LIVE: Biden Delivers Remarks at Celebration of the 2024 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams

Please welcome the President of the United States, accompanied by Olympian Tori Husk, Ying and Jim Husk, Paralympian Paul Schulte, and Adrena Castro. Please welcome the President of the United States, accompanied by Olympian Tori Husk, Distinguished guests, please rise, if able, for the singing of our National Anthem by musician First Class Rayvon Owen from the United States Navy Band. Please welcome Ying and Jim Husk, parents of Olympian Tori Husk. Thank you, President Biden, for hosting us today and for your continuous support of Team USA. My wife, Ying, and I were absolutely honored to be here to speak to you today, to represent the parents of all these amazing athletes. As you know, none of them made it today to where they are without the help of others. As they say, it takes a village. Each athlete here today is here because contributions others made, sometimes small and sometimes big acts of kindness, which have helped support them and helped them to achieve their dream of making Team USA. In sports, where years of training come down to a single decisive moment, a hundredth of a second, a small difference is made by the contributions others have made. And we want to thank all those who have supported our Paralympians and our Olympic athletes for what they've done. Thank you so much. Only in America can a fourth-generation Polish-American meet and marry a first-generation Chinese immigrant and live the American dream through and because of their daughter. In Tokyo, we watched as our daughter missed the podium by one one-hundredth of a second, only to come back three years later and redeem herself in Paris by winning multiple medals and representing our great country. And the thing is, ours is but one of many stories of these Paralympic athletes and these Olympic athletes where we can say, only in America. Now, it is our honor to introduce our daughter, Tori Husk, who won five medals at the Paris Olympics, including three gold, and was part of two world-record relay teams. Please welcome our daughter, Tori Husk. Thank you, Dad, and hello, everyone. On behalf of Team USA, thank you, President Biden, for opening your home to my family and the entire Team USA family. It is so exciting to have us all here, especially since this is the first time we've truly come together as the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Class of 2024. Today, we celebrate everything that we accomplished this summer. At the Olympics, we topped the medal chart for the eighth consecutive games with 126 medals. Our Paralympic teammates brought home an incredible 105 medals. Each medal is a testament to our hard work, determination, and grit. Behind each of these moments of greatness are years of sacrifice. Beyond the medals, so many personal bests were achieved and iconic performances etched into our history. There's a reason that we're known as the best country in the world, and we not only have the medal count to back that up, but each of us has a story of how we fought to get here. As amazing as this is, the Olympics and Paralympics are so much more than each of our individual accomplishments. Everyone talks about how the Olympics and Paralympics foster peace and international solidarity, and it's true. They unite countries in the spirit of competition. They also inspire others, and that is what each of us did this summer. With each competition, we represented not only the flag and its people, but we upheld the legacy that is the United States. I am now honored to introduce another young athlete making a difference in our community, Adrena Castro. There you go. Can you guys hear me now? All right. Thank you, Tori. It's an honor and a privilege to be speaking here today to some of the greatest athletes in the world and the greatest country in the world. All of us individually overcame obstacles through hard work and dedication, but we don't do it alone. Whether it was our family, coaches, teammates, or fans, it takes a community to accomplish great things. Growing up with a disability can be a very isolating and lonely experience. I believe if we take the same approach as a community, then we can change the perception of disability and change the world for the better. My sister Mia is my hero. Growing up, we did everything together, and we always dreamed of competing in the Olympics together. All that changed when I was 7 and I had my second spine surgery. Over those next two years, I had multiple surgeries, and I never thought I'd play sports again. But Mia wouldn't let me give up on myself. She encouraged me to try wheelchair basketball, and that saved my life. It has given me a new dream of playing basketball in college, pursuing a degree in disability law, and representing Team USA at the LA 2028 Paralympics alongside my sister. Wheelchair basketball has given me many role models. Paul Schulte is a legend in the game. He's your favorite player's favorite player. This spring, I represented Team USA at the Rocky Mountain Cup, and there I was able to witness Paul's greatness firsthand. Paul has quickly become one of my favorite players too. So please join me in welcoming Paul Schulte. Thank you. And Adrena, thank you for that introduction. What an impressive young woman you are. I see incredible athletes behind us who are just like you once, and you belong here among us. Mr. President, thank you for continuing this tradition of welcoming Olympians and Paralympians to the White House. We heard your cheers, and we felt your support in France. Your kindness and support helped us pursue our dream of representing the United States with excellence on the world stage. We express our gratitude to God, our families, friends, and loved ones for their unwavering support that brought us to secret tiers you didn't see. We love you. We also thank our coaches and the staff of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Their meticulous work ensures our security, our preparation, and our well-being. Among this year's Team USA are men and women who served in our nation's armed forces. They do not seek special acknowledgment, but we admire them all the more for their character. Thank you. Having the heart of an Olympian or Paralympian means persistent gratitude for our country, making sacrifices, and facing adversity, those seen and unseen. Each of us here has faced challenges so strong that no one that knew us would have blamed us for backing down or choosing the easy path. But we chose to rise above, expelling feelings of defeat, and striving for something greater. These qualities are really what being an American is all about, aren't they? We hope that the performances of Team USA inspired you and our country as we locked arms and competed, we felt the power of unity. Our success is your success. It is now my great honor to introduce our president, President Joe Biden. Hello, hello, hello. If I didn't say this, my dad would have come down from heaven. You know what? Please excuse my back while I'm speaking. I apologize. Folks, hello, Team USA. You got a few fans out there in the South Lawn. Yeah, let's hear you. Let's hear the South Lawn. Paul, thank you for the introduction. You got it, kid. You got it. And Paul, for your incredible courage. Adriana, thank you. I doubt you'll be representing Team USA one day as well. I think it's going to happen. Paul, along with Tori, thank you for representing your fellow Olympians and Paralympians. Tori, let me say, this is not my house. This is your house. That's the God's truth. Team USA's house. I'm just a temporary resident. It's only a couple months left. But thank you to all your family and friends who support these incredible athletes. Tori's dad said it best. Only in America. Only in America do we believe anything's possible. I spent close to 100 hours along with Xi Jinping in China. He asked me when I was in the Tibetan Plateau with him. When I was vice president, he said, can you define America for me? It's the God's truth. I said, yes, in one word. He looked at me and said, possibilities. We're the only nation that thinks anything is possible when we set our mind to do it. That's what all of you embody. On behalf of the entire nation and thousands of fans here today, thank you. Thank you for representing the very best of America. Because I'm president, and I cause commotion when I go places, they wouldn't let me go to the Olympics. Well, I watched it all. Jill, my wife, went to the Olympics. Guess what? I was supposed to be introducing at the inauguration of the president of Mexico, who is a fine woman. I'm going to be seeing her shortly. But I said, I'm staying here and meeting you guys. She is going to represent the United States. She's in Mexico. She was able to say hi to many of you this morning before you left. I said, where were you this morning? I'm looking for you. She said, I was out saying hello to the Olympians. As you know, she led the U.S. delegation to Paris. All she did when she came back home, I mean this from the bottom of my heart, was talk about how amazing you all are. Talk about the amazing resilience, the courage, and the commitment, and you're loyal to one another. My staff would have their TVs on watching you as I was trying to get briefed on national security. But in fairness, I had the TV on in the Oval Office as well. We felt so much pride. And I'm honored to welcome 400 athletes from Team USA today here at the Capitol. Part of a nation so vast, so diverse, and so talented. It's like no other country on Earth. 230 total medals won at this year's Olympic and Paralympic Games to finish atop of overall medal count, period. When you competed, it wasn't just you in the spotlight. You represent all the people who sacrificed for you, as was mentioned earlier, just as you sacrificed yourself. Early hours, long days, intense training, sometimes overcoming extreme disappointment. For many of you, you hold down multiple jobs to fund your dreams. By the way, we need to do more to support all of our Team USA athletes. Your parents, your caretakers, and 28 of you have also worn a uniform representing our country and one of our armed forces. As your commander-in-chief, I say thank you for your service, wherever the hell you are. We owe you. That's not hyperbole. We owe you. Yes, you've sacrificed. But you look at, you have to look at who you lift up. Your families wept with joy, filled with pride. Your hometowns honor you. And to your fellow Americans, most of whom have never known. You've never known. You've become their heroes, their heroes. How many students, how many parents talk to their kids who are having difficulty and say, you can do this. You can overcome anything. I think we underestimate how much you do, what incentives you provide for people. You know, they see you and they begin to believe in themselves. And by the way, I told her when she's President of the United States. And they say, Joe Biden's in the waiting room. She promised me she won't say Joe who. But if this was your first time at the games or the peak of a distinguished career, your legacy is one of discipline, success, joy, and loyalty to one another. And that legacy is part of something bigger than yourself. It's about your country, the greatest sports nation in the history of the world. In the next few years, we get to showcase to the world from our own backyard. The World Cup in 2026, hosted by the United States of America. The Los Angeles Summer Games in 28. I won't be President. They can't stop me from going there then. That'll include distinctly American sports for the first time. Flag football, lacrosse, and making a return, baseball and softball. And the Salt Lake City Winter Games of 2034. It matters. Let me close with this. Last May, I awarded the nation's highest honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to the late Jim Thorpe. The whole Vermont, my grandfather, Ambrose Finnegan, was an All-American in college in Santa Clara, and he would all talk sports all the time in Scranton. He always talked about Jim Thorpe. I mean it, sincerely. And why? Why we didn't pay enough attention. Why we didn't honor one of the greatest athletes in American history. The first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal. World record settler in the decathlon. World-class football, baseball, and basketball player. Put simply, the greatest ever. And his legacy wasn't just cemented by example of his power, but by the power of his example. He overcame vile racism and shameful bigotry, and he broke barriers. Just like his given name, Bright Pat. That was his name, Bright Pat. He led a way for future generations. And now it's your turn. Your turn to take the torch from those before you, to run the race to the fullest, and then pass the torch to those who follow. I know something about that. Look, folks. Kamal and I had a wonderful time leading you in that delegation. We know the power of sports to empower and bring us together. There's nothing like the simple truth that's already been stated only in America. It's a great honor to represent our nation and to hear those letters, U-S-A. U-S-A. I mean it. Folks, I've never been more optimistic about our future, and I mean that. We just have to remember who the hell we are. We're the United States of America. And I mean this from the bottom of my heart. There's nothing we can't do when we do it together. Nothing. God bless you all. May God protect our troops. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you've done. Please welcome Olympic flag-bearer Nick Meade and Paralympic flag-bearers Steve Serio and Nikki Nieves to present a gift on behalf of Team USA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Athletes, please remain in place for a group photo with the president. Thank you. ♪♪♪