美國總統(tǒng)奧巴馬23日在出席“克林頓全球倡議”年會時開玩笑稱,紐約居民總是抱怨交通擁堵,但自己卻感覺很暢通。此外,他表示欠希拉里許多人情,更提出如果克林頓女兒切爾西臨產(chǎn),將獻出總統(tǒng)車隊開路。
紐約司機很厭惡奧巴馬來訪,因為每次奧巴馬出行時,紐約警方就不得不封鎖沿途街道為總統(tǒng)車隊開路,有時候時間還很長,使紐約最繁忙的道路成“停車場”。
奧巴馬表示“欠希拉里很多人情”,因為希拉里在任期間曾環(huán)球旅行95.6733萬英里,這讓克林頓夫婦少了許多團聚的時間。
為感謝克林頓的“友誼和領導”,奧巴馬為克林頓待產(chǎn)的女兒切爾西準備了一份“厚禮”。奧巴馬說:“如果切爾西在我演說時準備分娩,她可以用我的車隊開路。”
President Barack Obama joked today during a New York speech that he doesn't seem to have the traffic problems the city's residents are always complaining about.
'It's actually pretty smooth for me during the week,' Obama said, after playfully arguing that everyone in New York 'hypes' the traffic.
'I don't know what the problem is,' he told attendees of the Clinton Global Initiative's annual meeting. 'I haven't noticed.'
Obama started off the bit by saying he told CGI namesake and former US president Bill Clinton backstage that if his daughter Chelsea went into labor while he was speaking 'she has my motorcade and will be able to navigate traffic.'
The president was seemingly unaware of how intensely New York drivers despise his visits and the traffic jams they cause around the city.
Every time the president travels to New York police have to close streets along his motorcade's route, sometimes for long stretches of time, turning the city's busiest roadways into parking lots.
The already busy streets were even more jam-packed this week as the United Nations convened for a climate change summit and a General Assembly meeting.
Per usual, New Yorkers took out their outrage over the gridlock caused by Obama's motorcade on twitter.
'GO HOME OBAMA NO ONE WANTS THIS TRAFFIC,' twitter user Rebecca Plaine said.
'Thank you Obama for causing all this bulls*** traffic in NYC,' a user named Ramirez tweeted.
'Pres and Lady Obama we love you guys but please leave NY ASAP! This traffic is unbearable!' user Rachel Johnson begged.
First Lady Michelle Obama accompanied the president to New York this afternoon, and the first couple will remain there through Thursday.
After learning that Obama had mocked their travel problems, residents of New York and the surrounding area were even more irate.
'I know multiple folks who missed flights today because of him. File Under: No laughing matter,' twitter user @lisaedlisa said.
Obama was preceded at today's CGI conference by actor and Water.org co-founder Matt Damon, who spoke about the clean water initiatives.
'Always wonderful to follow Matt Damon,' the president jested moments after his traffic wisecrack.
'I saw people trickling out after he was done.
'These are the hardcore policy people who decided to stay for me,' he teased.
President Obama is in the Big Apple this week for a series of events, including today's UN meeting, where he prodded the global community to cut carbon emissions, and the Clinton Foundation gathering.
There he promoted the administration's new Stand with Civil Society program and advocated for the strengthening of civil society abroad.
This evening the president will attend a Democratic Party fundraiser. Obama will again give remarks to the UN on Wednesday and Thursday before returning to Washington, D.C. on Thursday evening.
Obama: ‘I still have a lot of debt to pay’ to Hillary Clinton
President Obama said Tuesday "one of the best decisions" he made in office "was to ask Hillary Clinton to serve as our nation’s secretary of state."
"I’ll always be grateful for her extraordinary leadership representing our nation around the world," he said at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. “And I still have a lot of debt to pay" to his former secretary of state because her frenetic schedule -- the State Department said she traveled 956,733 miles in the position -- kept the Clintons apart.
"Hillary put in a lot of miles during her tenure as secretary of state. She has the post-administration glow right now," Obama said. "She looks much more rested."
Of course, with the 2016 race just around the corner, that may be a temporary condition.
Obama thanked Bill Clinton for his "friendship and leadership" -- and offered something in return.
There may be no presidential perk more envied -- at least by gridlock-plagued New Yorkers -- than the official motorcade. When you're commander-in-chief, forget traffic -- you don't have to worry about traffic lights, either.
And so Obama offered a very pregnant Chelsea Clinton a lift to the hospital should she go into labor during his remarks. "I was just discussing with President Clinton that if Chelsea begins delivery while I'm speaking, she has my motorcade and will be able to navigate traffic," Obama said. "Because actually, it's pretty smooth for me during the week. I don't know what the problem is. Everybody hypes the traffic, but I haven't noticed."
(來源:中國日報網(wǎng)愛新聞iNews 編輯:丹妮)