Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
Washington, D.C.
Benjamin Franklin Room
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good afternoon. Welcome. Welcome back to the State Department for so many of you. Welcome to the Ben Franklin Room, newly refurbished. A lot went into this. And I think maybe a word about Ben Franklin before we get to today’s event.
As you all know, he was America’s first diplomat, ambassador to France, negotiated our first treaty, charted the Gulf Stream, pioneered el
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Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
Washington, D.C.
Press Briefing Room
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good afternoon, everyone. Good to see you all.
I suspect that most of you are looking forward to what will be a well-deserved break. It’s been quite a year.
When I walked into the State Department on my first day as Secretary, we had COVID-19 lockdowns around the world.
Less than 1 percent of the United States was vaccinated, compared to more than 60
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Topics: Climate and Environment, Countering Terrorism, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation