Barack Obama’s farewell speech: live coverage
A tearful Barack Obama warned the US faces a stern test of democracy, in a farewell speech that was both a goodbye and a call to arms.
OBAMA FAREWELL ADDRESS: Thank you for joining us for live coverage of Barack Obama’s farewell speech in Chicago, as he reflected on his eight years in the White House and the future of the country.
You can read a wrap-up of the speech HERE and the full text HERE.
How the day unfolded
2.30pm: Early verdicts
The Washington Post describes the address as ‘a remarkable pep talk on democracy’.
Chris Cillizza writes: “Time and again, Obama seemed to take on the role of reassurer-in-chief, insisting that history rarely moves in a straight line forward, that while the election of Donald Trump might seem anomalous it was really just a part of the broader march of progress.”
2.20pm: What now for Obama?
After returning to Washington, Obama will have less than two weeks before he accompanies Trump in the presidential limousine to the Capitol for the new president’s swearing-in. He then plans to take time off, write a book and become involved in a a Democratic redistricting campaign.
2.06pm:
Obama said all the right things better than anyone could as #potus, but not enough to unify a fragmenting America #obamafarewelladdress
— Adam Creighton (@Adam_Creighton) January 11, 2017
2.03pm: The full speech
You can read the full Obama speech, as prepared for deliver, HERE. Reaction and analysis coming up.
1.56pm: Land of hope and dreams
Michelle and Malia join the President on stage, followed by Joe Biden. The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, plays him out: The Land of Hope and Dreams, of course.
1.53pm: Obama’s final message
Barack Obama is leaving the stage looking to the future.
“I leave this stage tonight even more optimistic about this country than when we started. Because I know our work has not only helped so many Americans; it has inspired so many Americans - especially so many young people out there - to believe you can make a difference; to hitch your wagon to something bigger than yourselves.
“I do have one final ask of you as your President - the same thing I asked when you took a chance on me eight years ago. I am asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change - but in yours.
“I am asking you to hold fast to that faith written into our founding documents; that idea whispered by slaves and abolitionists; that spirit sung by immigrants and homesteaders and those who marched for justice; that creed reaffirmed by those who planted flags from foreign battlefields to the surface of the moon; a creed at the core of every American whose story is not yet written: Yes We Can. Yes We Did. Yes We Can.”
1.45pm: Standing ovation for Michelle
The President is now thanking his family and close supporters. Michelle Obama gets a huge standing ovation from the crowd. Barack Obama appears to take a time out to gather together his emotions before continuing.
“Michelle, for the past twenty-five years, you’ve been not only my wife and mother of my children, but my best friend. You took on a role you didn’t ask for and made it your own with grace and grit and style and good humour. You made the White House a place that belongs to everybody. And a new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model. You’ve made me proud. You’ve made the country proud.
“Malia and Sasha, under the strangest of circumstances, you have become two amazing young women, smart and beautiful, but more importantly, kind and thoughtful and full of passion.”
1.43pm: Obama’s final message
We are into the final few moments of Obama’s political career.
“Over the course of these eight years, I’ve seen the hopeful faces of young graduates and our newest military officers. I’ve mourned with grieving families searching for answers, and found grace in Charleston church. I’ve seen our scientists help a paralysed man regain his sense of touch, and our wounded warriors walk again. I’ve seen our doctors and volunteers rebuild after earthquakes and stop pandemics in their tracks. I’ve seen the youngest of children remind us of our obligations to care for refugees, to work in peace, and above all to look out for each other.
That faith I placed all those years ago, not far from here, in the power of ordinary Americans to bring about change - that faith has been rewarded in ways I couldn’t possibly have imagined. I hope yours has, too.”
1.37pm: Power to the people
“Our democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted. All of us, regardless of party, should throw ourselves into the task of rebuilding our democratic institutions.”
1.35pm:
Obama receives his biggest cheer of the night so far for this passage:
“Democracy can buckle when we give in to fear. So just as we, as citizens, must remain vigilant against external aggression, we must guard against a weakening of the values that make us who we are. That’s why, for the past eight years, I’ve worked to put the fight against terrorism on a firm legal footing. That’s why we’ve ended torture, worked to close Gitmo, and reform our laws governing surveillance to protect privacy and civil liberties. That’s why I reject discrimination against Muslim Americans.”
1.33pm: On Islamic State
no foreign terrorist organisation has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland these past eight years; and although Boston and Orlando remind us of how dangerous radicalisation can be, our law enforcement agencies are more effective and vigilant than ever. We’ve taken out tens of thousands of terrorists - including bin Laden. The global coalition we’re leading against ISIL has taken out their leaders, and taken away about half their territory. ISIL will be destroyed, and no one who threatens America will ever be safe.
1.31pm: On climate change
“Because s my mother used to tell me, reality has a way of catching up with you. Take the challenge of climate change. In just eight years, we’ve halved our dependence on foreign oil, doubled our renewable energy, and led the world to an agreement that has the promise to save this planet. But without bolder action, our children won’t have time to debate the existence of climate change; they’ll be busy dealing with its effects: environmental disasters, economic disruptions, and waves of climate refugees seeking sanctuary.”
1.28pm: The battle of ideas
“For too many of us it has become safer to retreat into our own bubbles, surrounded by people who look like us, never challenge our assumptions. Increasingly we become so secure in our bubble, we become so secure in our bubbles that we accept only information, whether true or not, that fits our opinions, instead of basing our opinions on the evidence that’s out there.
“This trend represents a third threat to our democracy. Politics is a battle of ideas; in the course of a healthy debate, we’ll prioritise different goals, and the different means of reaching them. But without some common baseline of facts; without a willingness to admit new information, and concede that your opponent is making a fair point, and that science and reason matter, we’ll keep talking past each other, making common ground and compromise impossible. Isn’t that part of what makes politics so dispiriting?”
1.20pm: On diversity
“Hearts must change...if our democracy is to work the way it should in this increasingly diverse nation.”
Obama channels Atticus Finch, the iconic character in To Kill a Mockingbird: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.”
1.14pm : On Trump
“In ten days, the world will witness a hallmark of our democracy.” Boos ring out around the hall as Obama attempts to silence the crowd. ‘I committed to president-Elect Trump our team would ensure the smoothest act of transition ... We’re all in this together, we rise and fall as one.”
Obama says the nation’s politics need to reflect “the decency” of the American people.
1.10pm:
Obama is listing his achievements, touching on the economy, Cuba, the death of Bin Laden, marriage equality and Obamacare.
“If I had told you all that you might have said our sights were set a little too high. But that's what we did, that's what you did. America is a better, stronger place than it was when we first started,
1.05pm: Obama sets tone early on
“Tonight its my turn to say thanks. Whether we have seen eye-to-eye or rarely agreed at all ... those conversations are what have kept me honest and inspired. Everyday I have learned from you. You make me a better President and you make me a better man.
The crowd starts to chant ‘four more years’. “I can’t do that,” responds Obama.
Crowd at Obama Farewell Address chants, "4 more years! 4 more years!"
— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) January 11, 2017
Pres. Obama: "I can't do that." pic.twitter.com/PAbzs6aq4k
1pm: Obama takes to the stage
Obama enters the stage with U2’s the City of Blinding Lights playing in the background. “Hello Chicago, it’s good to be home.”
A reminder, you can watch the live stream of the address at the top of the page.
12.55pm:
Michelle Obama enters the hall to huge applause and takes her seat. She will not speak but is likely to join Obama on stage at the close.
12.45pm: A final journey
Earlier, Obama took his final trip aboard air force One as president is his 445th mission on the presidential aircraft. The White House says he’s travelled on the plane to 56 countries and to 49 of the 50 U.S. states. He’s visited all 50 but never flown to Maryland. The plane had been airborne for 2,799 hours and 6 minutes during Obama’s tenure. That’s equivalent to spending 116 days on the plane.
12.28pm: Trump tweets
FAKE NEWS - A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2017
That Tweet appears to be referring to the CNN report on Russian ‘compromising information’.
12.25pm: Russia has ‘compromising Trump info’
It may be Obama’s farewell speech but American networks are focusing on a CNN report, which claims classified documents presented to US President-elect Donald Trump included allegations that Russian operatives claim to have compromising information about him.
Reuters reports that the allegations were in a two-page synopsis appended to a report presented last week by US intelligence officials to Trump and President Barack Obama on Russian interference in the 2016 election, CNN said, citing multiple US officials with direct knowledge of the briefings.
12.15pm: What to expect
Advance excerpts of Mr Obama’s speech have been circulated.
“I first came to Chicago when I was in my early twenties, still trying to figure out who I was; still searching for a purpose to my life ... This is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it After eight years as your president, I still believe that.”
12.10pm: Huge crowd gathers
Thousands of Obama supporters lined up before sunrise to ensure the chance to witnedd Obama’s final address. The speech is open to the public, but tickets were required. For the chance to see Obama in person, thousands of people stood for hours at the weekend in single-
digit temperatures in a line that snaked around the McCormick Place, hoping to score a ticket.
What will Obama say?
“We’ve run our leg in a long relay of progress, knowing that our work will always be unfinished,” Mr Obama wrote in a Facebook post previewing his speech. “And we’ve reaffirmed the belief that we can make a difference with our own hands, in our own time.”
Obama has said he’s leaving his eight years in office with two basic lessons: that Americans are fundamentally good, and that change can happen. “The system will respond to ordinary people coming together to try to move the country in a better direction,” he said ahead of the speech.
Obama’s address is likely to issue some warnings about the politics of his successor, Donald Trump. The Republican president-elect has pledged to overturn much of what Obama put in place, including the Affordable Care Act, executive orders on immigration and other issues, and environmental regulations, among them.
Lead speechwriter Cody Keenan said the address will be about Obama’s vision for where the country should still go.
“It’s not going to be like an anti-Trump speech, it’s not going to be a red meat, rabble rousing thing, it will be statesmanlike but it will also be true to him,” Mr Keenan told AFP. “It will tell a story.”
Why this speech matters
Mr Obama rose to national prominence on the power of his oratory. But this speech is different, White House officials said.
Determined not to simply recite a history of the last eight years, Obama directed his team to craft an address that would feel “bigger than politics” and speak to all Americans — including those who voted for Trump.
Mr Keenan, started writing it last month while Obama was vacationing in Hawaii, handing him the first draft on the flight home. By late Monday Obama was immersed in a fourth draft, with Keenan expected to stay at the White House all night to help perfect Obama’s final message.
Looking for inspiration
Mr Obama’s speechwriters spent weeks poring over Obama’s other momentous speeches, including his 2004 keynote at the Democratic National Convention and his 2008 speech after losing the New Hampshire primary to Hillary Clinton. They also revisited his 2015 address in Selma, Alabama, that both honoured America’s exceptionalism and acknowledged its painful history on civil rights.
Former aides were brought back to consult on the speech, including advisers David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs, and former speechwriter Jon Favreau, said the officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to publicly discuss the private discussions.
A country divided
Mr Obama leaves office as a relatively popular president viewed favourably by 57 per cent of Americans, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released the day before his speech. That puts Obama on par with former President Bill Clinton’s popularity as he left office.
Yet Americans remain deeply divided over Obama’s legacy, with fewer than half saying they’re better off eight years later — or that Obama brought the country together. Two in three Americans said he didn’t keep his promises, though most of those Americans said he tried to, but could not.
Are these speeches ever memorable?
The phrase “military-industrial complex” came from Dwight D. Eisenhower as he warned against militarism in an Oval Office farewell on Jan. 17, 1961.
Richard Nixon’s farewell address was memorable because it was unprecedented: Nixon announced on Aug. 8, 1974, that he would resign from office at noon the following day. He had become a casualty of the Watergate scandal and is the only president to ever resign the office.
“I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is
abhorrent to every instinct in my body,” Nixon said as he addressed the nation from the Oval Office. “But as president, I must put the interests of America first. America needs a fulltime president and a fulltime Congress, particularly at this time with problems we face at home and abroad.”
AP/AFP
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