Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration Palestinians. Obama's gesture in reaching out to the Muslim world was unprecedented for a U.S. president. President Obama's first trip to a Muslim majority country occurred on April 6–7, 2009 when he visited Turkey and spoke to the Grand National Assembly. President Obama addressed the Muslim world in a speech in Cairo, Egypt on June 4, 2009. In that speech President Obama issued a call for "a new beginning" in the relationship between the United States and Muslims around the world. He outlined his ideas about "engaging the Muslim world" and how to create "a new beginning." Farah Pandith was
President Barack Obama (painting) to the president's late Kenyan father)." Reacting to the unveiling of his portrait Obama said: "How about that? That's pretty sharp", "The Washington Post" described the painting as "not what you'd expect and that's why it's great". Together with Amy Sherald's portrait of Michelle Obama, the paintings were first exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery on February 12, 2018. Both portraits mark the first time two African-American artists were commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery. The unveiling of the portrait led to thousands of visitors lined up at the entrance, along with a 311 percent increase in visitors compared with