President Obama spoke on Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial, arriving in a motorcade at 2:35 p.m. (EST).
Ryan Grim reports from the White House pool:
POTUS bounded up the Lincoln Memorial steps before a cheering crowd, shaking hands with tourists atop the monument. “Hi everybody,” POTUS said. “I just wanted to say, real quick, that because Congress was able to settle its differences, that's why this place is open today and everybody’s able to enjoy their visit. And that's the kind of future cooperation I hope we have going forward. Because this is what America is all about: Everybody from different places enjoying those things that bind us together. It is wonderful to spend time with you guys, I hope you have a great time.”
He descended slowly, shaking hands along the way, ignoring questions from the pool about the budget deal. POTUS was casually dressed in gray chinos and a black zip-up looking jacket.
The motorcade arrived back at the White House before 3:00 p.m. Riding with POTUS was Eric Whitaker, a longtime Chicago friend and golf companion of POTUS, and Marvin Nicholson, White House trip director and fellow golfer.
WATCH:
Video footage provided by Ryan Grim.