Here Are the Very Best Bits from President Obama’s Emotional Farewell Speech

In a touching acknowledgement, Mr. Obama directly addressed his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama.

Ten days before passing the baton to Donald Trump, President Obama warned of “threats to democracy” and said citizens must be more engaged to prevent America’s peril.

Obama leaves the White House with an approval rating of around 55 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. “For every two steps forward, it often feels we take one step back” he said.

But when Mr Obama noted the imminence of that change and the crowd began booing, he responded, “No, no, no, no, no”, saying one of the nation’s great strengths “is the peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next”.

The president will publicly needle his successor to back away from changes to existing U.S. policy that Trump forcefully campaigned on such as his border wall with Mexico.

Nevertheless, during his speech Mr Obama carried out what seemed like a point-by-point rebuttal of Mr Trump’s vision for America. He teared up later in his farewell address while thanking his wife for being a “role model” to a new generation, and said the thing he was most proud of was being a father to his two daughters.

The likelihood of war increases and freedoms are threatened, Sasha Obama said, “if the scope of freedom and respect for the rule of law shrinks around the world”.

He said America is exceptional, not because it was not flawless from the start but because they have shown the capacity to change and make life better for others. “And you made it on your own with grace and with grit and with style and good humor”. The president also will give a final defense of his administration’s changes to the health care system, the report said.

During a widely-praised speech in his hometown of Chicago, Obama conceded that talk of a “post-racial America” was “never realistic” during his Presidency, but also shone a spotlight on his proudest moments since being elected in 2008. He added that she has made him and the country proud.

“Malia and Sasha, under the strangest of circumstances, you have become two incredible young women, smart and attractive, but more importantly, kind and thoughtful and full of passion”, Obama said. If you do follow photographer Pete Souza on Instagram, then you probably get as much joy as we do from his candid behind-the-scenes pics of President Obama and the First Family. They inspired millions of young Americans, including a future president, to rise above narrow self interest.

“I hope you’ll join me in Chicago as the President speaks about all we’ve accomplished”, the vice president said via Twitter Tuesday afternoon.

Teary eyed Obama during his Farewell Speech in Chicago on Tuesday.