President
Barack Obama
Remarks
in
the
Announcement of Denis McDonough to be Chief of Staff
East
Room
The
White House
January
25,
2013
[White House Transcript]
12:13 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Good
afternoon, everybody, and welcome to the announcement of one of the
worst kept secrets in Washington. (Laughter.)
As President, I rely
on an extraordinary team of men and women here at the White House every
single day. And I rely on my Chief of Staff to keep up with them
--
and our entire government -- making sure that we're
all moving in the same direction, making sure that my priorities are
being carried out and that our policies are consistent with the
commitments that I've made to the American people, and that we're
delivering progress to the American people.
As I said earlier this
month, I could not be more grateful to Jack Lew for his amazing
service, first as our OMB Director, then at the State Department, and
ultimately as my Chief of Staff.
As he prepares for his
confirmation hearings and the challenge of leading our Treasury
Department, I am pleased to announce my next Chief of Staff, and a
great friend to me and everybody who works here at the White
House -- Mr. Denis McDonough. (Applause.)
I have been counting
on Denis for nearly a decade -- since I first came to Washington, when
he helped set up my Senate office. Along with Pete Rouse, he was able
to show me where the restrooms were and -- (laughter)
-- how you passed a bill. I should point out that even then Denis
had
gray hair. (Laughter.) I've been trying to catch up to
him. But at
that time, I relied on his intellect and his good judgment, and that
has continued ever since. He’s been one of my
closest and most trusted advisors -- on my presidential campaign, on my
transition team.
He has been an
indispensable member of my national security team as well. Denis
has
played a key role in every major national security decision of my
presidency -- from ending the war in Iraq to winding down the
war in Afghanistan; from our response to natural disasters around the
world like Haiti and the tsunami in Japan to the repeal of "don't ask,
don't tell," to countless crises in between, day and night -- and that
includes many nights. I’ve actually begun to
think that Denis likes pulling all-nighters. (Laughter.)
The truth is
nobody out-works Denis McDonough.
And part of the reason
you saw such warmth of applause is that, in addition to being an
incredible talent and such a hard worker, Denis is also a pretty humble
guy. To so many of his friends and admirers, he’s
still just the “dude” from Stillwater, Minnesota.
(Laughter.) And
given his humility, I don't think people always appreciate the breadth
of his experience and the range of his talents. And it’s
precisely
because of that intellect, that experience, his dedication,
his determination, that I wanted Denis in this job.
As a veteran of
Capitol Hill, where he was mentored by the likes of Lee Hamilton and
Tom Daschle, Denis understands the importance of reaching across the
aisle to deliver results for the American people -- whether
it’s on jobs and the economy, health care or education, reducing the
deficit or addressing climate change.
Denis is respected by
leaders across our government. Add it all up, and I think he’s
spent
most of the past four years leading interagency meetings -- hearing
people out, listening to them, forging consensus, and
then making sure that our policies are implemented and that everybody
is held accountable. And he always holds himself accountable
first and
foremost. And it’s no easy task, but through it all, Denis does
it
with class and integrity and thoughtfulness for
other people's point of views. He is the consummate public
servant.
He plays it straight. And that’s the kind of teamwork that I want
in
the White House.
Time and again, I’ve
relied on Denis to help in our outreach to the American people as well,
including immigrant and minority communities and faith
communities.
Denis is a man of deep faith, and he understands
that in the end, our policies and our programs are measured in the
concrete differences that they make in the lives of our fellow human
beings and in the values that we advance as Americans.
Denis insists on
knowing, for himself, the real-world impact of the decisions that we
make. So, away from the cameras, without a lot of fanfare, he’s
visited our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan repeatedly, hearing
their concerns, finding out what they need and then making sure to
follow up. He travels to Walter Reed, again, without fanfare, to
spend
time with our wounded warriors, getting to know them and what we as a
nation can do to take care of them and their families.
And then he comes back here to the White House and he gets it
done.
And that’s the focus but also the kind of heart that I want in this
White House.
Now, don’t get me
wrong, Denis can be tough. It probably comes from being one of 11
children -- you've got to be tough. (Laughter.) Two of his
sisters
are here today, by the way -- Mary and Anna. And I know
they could -- they're just beaming. (Laughter.) They could
not be
more proud of their brother. Maybe it comes from his college
football
days as a defensive back under the legendary John Gagliardi. I
always
tease Denis that he made up for modest talents
with extraordinary dedication and a high threshold for pain.
(Laughter.) This does remind me of perhaps the one topic on which
Denis and I will never agree, and that is Vikings vs. Bears.
There’s another reason
we all love Denis so much, and that’s his decency; his respect for
those around him. Ask any of the staff who are here today and
they’ll
tell you that despite the unbelievable pressures of
service at this level, Denis is still the first to think about a
colleague, or to write a handwritten note saying thank you, or to ask
about your family. That’s the spirit that I want in this White
House.
And this, of course, is reflected in his incredible love for his own
family. Kari
,
Addie, Liam, Teddy -- I know that Dad has been at work a lot during the
week and on weekends, but --
and I guarantee he’d much rather be with you than with me -- (laughter)
-- the next job that he’s going to have is going to be demanding, too,
but the one reason he does this is because he wants to make sure that
this world is a better place for all of you.
Dad will probably have to stop riding his bike to work.
(Laughter.)
As Chief of Staff I don’t think that’s allowed. (Laughter.)
But he
does what he does because he cares and loves you guys so much and he
wants to make sure that the next generation is inheriting
the kind of America that we all want. So I’m grateful to the
entire
McDonough family for putting up with us.
Denis, you’re not just
one of my closest friends, but you’re also one of my closest advisors,
and like everybody here I cannot imagine the White House without
you.
Thank you for signing up for this very, very difficult
job, as Jack Lew will testify. (Laughter.) I know you’ll
always give
it to me straight, as only a friend can -- telling me not only what I
want to hear, but more importantly what I need to hear to make the best
possible decisions on behalf of the American
people.
So for me, for
Michelle, for all your friends and colleagues who are here today, thank
you for taking this assignment. Congratulations.
(Applause.)
I just have one other thing to add. We
made
a number of personnel announcements today. There is going to be
an
incredible team that Denis will help lead. But I thought I’d take
the
occasion to just embarrass somebody. Some of you
may know that today is David Plouffe’s last day in the White
House.
(Laughter.) I had to hide this in the end of my remarks because I
knew
he wouldn’t want me to bring it up. So we had some secret
squirrel
stuff going on here to -- (laughter) -- avoid him
thinking that we were going to talk about him.
But as many of you
know, David has been with me from the very start of this enterprise
running for President. I can’t tell you how lucky I have been to
have
him manage our campaign back in 2008, then join the White
House during these very challenging last two years. He’s built a
well-deserved reputation as being a numbers genius and a pretty tough
combatant when it comes to politics. But what people don’t always
realize -- because he doesn’t like to show it -- is the
reason he does this stuff is because he cares deeply about
people. And
he cares about justice, and he cares about making sure that everybody
gets a shot in life. And those values have motivated him to do
incredible things, and were it not for him, we would
not have been as effective a White House and I probably wouldn’t be
here.
So I thought it was worthwhile for us just to
say -- even if he doesn’t want us to say it -- thank you to David
Plouffe. (Applause.)
Thank you, everybody.
END
12:24 P.M. EST