Grainger Advertisement / Event Host (29:13)
But never. The debt that America and all of Western civilization owes to the Greeks is ancient and eternal. And to this day, American soldiers plunge into combat, strengthened by the legends of Spartan warriors. American students still learn from the immortal wisdom of Socrates, the father of philosophy, who truly is. And Aristotle, the inventor of science. That's very good. It's good genetics you people have. And under the Trump administration, we're reaffirming a sacred Greek principle that goes all the way back to a rocky hillside in the heart of ancient Athens that only citizens can vote in our elections. See, they do it right. Oh, I love that, Michael. We're going to have to use that phrase a little bit more powerfully, but in Greece, that's what they believe. They've believed it for a long time. It makes a little sense called common sense, isn't it, really? Like so many Americans before us, the Trump administration is also drawing inspiration from the renowned Greek builders and engineers whose works have stood the test of time. Incredibly, too, instead of ugly boxes of brutal concrete, we're bringing back marble columns and restoring classical architecture to our nation's capital to make America beautiful again. We're doing something outside that the Greeks would be very proud of. We're building one of the most beautiful ballrooms anywhere in the world. And we have beautiful columns, and we have beautiful sculpture, and we have beautiful. And they said it couldn't be done in this modern day, but we have very talented people. It's. I call it latent talent. We have some really incredible talents, and they've been wanting a ballroom for 150 years. This is their ballroom. It's a very small room. This will serve for cocktails now, and we'll be able to do it right. But, you know, we used to when a dignitary came, like his eminence they'd have a tent on the lawn. And when it rained, you were in deep trouble because the water would gather under the tent. And it was not pretty when you would see the president of a major country or prime minister or somebody of great religious faith, where you had thousands of people and the water was over their shoes. It didn't. Well, it didn't play well for the women. It was not a good situation. So we're taking. And by the way, see that beautiful gold curtain behind that is a knockout panel. And when we do knockout that panel, it will be opened in about a year and a half, maybe less. A magnificent. I build on time, on budget. I build actually faster than time and under budget, unlike the Federal Reserve. And right there is going to be the entrance. It will be a beautiful, magnificent tunnel to the building. And it's going to be something that this they've wanted for. Other presidents have wanted this for literally 150, 50 years. We never had it in the White House. As all of you are aware, I spent my life as a builder in New York, and from my earliest days in that city, I have known and loved this incredible Greek American community and Greek architecture. I love Greek architecture. I actually like the community more than the architecture, I think that I can say, But I do love the architecture. But I love that community from Astoria. Oh, I like. I know more about his story than you want to know in Queens. To the famous Greek diners that are staples of every neighborhood. There's. Nobody has diners like the Greeks. Nobody. Nobody does it like. I don't know what it is. But New York would not be the same without the grit and the spirit of Greeks. 25 years ago, on September 11, 2001, the Greek community lost a storied institution in the 911 attacks. The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which all of you remember. I do. That sanctuary had stood for a long time. 155 Cedar street, over 100 years. And yet the south tower fell. It was totally destroyed. But thanks to the men and women of New York street community, the old church was rebuilt even bigger and better and more magnificent than the one before it. And this time, using marble taken from the same quarry used to construct the Parthenon, the church now stands as a house of prayer and national shrine for all of the visitors that sacred soil and ground zero. Oh, boy, what a day that was, right? What a terrible day that was. We're pleased to be joined by one of the Greek titans who helped to rebuild this thing. I got to introduce him again now. John Cassimatidis. And Margo. Much more importantly, Margo. I want to thank you, John. Now, he's really a friend of mine. The guy's great. He's a great guy. Very successful. And he's a nice person. A lot of people don't think so, but I know so. Okay. We're going to train them. We're going to train them, John. And he's above all, a great patriot. You really are, too. We appreciate it. As America celebrates. Good. As America celebrates our 250th anniversary this year, we're very excited. We also have the Olympics coming. And we also have the World cup coming. We remember that without the victory at Marathon, we might never have the victory at Yorktown. Without Athens, we might never have had the Philadelphia. Today, we remember our ancient heritage. We honor the origins of our Republic. We celebrate our cherished friendship with the Greeks. And we salute our Greek American patriots who are helping to make America great again. So it's an honor to be again with the Archbishop. And I'd like to ask Tim to say a few extremely short words because I am so late. You have no idea.
