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.
Quote #4
SOLDIER: It seems they're getting a signal. Old Morse code. It's from the Americans. They want to organize a counteroffensive!
SOLDIER 2: It's about bloody time! What do they plan to do?
To avoid detection over the airwaves, the U.S. sends out plans for a counteroffensive all over the world using Morse code. From the "It's about bloody time!" we can guess that the rest of the world has been waiting for the U.S. to take the lead in the anti-alien efforts.
Quote #5
PRESIDENT: Perhaps it's fate that today is the Fourth of July. And you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression or persecution, but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live. To exist. And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice, "We will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight. We're going to live on! We're going to survive!" Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!
The President is ready to make July 4th everyone's holiday, if they're successful against the aliens. That sounds pretty inclusive and all embracing, but let's be real—it's also about emphasizing an image of America as a courageous leader in fighting off tyranny. Even alien tyranny.