The following is a

timeline A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale represen ...

of the presidency of Barack Obama, from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2012. For his time as

president-elect An ''officer-elect'' is a person who has been elected to a position but has not yet been installed. Notably, a president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a ''president-elect'' (e.g. president-elect of the Unit ...

, see the

presidential transition of Barack Obama The presidential transition of Barack Obama began when he won the United States presidential election on November 4, 2008, and became the president-elect. Obama was formally elected by the Electoral College on December 15, 2008. The results ...

; for a detailed account of his first months in office, see

first 100 days of Barack Obama's presidency The first 100 days of Barack Obama's presidency began on January 20, 2009, the day Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States. The first 100 days of a presidential term took on symbolic significance during Franklin D ...

; for a complete itinerary of his travels, see

list of presidential trips made by Barack Obama The following articles cover the presidential trips made by Barack Obama while he was President of the United States: * List of international presidential trips made by Barack Obama * List of presidential trips made by Barack Obama (2009) * List of ...

January

* January 4 – The President appoints

Richard Cordray Richard Adams Cordray (born May 3, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the COO of Federal Student Aid in the United States Department of Education. He served as the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFP ...

as director of the

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is an agency of the United States government responsible for consumer protection in the financial sector. CFPB's jurisdiction includes banks, credit unions, securities firms, payday lenders, mo ...

despite earlier Senate opposition. In a similar move, President Obama appoints three new members to the

National Labor Relations Board The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States with responsibilities for enforcing U.S. labor law in relation to collective bargaining and unfair labor practices. Under the Na ...

. * January 9 – President Obama announces that

Jacob Lew Jacob Joseph Lew (born August 29, 1955) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 76th United States Secretary of the Treasury from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he also served as the 25th White House Chief of S ...

will replace

William M. Daley William Michael Daley (born August 8, 1948) is an American lawyer, politician and former banker. He served as White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama, from January 2011 to January 2012. He also served as U.S. Secretary of Commer ...

as White House Chief of Staff. * January 13 – The President requests that Congress reinstate presidential consolidation authority which would give the office power to consolidate federal agencies. * January 18 – The President rejects a proposed extension of the

Keystone Pipeline The Keystone Pipeline System is an oil pipeline system in Canada and the United States, commissioned in 2010 and owned by TC Energy and as of 31 March 2020 the Government of Alberta. It runs from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in Alber ...

. * January 24 – President Obama delivers his annual

State of the Union Address The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current conditi ...

before a

joint session of Congress A joint session of the United States Congress is a gathering of members of the two chambers of the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Joint sessions can be held on ...

. * January 25–27 – President Obama travels to five states to encourage support for his economic proposals. * January 27 – President Obama meets with former President George H. W. Bush and his son, former Florida Governor,

Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Bush, who grew up in Houston, was the second son of former President George H. W. Bush ...

, at the White House. * January 28 – The President attends the annual Alfalfa Club dinner.

February

* February 2 – President Obama speaks at the

National Prayer Breakfast The National Prayer Breakfast is a yearly event held in Washington, D.C., usually on the first Thursday in February. The founder of this event was Abraham Vereide. The event—which is actually a series of meetings, luncheons, and dinners—has ...

. * February 6 – The President signs an

executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of t ...

aimed at freezing the assets of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian government and financial institutions. * February 13 – President Obama unveils his spending request for the 2013 federal budget. * February 14 – The President meets with Chinese Vice President

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, ...

at the White House to improve relations, promote stability and discuss breaches of human rights. * February 23 – President Obama apologizes to Afghan President

Hamid Karzai Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...

for the burning of

Koran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...

s by

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

troops.

March

* March 8- After announcing that two months before that JPACC would go to North Korea in order to bring back the remains of US MIAS., the Obama administration announcing that JPACC would go to North Korea for Missing MIAS on March 8, 2012, * March 9 – The President announces his plan to establish the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. * March 13 – President Obama attends the first game of the

2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament involving 68 schools playing to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. The 74th edition of the tournament began on Marc ...

with visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron. Bilateral meetings were held earlier in the day. * March 19 – President Obama and Vice President Biden meet with Irish Prime Minister

Enda Kenny Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from ...

and attend a St. Patrick's Day luncheon and dinner. * March 21- Despite its announcement of March 8, 2012, the Obama administration then chose to pursue a policy of a suspension of relations with North Korea over the recovery of US servicemen killed and missing in North Korea. * March 25 – The President makes his first visit to the

Korean Demilitarized Zone The Korean Demilitarized Zone ( Korean: ; Hanbando Bimujang Jidae) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in ...

ahead of the

2012 Nuclear Security Summit The 2012 Nuclear Security Summit was a summit held at the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul, South Korea, on March 26 and 27, 2012.

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

. The President holds meetings with Prime Minister Erdoğan of Turkey and President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea. * March 26 – President Obama holds separate meetings with Prime Minister

Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...

of Kazakhstan, President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, President Hu Jintao of China and with Prime Minister

Yousaf Raza Gillani Yusuf Raza Gilani ( Urdu: ; born 9 June 1952), is a Pakistani politician who served as 18th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 25 March 2008, until his retroactive disqualification and ouster by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on 26 April 2012. ...

of Pakistan to discuss nuclear security, non-proliferation and disarmament. * March 26 – The President delivers remarks at

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (abbreviated as HUFS; Korean: 한국외국어대학교) is a private research university based in Seoul, in South Korea. HUFS consistently ranks as one of the best universities in South Korea. The university ...

about the spread of nuclear weapons.

April

* April 2 – The North American Leaders' Summit takes place. President Obama hosts Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada and President

Felipe Calderón Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa (; born 18 August 1962) is a Mexican politician who served as the 63rd president of Mexico from 1 December 2006 to 30 November 2012 and Secretary of Energy during the presidency of Vicente Fox between 2003 ...

of Mexico. * April 4 – President Obama signs the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (STOCK) into law. * April 5 – President Obama signs the

Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or JOBS Act, is a law intended to encourage funding of small businesses in the United States by easing many of the country's securities regulations. It passed with bipartisan support, and was signed int ...

(JOBS) into law. * April 6 – The President speaks at the White House Forum on Women and the Economy. * April 9 – President Obama meets with President

Dilma Rousseff Dilma Vana Rousseff (; born 14 December 1947) is a Brazilian economist and politician who served as the 36th president of Brazil, holding the position from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016. She is the first ...

of Brazil to discuss global economic growth. * April 13–15 – President Obama attends the

6th Summit of the Americas The sixth Summit of the Americas ( es, VI Cumbre de las Américas, links=no) was held at Cartagena, Colombia, on April 14–15, 2012. The central theme of the summit was "Connecting the Americas: Partners for Prosperity." The main issues at the sum ...

in Cartagena, Colombia. * April 19 – BCS National Football Champions University of

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...

are honored by President Obama at the White House. * April 23 –

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Men's basketball champion

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

are honored at the White House by President Obama. * April 30 – President Obama hosts bilateral meetings, a working lunch and press conference with Prime Minister

Yoshihiko Noda is a Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan from 2011 to 2012. He was a member of the Democratic Party, and a member of the House of Representatives (lower house) in the Diet (national legislature). He was named to succeed Naoto ...

of Japan.

May

* May 1 – President Obama makes a previously unannounced visit to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. * May 8 – The President delivers the keynote address at the Asian-Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS] 18th gala dinner. * May 9 – President Obama announces his support of

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

. * May 18 – President Obama hosts bilateral meetings, discussing French troop withdrawals from Afghanistan, with French President Francois Hollande prior to Camp David talks. * May 18–19 – The President hosts a meeting of the leaders of the G8 nations at Camp David. * May 31 – President Obama signs a bill re-authorizing the Export-Import Bank's charter and increasing the spending cap from $110B to $140B.; President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama invite former President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and former First Lady Laura Bush back to the White House for the unveiling of the latter's official White House portraits.

June

* June 8 – The President holds bilateral meetings with President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines and discusses security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. * June 8 – President Obama honors the XLVI Super Bowl champion New York Giants at the White House. * June 13 – President Obama presents the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...

to Israeli President Shimon Peres. * June 14 – The President and First Lady visit the

One World Trade Center One World Trade Center (also known as One World Trade, One WTC, and formerly Freedom Tower) is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Mer ...

construction site in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

before two campaign events in the city. * June 15 – President Obama explains his

Executive Order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of t ...

on Immigration ending U.S. deportations of young undocumented immigrants. * June 18–19 – The President attends the G20 summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, focusing on European financial troubles. * June 27 – The President lunches with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince

Mohammed bin Zayed Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ( ar, مُحَمّد بِن زَايد آل نَهيَان, Moḥamed bin Zāyed Āl Nahyān; born 11 March 1961), colloquially known by his initials as MBZ, is the third president of the United Arab Emirates ...

. * June 28 – President Obama speaks on health care reform and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from the White House after it is upheld by the Supreme Court.

July

* July 6 – President Obama signs the Surface Transportation Bill ( HR4348) bill into law. * July 23 – President Obama remarks at the 113th National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. * July 25 – President Obama speaks to the

National Urban League The National Urban League, formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for African Am ...

Convention in New Orleans, LA. * July 27 – The President signs the US-Israel Enhanced Security Co-operation Act in the Oval Office.

August

* August 6 – The President signs the Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 into law. * August 26 – President Obama speaks about

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Ex ...

preparations for tropical storm

Isaac Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was th ...

. * August 31 – President Obama talks to troops, service members and military families at the 1st Aviation Support Battalion hangar in El Paso, Texas.

September

* September 6 – President Obama delivers a speech at the Democratic National Convention in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. * September 11 – The President and First Lady participate in multiple 9/11 Memorial events throughout the day. * September 14 – The President honors members of the 2012 Summer Olympics as well as the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

at the White House. * September 18 – The President honors the WNBA champs Minnesota Lynx at the White House. * September 19 – President Obama presides at an Ambassador Credentials ceremony. * September 25 – President Obama speaks to the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

. * September 25 – President Obama makes remarks at the

Clinton Global Initiative The Clinton Foundation (founded in 2001 as the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, and renamed in 2013 as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation) is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code. It was es ...

October

* October 3 – President Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney participate in the first presidential debate at

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

on various domestic topics. The debate moderator was

Jim Lehrer James Charles Lehrer (; May 19, 1934 – January 23, 2020) was an American journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. Lehrer was the executive editor and a news anchor for the ''PBS NewsHour'' on PBS and was known for his role as a de ...

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

. *October 11 – Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan participate in the only vice presidential debate at

Centre College Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is a ...

in Danville, Kentucky. The debate was moderated by

Martha Raddatz Martha Raddatz (; born February 14, 1953) is an American reporter with ABC News. She is the network's Chief Global Affairs Correspondent reporting for ABC's '' World News Tonight with David Muir'', ''Nightline'', and other network broadcasts. In a ...

of ABC. * October 16 – President Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney participate in the second presidential debate at Hofstra University in

Hempstead, New York The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three towns in Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead and Oyster Bay) in the U.S. state of New York. It occupies the southwestern part of the county, on ...

on various domestic topics in a town hall format. The debate was moderated by

Candy Crowley Candy Alt Crowley (born December 26, 1948) is an American news anchor who was employed as CNN's chief political correspondent, specializing in American national and state elections. She was based in CNN's Washington, D.C. bureau and was the anc ...

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

. * October 22 – President Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney participate in the third and final presidential debate at

Lynn University Lynn University is a private university in Boca Raton, Florida. Founded in 1962, the university awards associate, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees. It is named for the Lynn family (Christine E. and Eugene M. Lynn). It has a total ...

in Boca Raton, Florida on various foreign policy topics. The debate was moderated by

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

News veteran

Bob Schieffer Bob Lloyd Schieffer (born February 25, 1937) is an American television journalist. He is known for his moderation of presidential debates, where he has been praised for his capability. Schieffer is one of the few journalists to have covered all f ...

. * October 25 – President Obama becomes the first sitting United States President to vote early in a presidential election. * October 31 – The President views

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

damage with New Jersey Governor Christie.

November

* November 6 – The

2012 United States presidential election The 2012 United States presidential election was the 57th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Joe Biden, were re-e ...

takes place. President Obama is re-elected, defeating the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

presidential nominee Mitt Romney. * November 6 – The Republican Party retains their majority in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and while the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

retains their majority in the Senate. * November 9 – President Obama accepts the resignation of

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

director

David Petraeus David Howell Petraeus (; born November 7, 1952) is a retired United States Army general and public official. He served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from September 6, 2011, until his resignation on November 9, 2012. Prior to ...

. * November 13 – President Obama and Vice President Biden meet with labor leaders for input on deficit reduction. * November 15 – The President visits the New York City area for a first-hand look at devastation from Hurricane Sandy. * November 16 – The President and Vice President meet with congressional leaders to discuss the impending "

fiscal cliff The United States fiscal cliff refers to the combined effect of several previously-enacted laws that came into effect simultaneously in January 2013, increasing taxes and decreasing spending. The Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, which had been e ...

". A separate meeting was held afterward with various civic leaders. * November 19 – The President begins his Far East trip with a visit to

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

where he met with Aung San Sui Kyi. Later, President Obama visits

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

and meets with Prime Minister

Hun Sen Hun Sen (; km, ហ៊ុន សែន, ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military commander who has served as the prime minister of Cambodia since 1985. He is the longest-serving head of government of Cambodia, and ...

. * November 22 – Two turkeys, Cobbler and Gobbler, are pardoned by the President. * November 27 – The President and the Vice President meet with President-elect

Enrique Peña Nieto Enrique Peña Nieto (; born 20 July 1966), commonly referred to by his initials EPN, is a Mexican politician who served as the 64th president of Mexico from 1 December 2012 to 30 November 2018. A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party ...

of Mexico. * November 29 – President Obama meets with Mitt Romney for lunch at the White House.

December

* December 3 – The President hosts a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov of

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

. * December 5 – President Obama speaks to the White House Tribal Nations Conference. * December 7 – The President signs the Child Protection Act of 2012 into law. * December 8 – President Obama and Vice President Biden attend the Army-Navy football game. * December 13 – The President and First Lady welcome friends and leaders of the Jewish community to the White House to celebrate the sixth day of

Hanukkah or English translation: 'Establishing' or 'Dedication' (of the Temple in Jerusalem) , nickname = , observedby = Jews , begins = 25 Kislev , ends = 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet , celebrations = Lighting candles each night. ...

. * December 14 – The President emotionally addresses the nation about the

Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, United States, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people. Twenty of the victims were children between six and seven years old, and t ...

and orders flags to be flown at

half-staff Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salu ...

at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

and other U.S. federal government facilities worldwide in respect for the victims. * December 16 – President Obama speaks at an

interfaith Interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions (i.e. "faiths") and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels. It is ...

vigil in Newtown, Connecticut, with relatives of the victims and with emergency personnel who responded to the

. * December 19 – President Obama is selected as ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' magazine's Person of the Year. * December 30 – President Obama signs into law a five-year extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

References

External links

Miller Center Obama Presidential Timeline