Ronald Reagan: Remarks at the Swearing-In Ceremony for Members of the White House Staff

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Remarks at the Swearing-In Ceremony for Members of the White House Staff
January 21, 1981

Ronald Reagan
1981

Location:

District of Columbia
Washington

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I want you to know that I don't expect every morning to be greeted by the Marine Band. [Laughter]

I've just come down from breakfast. I'm happy to see you all here. I see a lot of faces of staff. They're staff of the gubernatorial period in Sacramento, and some of the faces are from the 1976 campaign staff, some from the 1980 staff. But now I'm happy, and I hope that they all are; we see the faces of the White House staff.

And I spoke yesterday about what we faced and what we had to do—the renewal of the American spirit. And I used a number of times the word "we," and I want to reemphasize that, because that's the only way I know how to do it. We are a team. We're going to act as a team.

Now, a word about loyalty. I've had reason to learn from almost everyone here on this staff their great capacity for personal loyalty where I'm concerned. I'm deeply grateful for that, but we have a new kind of loyalty now.

Our loyalty must be only to this Nation and to the people that we represent. I've often said the only people in Washington who represent all the people are those, basically, that are found here, because we're beholden to no district, beholden to no particular section or State. And that loyalty is going to be translated in the judgments we make.

Every judgment will be made on the basis that no one's going to be seeking office ever again. Now, I don't say that we won't seek office ever again, but the decisions will be made on what is good for the people, what is right as against what is wrong, and with no political consideration entering in or even being discussed. And I'm sure that I can count on everyone here to do that.

I'm delighted to see so many of the families and friends that are here, also, for this swearing-in ceremony. And now I'm going to step back from the microphone and let the ceremony take place.

Note: The President spoke at 9:27 a.m. in the East Room at the White House.

Following the President's remarks, Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger swore in the members of the White House staff

Citation: John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters, The American Presidency Project [online]. Santa Barbara, CA. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=43568.

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