've got to get this under control.

But having said that, I just wanted to keepâjust a slight moment of silence for all those families.

[*A moment of silence was observed.*]

Folks, look, weâit's been a great day, and the fireworks haven't even started yet. And so we're looking forward to having you all enjoy the rest of the evening. And when you head home, head home safely. Head home safely.

And as aâI used to have a grandpop, every time I walked out of his house in Scranton, he'd say, "Joey, keep the faith." And my grandmother would yell, "No, Joey, spread it." Let's spread the faith, folks.

Thank you all so very, very much. Thanks. Andââ *The First Lady. *God bless America. God bless America. *The President. *Okay, andââ

The First Lady. God bless America. Thank you.

The President. And God protect our troops. Thank you.

NOTE: The President spoke at 7:30 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Jay R. "J.B." Pritzker of Illinois; Mayor Nancy R. Rotering of Highland Park, IL; and Katherine Goldstein, Irina McCarthy, Kevin McCarthy, Jacquelyn Sundheim, Stephen Straus, and Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, who were killed in the shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, IL. The transcript was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on July 5.

Categories: Addresses and Remarks : Independence Day celebration. Locations: Washington, DC.

Names: Biden, Jill T.; Goldstein, Katherine; Grammer, Andy; McCarthy, Irina; McCarthy, Kevin; Pritzker, Jay R. "J.B."; Rotering, Nancy R.; Straus, Stephen; Sundheim, Jacquelyn; Toledo- Zaragoza, Nicolas.

Subjects: Holidays and special observances : Independence Day; Illinois : Governor; Illinois : Shooting in Highland Park.

DCPD Number: DCPD202200586.