President Barack Obama joined other the United States officials lamenting the passing of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher this morning. In particular, Mr. Obama touted both Ms. Thatcher’s humble upbringing and her status as one of the world’s “great champions of freedom and liberty.”
“With the passing of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, the world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty, and America has lost a true friend,” Mr. Obama said in a statement. “As a grocer’s daughter who rose to become Britain’s first female prime minister, she stands as an example to our daughters that there is no glass ceiling that can’t be shattered. As prime minister, she helped restore the confidence and pride that has always been the hallmark of Britain at its best.”
Mr. Obama also praised her alliance with former President Ronald Reagan during the contentious Cold War period of American history, adding that Americans can learn from her legacy “as we carry on the work to which she dedicated her life—free peoples standing together, determined to write our own destiny.”
“And as an unapologetic supporter of our transatlantic alliance, she knew that with strength and resolve we could win the Cold War and extend freedom’s promise,” the president said. “Here in America, many of us will never forget her standing shoulder to shoulder with President Reagan, reminding the world that we are not simply carried along by the currents of history—we can shape them with moral conviction, unyielding courage and iron will.”