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Harvey Weinstein and wife Georgina Chapman played host to President Obama on Monday, as the couple opened their West Village town home to a slew of VIP donors.
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel were among the guests seated near Weinstein, according to a pool report, as the POTUS discussed recent American tragedies in Boston and West, Texas, as well as his own legacy.
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Commenting on the “strength,” “courage” and “resolve” that emerges from American people in the wake of tragedy, Obama said: “What do we need to do to make sure that that same spirit is reflected in our politics and our government?
“It’s there every day for people to see. It doesn’t matter whether people are Democrats or Republicans or independents. If you go into schools, you go to Little League games, you talk to people at the workplace — everybody has the same sense that we live in the greatest country on earth, that we’ve gone through some tough times, but we’re resilient and we can overcome whatever challenges are thrown at us,” he said. “And there’s a desire to get outside of the constant squabbling and bickering and positioning and gamesmanship and get to the business of figuring out how do we make sure that the next generation does better than this generation. ”
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Of his second term in office, Obama said: “You start thinking about the history … the three-and-a-half I’ve got is not a lot, so I’ve got to make sure that I use everything I’ve got to make as much of a difference as I can.”
Obama praised the nation’s progress in economic recovery and clean energy production but said that its education system and climate change still need to be addressed.
Also on hand for the private event were fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger and White House staffers including Dan Pfeiffer, Jay Carney and Patrick Gaspard.
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