Obama was joined by First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill, who the president described as “family” in an emotional finale to his speech.
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The White House will stream the speech live on its website and on its official Facebook page.
“Democracy is only as good as the civic engagement of the people”, said Valerie Jarrett, the president’s longtime advisor and family friend.
“You believe in a fair, just, inclusive America; you know that constant change has been America’s hallmark, something not to fear but to embrace, and you are willing to carry this hard work of democracy forward”, Obama said.
‘You wore the burden of years in the spotlight so easily. He then had one request of USA citizens, “whether you are young or whether you are young at heart”. In a touching video released by The White House, he said: “The two things I take away from this office are, number one, that change can happen”.
President-elect Donald Trump will take office on Friday, January 20.
However he admitted that more needs to be done to help make relationships between different groups of people in America stronger – as the country still suffers from racial prejudice. “Yes, we did. Yes, we can”.
Barack Obama only had to say the word “Michelle” to have the crowd on its feet, giving the first lady a standing ovation.
Obama’s farewell speech will be taking place at 9pm E.S.T on Tuesday – which will be 2am on Wednesday morning in the UK. “We just went, “Hold on a second-we’ve got to give ourselves a moment to think about this record and about how it relates to what’s going on in the world”.
Westworld star Jeffrey Wright had a more critical approach to the President’s farewell speech, saying he did not “agree with Obama on all things (he pumped brakes on some issues for optics)” and that the President was not ideal, but thanked him nonetheless.
Steve Bernas, president of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois, warned against buying tickets to the farewell speech on online marketplaces. Emotional Obama comforts and encourages us in farewell speech ” Malia and Sasha, under the strangest of circumstances, you have become two fantastic young women.
“Our resistance must be grounded in hope and in the power of possibility in a future not yet determined and the wisdom of our ancestors and sacred texts”, McBride said.
‘You’ve made me proud, and you’ve made the country proud’.
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“A new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model”, he said.
