The President:
Hello, everybody!
(applause)
Welcome to the White House!
(applause)
It is an understatement to
say this was one hot ticket.
(laughter)
The last time I
went to Hamilton,
I didn't even get
to see the show.
They just let me come on
stage and talk after the
curtain fell.
So, feeling a little
deprived --
(laughter)
-- we invited the cast to
perform today because we
wanted to share this
incredible musical with
folks who might otherwise
not get the experience.
And I want to thank them so
much, the show's producers,
for helping to bring
Hamilton to the White House.
(applause)
Now, the truth is, though,
they do owe me --
(laughter)
-- because seven years ago,
Lin-Manuel Miranda came to
the White House Poetry Jam,
and he took the mic and he
announced that he and his
musical collaborator,
Alex Lacamoire --
(applause)
-- that they were going
to perform a song from a
hip-hop album they were
working on -- and I'm
quoting him, "about the life
of somebody who embodies
hip-hop -- Treasury
Secretary Alexander Hamilton."
(laughter)
And so we all
started laughing,
but Lin-Manuel was serious.
And who's laughing now?
(laughter)
Having said that, not
to take undue credit or
anything, but this is
definitely "the room where
it happened, right here.
This is it right
here, on this stage.
(applause)
Obviously, since that time,
Hamilton has become a
phenomenon, a smash hit.
It's taken
Broadway by storm,
captivating the
entire country,
winning tons of awards,
turned musical haters into
diehard fans.
(laughter)
It has become a favorite
in the Obama household.
Mrs. Obama: Woo hoo!
The President: That was
the First Lady hooting.
(laughter)
Was that Grandma who did it?
(laughter)
In fact, Hamilton I'm pretty
sure is the only thing that
Dick Cheney and I agree on.
(laughter)
Now, I'm trying not to
get carried away when my
Secretary of Health and
Human Services challenged me
to a rap battle.
I had to draw the line.
(laughter)
But this show brings
unlikely folks together.
And, Lin-Manuel, if you have
any ideas about a show about
Congress, for example --
(laughter and applause)
-- now is your chance.
We can use the help.
There is a reason why this
has become
a cultural phenomenon.
In Ron Chernow's
extraordinary biography of
Alexander Hamilton -- and a
great historian is here on
the front row.
(applause)
Lin-Manuel picked up this
biography at the airport for
some light beach
reading --
(laughter)
But he identified a
quintessentially American story.
In the character of Hamilton
-- a striving immigrant who
escaped poverty, made his
way to the New World,
climbed to the top by sheer
force of will and pluck and
determination -- Lin-Manuel
saw something of his own
family, and every
immigrant family.
And in the Hamilton
that Lin-Manuel and his
incredible cast and crew
bring to life -- a man who
is "just like his
country, young, scrappy,
and hungry" -- we recognize
the improbable story of
America, and the spirit that
has sustained our nation for
over 240 years.
And in this telling, rap is
the language of revolution.
Hip-hop is the backbeat.
In each brilliantly
crafted song,
we hear the debates
that shaped our nation,
and we hear the debates
that are still
shaping our nation.
We feel the fierce, youthful
energy that animated the men
and women of
Hamilton's generation.
And with a cast as diverse
as America itself,
including the outstandingly
talented women --
(applause)
-- the show reminds us that
this nation was built by
more than just a few great
men -- and that it is an
inheritance that
belongs to all of us.
And that's why Michelle
and I wanted to bring this
performance to
the White House.
Because Hamilton is not just
for people who can score a
ticket to a pricey
Broadway show.
It is a story for all of
us, and about all of us.
And so we are absolutely
thrilled that the show's
producers have been working
with the New York Public
Schools, the
Rockefeller Foundation,
the Gilder Lehrman Institute
to make sure that thousands
of low-income students have
the chance to see the show.
There's now a curriculum to
give students context and a
deeper meaning -- or deeper
understanding of our
nation's founding.
Today, Michelle hosted a
workshop for a group of area
high school students with
some of the cast members.
I understand these young
people put on some pretty
terrific performances
of their own.
(applause)
Look at this brother --
he's like, "all right,
thank you."
(laughter)
That's good.
I mean, you've got
to have confidence.
(laughter)
What did Malia and Sasha say
the other day -- you got to
be your own number-one fan.
(laughter)
He's obviously
internalized that.
(laughter)
We did have one
rule, which is,
no dueling on the
nice furniture.
Some of which is antique.
(laughter)
But the real heroes are the
extraordinary educators and
counselors and community
members who pour their heart
into their students and make
learning come alive every
single day.
So I want to give
all those educators,
counselors and community
members a big round of
applause for what you've
given to our students.
(applause)
We hope that this helps
every teacher who's spent
hours trying to make
the Federalist Papers teenager-friendly.
(laughter)
We hope that the remarkable
life of Alexander Hamilton
will show our young people
the possibilities within
themselves, and how much
they can achieve in the span
of a lifetime.
And we hope that they'll
walk away with an
understanding of what our
founders got started -- that
it was just a start.
It was just the beginning.
That's what makes
America so great.
You finish the story.
We're not yet finished.
This is a constant work
in progress, America.
We're boisterous
and we're diverse.
We're full of energy and
perpetually young in spirit.
We are the project
that never ends.
We make mistakes.
We have our foibles.
But ultimately, when
every voice is heard,
we overcome them.
It's not the project
of any one person.
America is what
we make of it.
And we only need to look at
this cast -- performing in
front of George and Martha
-- to know that our founders
could not have dreamt -- I
think it's fair to say that
our founders couldn't have
dreamt up the future that
they set in motion.
And it's only by exercising
their greatest gift to us --
the gift of citizenship --
that we keep our democracy
alive, and continue the
work of creating that more
perfect union.
So, with that,
let's get started.
Enjoy the show.
(applause)
