Obama: When I Called Alan Gross, I Had to Interrupt His Eating a ‘Corn Beef Sandwich’

"His family worried he might not be able to make it out alive, but he never gave up, and we never gave up. As I explained earlier, after our many months of discussion with the Cuban government, Alan was finally released this morning on humanitarian grounds.  I spoke to him on his flight. He said he was willing to interrupt his corn beef sandwich to talk to me. (Laughter)

I told him he had mustard in his mustache. I couldn’t actually see it. But needless to say, he was thrilled. And he landed at Andrews in a plane marked 'The United States of America.' He’s going to be getting the medical attention that he needs. He’s back where he belongs, in America, with his family, home for Hanukkah. And I can’t think of a better way to mark this holiday, with its message that freedom is possible, than with the historic changes that I announced today in our Cuba policy." (Applause)