Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2023

July 4, 2023

The First Lady. Wow! Weren't they great?

Hello, everyone, and welcome to July Fourth at the White House! Joe and Iâcome on, Joe. [*Laughter*]

Joe and I are so grateful to be here with all of you. And can we get another round of applause for DJ D-Nice? And how about our national anthem singer, Becca Rae Greene? And of course, the Brothers Osborne. And then we have the amazing "President's Own" military band.

The President. Hey!

The First Lady. To our wonderful military families joining us: Each and every day, your service and sacrifice ensures our Nation's freedom. Thank you. Thank you.

Now, before we get to our final performerââ [*At this point, the President pointed to himself.*]

ââI'd like to introduceâ[*laughter*]âour Commander in Chief, President Joe Biden.

The President. Hey, everybody! Welcome to your house, the White House. We're just renting. [Laughter]

Hey, thank you all so very, very much for being here. You know, it's amazingâI'm going to be very short. It's amazingâamazingâwhat a difference music makes.

No, no, I really mean it. Think about it. Think how music can change moods. And music can make us feel better. It's just incredible. And I thought we had some great, great entertainment here tonight.

The First Lady. Yes.

Audience member. Biden 2024! [Laughter]

The President. Well, now you're making music to my ears. [Laughter] Anyway, welcome to the South Lawn.

Now, look, the fireworks are going to start at 9:09. Now, how the hell they come up with 9:09, I'm not sure. [*Laughter*] But 9:09.

[*The President gestured toward an audience member.*] How are you, kiddo?

Anyway, so I hope you'll all stay for the fireworks. And look, it really matters. It really matters, you showing your support for the military on a day like today. You know, it's an incredible opportunity we have.

And we areâwe areâwe are the leading nation in the world. The rest of the world looks to us. And they look at this. So I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening.

I'm going to spare you: I'm not even going to try to sing. [*Laughter*] I'm not going to try to dance. I'm not going to try to even move. [*Laughter*]

But, folks, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. You're great Americans.

Today is America's day! America's day! Go get 'em!

The First Lady. And here's Ne-Yo!

The President. Where is he? [Laughter] I don't know, man. I want to say hi to him. [Laughter]

You trying to get me off the stage? You're afraid I'm going to try to sing, aren't you? [*Laughter*]

Thanks a lot, guys. Appreciate it.

NOTE: The President spoke at approximately 8:05 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White House. 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.

Subjects: Independence Day; U.S. servicemembers, service and dedication.

DCPD Number: DCPD202300599.