How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Independence Day.
Quote #1
PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. My fellow Americans, a historic and unprecedented event has occurred. The question of whether or not we're alone in the universe has been answered.
When the aliens show up, the President tries to take the reins and keep the country calm. Unfortunately, he fails.
Quote #2
NIMZIKI: I spoke to the Joint Chiefs when they arrived at NORAD. They agree we must launch a counter offensive with a full nuclear strike.
PRESIDENT: Over American soil? You're saying at this point we should sacrifice more innocent American civilians, is that right?
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Sir, if we don't strike soon, there may not be much of an America left to defend!
Even though this is a worldwide problem, the film focuses super heavily on the impact of the situation in the United States. We only see American landmarks destroyed, and the President's advisors primarily talk about strategy on the national—and not worldwide—level.
Quote #3
GENERAL GREY: As the former head of the CIA, you knew about this place. When were you planning on informing the rest of us?
NIMZIKI: It had been deemed classified.
GREY: You should have told us about this when they first arrived. You should have warned us before we launched a counterattack that cost the lives of hundreds of American pilots!
NIMZIKI: There's no way that we could have known that our fighters would have been that ineffective against their attackers!
General Grey's super annoyed that his Secretary of Defense didn't tell anyone about Area 51 after the aliens arrived, since any extra knowledge about the aliens and their technology is crucial at that moment. He talks about the impact on American soil/pilots…but really, this is a revelation that probably could have helped out the entire world it had been made earlier.