A New Beginning hand" to those "who cling to power through corruption and deceit" if they "are willing to unclench" their fists. Obama attempted to reach out to Arab leaders by granting his first interview to an Arab cable TV network, Al Arabiya. On 19 March 2009, Obama continued his outreach to the Muslim world, releasing a New Year's video message to the people and government of Iran. This attempt at outreach was rebuffed by the Iranian leadership. President Obama's first trip to a Muslim majority country occurred on 6–7 April 2009 when he visited Turkey and spoke to the Grand National Assembly.
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