Obama Thanks Artist for Capturing Michelle’s ‘Hotness’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT SKORSON And ░░░░░░░░ that please join me ░░░░░░░░ inviting president Barack Obama ░░░░░░░░ unveil the portrait Applause ░░░░░░░░ OBAMA Good morning everybody ░░░░░░░░ is wonderful to see ░░░░░░░░ of you How about ░░░░░░░░ Laughter Pres Obama That ░░░░░░░░ pretty sharp It is ░░░░░░░░ great honor to be ░░░░░░░░ I want to thank ░░░░░░░░ secretary and Kim for ░░░░░░░░ outstanding leadership the crown ░░░░░░░░ of American life and ░░░░░░░░ extraordinary stewardship I want ░░░░░░░░ thank everybody who was ░░░░░░░░ Michelle and I are ░░░░░░░░ grateful for the friends ░░░░░░░░ family and former staff ░░░░░░░░ current staff who have ░░░░░░░░ the time to be ░░░░░░░░ and honor us in ░░░░░░░░ way and soak in ░░░░░░░░ extraordinary art that we ░░░░░░░░ seeing here It means ░░░░░░░░ much to us and ░░░░░░░░ hope you are aware ░░░░░░░░ that We miss you ░░░░░░░░ Laughter Pres Obama We ░░░░░░░░ you guys and we ░░░░░░░░ the ways those who ░░░░░░░░ with us on this ░░░░░░░░ journey carried your selves ░░░░░░░░ worked so hard to ░░░░░░░░ this country a better ░░░░░░░░ Amy I want to ░░░░░░░░ you for spectacularly capturing ░░░░░░░░ grace and beauty and ░░░░░░░░ and charm and hotness ░░░░░░░░ the woman I love ░░░░░░░░ Pres Obama A special ░░░░░░░░ out to my man ░░░░░░░░ Biden Applause Pres Obama ░░░░░░░░ even more special sound ░░░░░░░░ shout out to my ░░░░░░░░ in law Applause Pres ░░░░░░░░ Who in addition to ░░░░░░░░ the hotness genes Laughter ░░░░░░░░ Obama Also has been ░░░░░░░░ an extraordinary rock and ░░░░░░░░ stone for our family ░░░░░░░░ we are so grateful ░░░░░░░░ her Applause Pres Obama ░░░░░░░░ Michelle I have never ░░░░░░░░ a portrait done of ░░░░░░░░ The hope poster was ░░░░░░░░ but I did not ░░░░░░░░ for it Nobody in ░░░░░░░░ family tree as far ░░░░░░░░ I can tell had ░░░░░░░░ portrait done I do ░░░░░░░░ my high school yearbook ░░░░░░░░ Laughter Pres Obama Which ░░░░░░░░ no great shakes When ░░░░░░░░ heard that this was ░░░░░░░░ of the tradition I ░░░░░░░░ not quite know what ░░░░░░░░ do Michelle and I ░░░░░░░░ somewhat confused We were ░░░░░░░░ to have some extraordinary ░░░░░░░░ and people with exam ░░░░░░░░ exquisite taste who gave ░░░░░░░░ the assist and helped ░░░░░░░░ to consider a whole ░░░░░░░░ of artists We had ░░░░░░░░ immediate connection with the ░░░░░░░░ that are sitting here ░░░░░░░░ I think it is ░░░░░░░░ to say that and ░░░░░░░░ bonded maybe not in ░░░░░░░░ same way the whole ░░░░░░░░ sister thing Laughter Pres ░░░░░░░░ We should can s ░░░░░░░░ shook hands He and ░░░░░░░░ make different decisions What ░░░░░░░░ did find was that ░░░░░░░░ had certain things in ░░░░░░░░ Both of us had ░░░░░░░░ mothers who raised us ░░░░░░░░ extraordinary love and support ░░░░░░░░ of us who had ░░░░░░░░ fathers who had been ░░░░░░░░ for many it for ░░░░░░░░ of our lives In ░░░░░░░░ ways our journeys involved ░░░░░░░░ for them and figuring ░░░░░░░░ what that meant I ░░░░░░░░ up writing about that ░░░░░░░░ and channeling it into ░░░░░░░░ work I did because ░░░░░░░░ cannot paint Laughter Pres ░░░░░░░░ I m sure that ░░░░░░░░ journey reflects those feelings ░░░░░░░░ his art What I ░░░░░░░░ always struck by whenever ░░░░░░░░ saw his portraits was ░░░░░░░░ degree to which they ░░░░░░░░ our conventional views of ░░░░░░░░ and privilege And the ░░░░░░░░ that he would take ░░░░░░░░ care and precision and ░░░░░░░░ in recognizing the beauty ░░░░░░░░ the grace and the ░░░░░░░░ of people who are ░░░░░░░░ often invisible in our ░░░░░░░░ And put them on ░░░░░░░░ grand stage on a ░░░░░░░░ scale Force us to ░░░░░░░░ and see them in ░░░░░░░░ that so often they ░░░░░░░░ not People that Michelle ░░░░░░░░ to people in our ░░░░░░░░ who helped build this ░░░░░░░░ who helped build this ░░░░░░░░ people who to this ░░░░░░░░ are making sure that ░░░░░░░░ place is clean at ░░░░░░░░ and serving food and ░░░░░░░░ out the garbage and ░░░░░░░░ all the other stuff ░░░░░░░░ makes this country work ░░░░░░░░ often out of sight ░░░░░░░░ out of mind He ░░░░░░░░ them up and gave ░░░░░░░░ a platform and said ░░░░░░░░ belonged at the center ░░░░░░░░ American life That was ░░░░░░░░ that moved me deeply ░░░░░░░░ in my small way ░░░░░░░░ is part of what ░░░░░░░░ believe politics should be ░░░░░░░░ not simply celebrating the ░░░░░░░░ and the mighty expecting ░░░░░░░░ the country unfolds from ░░░░░░░░ top down but that ░░░░░░░░ comes from the bottom ░░░░░░░░ Applause Pres Obama Families ░░░░░░░░ across America who are ░░░░░░░░ hard and doing their ░░░░░░░░ and passing on wisdom ░░░░░░░░ resilience and stories to ░░░░░░░░ children in the hopes ░░░░░░░░ their lives will be ░░░░░░░░ little bit better I ░░░░░░░░ excited about working with ░░░░░░░░ Let s face it ░░░░░░░░ was working at a ░░░░░░░░ because his subject was ░░░░░░░░ becoming Not as fly ░░░░░░░░ Pres Obama I want ░░░░░░░░ say that Michelle always ░░░░░░░░ to joke I am ░░░░░░░░ somebody who is a ░░░░░░░░ subject I don t ░░░░░░░░ posing I get impatient ░░░░░░░░ look at my watch ░░░░░░░░ of those pictures must ░░░░░░░░ worked why is this ░░░░░░░░ so long It is ░░░░░░░░ torturous trying to just ░░░░░░░░ a picture of me ░░░░░░░░ less paint a portrait ░░░░░░░░ will say that working ░░░░░░░░ him was a great ░░░░░░░░ He and his team ░░░░░░░░ it easy In the ░░░░░░░░ of care to hear ░░░░░░░░ I thought about it ░░░░░░░░ doing exactly what he ░░░░░░░░ to do Laughter Pres ░░░░░░░░ There were a number ░░░░░░░░ issues that we were ░░░░░░░░ to negotiate I tried ░░░░░░░░ negotiate less gray hair ░░░░░░░░ kehinde s artistic integrity ░░░░░░░░ allow him to do ░░░░░░░░ I asked I tried ░░░░░░░░ negotiate smaller ears Struck ░░░░░░░░ on that as well ░░░░░░░░ the one area where ░░░░░░░░ were some concessions was ░░░░░░░░ I said before kehinde ░░░░░░░░ takes ordinary people and ░░░░░░░░ them puts them up ░░░░░░░░ puts them in these ░░░░░░░░ elaborate settings His initial ░░░░░░░░ was also to elevate ░░░░░░░░ and put me in ░░░░░░░░ settings with partridges and ░░░░░░░░ Laughter Pres Obama Thrones ░░░░░░░░ robes Laughter Pres Obama ░░░░░░░░ me on horses Laughter ░░░░░░░░ Obama I had to ░░░░░░░░ that I have enough ░░░░░░░░ problems without you making ░░░░░░░░ look like Napoleon We ░░░░░░░░ to bring it down ░░░░░░░░ touch Laughter Pres Obama ░░░░░░░░ that s what he ░░░░░░░░ It is hard to ░░░░░░░░ something that is a ░░░░░░░░ of you What I ░░░░░░░░ say unequivocally is I ░░░░░░░░ inawe of I am ░░░░░░░░ awe of kehinde s ░░░░░░░░ Gifts We are both ░░░░░░░░ grateful to have been ░░░░░░░░ subject of their attention ░░░░░░░░ this brief moment.
[Applause]