Timeline of The Presidency of Barack Obama (2009) - July

July

• July 1 – President Obama holds an online townhall meeting to discuss health care reform. Obama is joined by Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett.

• July 2 – The President meets in the Roosevelt Room with leaders of companies that are creating jobs. The President also delivers remarks about innovation and jobs in the White House Rose Garden.

• July 4 – The White House celebrates Independence Day and honors military heroes and their families with a barbecue on the South Lawn. The celebrations conclude with fireworks on the White House grounds and at the Washington Memorial.

• July 6 – The President and First Lady Obama arrive in Moscow to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, to discuss diplomatic progress in regards to nuclear weapons, as well as the situation in Afghanistan. Obama also speaks at the graduation ceremony of the New Economic School in Moscow.

• July 7 – President Obama meets with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, in a continuous attempt to restructure the U.S.–Russian relationship. Obama also meets with former President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev in Gostinny Dvor, Russia.

• July 8 – President Obama meets with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano at the Quirinal Palace in Rome. The President then attends the first day of the G-8 Summit in L'Aquila, Italy, and tours the quake zone that was struck in April, 2009.

• July 9 – President Barack Obama attends the second day of the G-8 Summit, and holds a bilateral meeting with President Lula da Silva of Brazil. He also attends a working dinner hosted by Italian President Napolitano later that day.

• July 10 – On the final day of the G-8 Summit, President Obama meets with South African president Jacob Zuma, Obama also visits Pope Benedict XVI in Vatican City. The President then heads to Ghana in Africa, his first visit to any sub-saharan African nation since he was elected president.

• July 11 – Obama gives a speech about Africa's hardships in regards to disease, as well as prospects for Africa's future, to the Ghanaian Parliament in Accra, Ghana. The President also speaks at a "departure ceremony" at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, along with the President of Ghana John Atta Mills.

• July 13 – The President nominates Dr. Regina Benjamin for the position of United States Surgeon General, noting her experience as a medical doctor in Alabama, and her multiple rebuildings of her office after natural disasters, in selecting her for the office.

• July 14 – Obama meets with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Jan Peter Balkenende in the Oval Office. Obama then speaks at Macomb Community College, and proposes a $12 billion effort to help two-year institutions to "train more people for the jobs of the future." Obama also throws the first pitch at baseball's annual All-Star Game at Busch Stadium.

• July 15 – A milestone is achieved when a Senate committee approves a plan to revamp the U.S. health care system. The Senate confirmed Obama's nominations of retired astronaut Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden as administrator of NASA and Lori Garver as the assistant administrator.

• July 16 – President Barack Obama gives a speech in New York City at the NAACP's 100th anniversary celebration.

• July 17 – President Obama gives a speech on healthcare reform, to help to pass a national healthcare bill in the Congress, and address concerns over a government run healthcare program.

• July 20 – The President meets with the Apollo 11 crew, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, in the Oval Office on the 40th Anniversary of the lunar landing.

• July 21 – The President and First Lady host an event celebrating country music, with performers Charley Pride, Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss and Union Station.

• July 22 – The President holds a primetime news conference to address concerns over the healthcare bill in Congress. Obama also comments on the arrest of Henry Louis Gates, and the actions of the police in arresting Gates. Obama also meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the Oval Office, and hold a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden.

• July 23 – President Obama travels to Cleveland, Ohio to tour the Cleveland Clinic, as well as deliver further remarks about healthcare reform.

• July 27 – Obama and Chinese leaders Wang Qishan, Chinese Vice Premier, and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo, attend the U.S.–China Strategic and Economic Dialogue held in Washington, D.C.

• July 29 – President Barack Obama holds a townhall meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina.

• July 30 – President Obama and Vice President Biden hold a "beer summit" at the White House with Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates and the arresting officer Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambride Police Department, in order to address the issue of race in America and discuss the arrest of Gates in his Massachusetts home on July 16, 2009. Obama also discusses remarks he had made during his news conference on July 22, in which he stated that the police department had "acted stupidly" in arresting Gates.

• July 30 – President Obama and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines meet in the Oval Office of the Whitehouse. The 2 leaders talk about the strong relationship between the Philippines and USA. They also discuss terrorism in the Southern Philippines and environmental issues. President Arroyo is the first Asian Leader to attend discussions at the White House during Obama's Presidency.