Yesterday, the White House was filled with Greek flags and Greek banknotes at the annual Greek Independence Day Reception, which was duly celebrated in the presence of Archbishop Elpidophoros (who was received with head of state honors), leading members of the diaspora, friends and supporters of Hellenism in the US. This special honor to celebrate the National Anniversary is reserved only for the Greek and Irish communities in America and is always a first class opportunity for Greek Americans to get a message across to America’s leadership. In addition, three years have passed since, due to the pandemic and the visit of Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the Congress, the reception did not take place. So it made sense that there should have been a very warm atmosphere, which culminated when Tom Hanks’ Greek-born wife, actress Rita Wilson, took the microphone and sang Stamatis Kokota’s big hit to Joe Biden: “Just brackets, in a way I couldn’t imagine how I will be for you. It was all an illusion and my heart will die. For the sake of an unworthy heart, I sacrificed myself”, causing delight among the audience.

President Biden spoke warmly of both Greek ideals, shared values, and the support he has received from Greek Americans at every stage of his political career since deciding to become a citizen of Delaware at a young age. He added about the relationship between the two countries: “To put it simply, Greece and the United States as allies, partners and friends, we prove again and again that we are not just the heirs of democracy, we are its champions.” In good spirits, he even turned to the side of Senator Robert Menendez, who fought for us in many battles, saying, “We have a gentleman sitting there who I think must be Greek,” referring to the American support for our country for the Tempe accident.

For his part, the Archbishop of America did not hesitate to thank President Biden for his many years of support. He also expressed gratitude for the firm support of the purely spiritual mission of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which he described as a mission of love, peace and hope: “I thank you for your love for Greece and Cyprus and for Hellenism, wherever it may be. Thank you for your belief in an international order based on rules. We are with you, Mr. President, just as the heroes of 1821 were inspired by the heroes of 1776. Mr. Elpidoforos concluded by thanking President Biden for the US assistance to Ukraine.