"Happy 250th birthday to the United States of America. Happy birthday to the greatest story that freedom has ever written. We are a nation committed to a simple and powerful idea that we are forever striving to become a more perfect union. And this 4th of July, we do not shy away from the flaws, the tragedies, the mistakes, even the sins of our past. We're Americans. We own up to them. And that's part of what's so important about today's milestone. We have never faced greater challenges or headwinds as a nation. And what gives me a whole lot of hope today is that this 250 year old story began when freedom loving people who believed in the power of coming together to govern themselves. And so today, let's pick up that torch and keep working for the more perfect union that our constitution promises."