US President Donald Trump on Monday hosted and spoke at the Greek Independence Day reception annually hosted at the White House, where he welcomed distinguished Greek Americans and guests from Greece – a day before the March 25 commemoration.
Tuesday, March 25, marks the 204th anniversary of the beginning of the Greek War of Independence against dour Ottoman rule, a titanic struggle that lasted for eight years.
Before an enthusiastic audience, the 47th President of the United States signed the now customary American proclamation honoring the anniversary of the Greek Revolution.
A gift by Elpidophoros
In his initial comments before presenting the US President, the Archbishop of America, His Eminence Elpidophoros, on behalf of the Greek American community, first congratulated Donald Trump for his election victory.
“We all look forward to a bright future for all Americans,” the Archbishop said, while adding: “…we are all humbled by the prestige of this celebration… Mr. President, we are very grateful to you for your support of Greece, and your support for the cause of justice in Cyprus… you remind me of the great Roman Emperor Constantine the Great”. At that point Elpidophoros presented Donald Trump with a large Cross adorned in the Orthodox Christian tradition.
In response, the US President said “…I didn’t know that was going to happen, but I’ll take it”.
Evangelos Marinakis a guest of Donald Trump
Among the guests invited to the celebration was the founder and CEO of Capital Maritime & Trading Corp., Evangelos Marinakis, one of the few distinguished businessmen invited to the White House for the occasion.
Marinakis will be the honorary grand marshal of the annual March 25th Greek Independence Day parade down Fifth Avenue in New York City, which will take place this year on Sunday.
Evangelos Marinakis, center, with John Georges, left, and former US ambassador to Greece, George J. Tsunis.
We love the Greeks and their hard work of the United States
“The legacy of the Greeks is all around us. It surrounds us,” Trump said before signing the proclamation, one “celebrating 204 years of glorious Greek sovereignty and freedom…Perhaps the greatest gift we have inherited from this amazing culture is our incredible Greek-American community, now more than three million strong,” he added.
The US President told the audience that “we missed four years, unfortunately, bad things happen, a lot of bad things happen and the world wasn’t doing so well for four years… we have things (now) happening with our country that are incredible… we’re doing well, and the Greeks are doing well.”
Guilfoyle: Trump will fight for US, Greek economy
Kimberly Guilfoyle, President Trump’s ambassador-designate to Greece, also spoke at the ceremony, taking the stage after the US President, where she noted it representing the United States in Athens will be “the honor and privilege of a lifetime…to serve a country that I love so much, that is so close to my heart.” A Senate confirmation process for Guilfoyle is pending.
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
“We celebrate and cherish our rich history and our enduring bond between the United States and Greece,” Guilfoyle said, while emphasizing that Trump “will fight for religious freedom and liberty and for the enduring alliance between Greece and the United States.”
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Greek PM’s son also in attendance
The number of guests for Monday’s Greek Independence Day celebration were 450, including the son of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Konstantinos, an undergraduate student in the D.C. metro area. The younger Mitsotakis shook hands with Donald Trump during the event.
Among the top Greek-American lawmakers in attendance was Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-Fl), who earned Trump’s kudos as a “good friend” who’s doing very well, as he said, while another distinguished Greek-American called out by the President was New York businessman John A. Catsimatidis. Both the ambassadors of Greece and Cyprus to the United States were present.
Source: Tovima.com
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