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MNA International Desk: Barack Obama closes the chapter on his presidency, with a farewell speech in Chicago that will try to lift supporters felled by Donald Trump’s shock victory.
President Obama bid farewell to the nation in an emotional speech that sought to comfort a country on edge over rapid economic changes, persistent security threats and the election of Donald Trump.
Riding high in the polls but just days away from handing over the reins to a Manhattan mogul who has vowed to dismantle much of his legacy, Obama chose to make his final address as commander-in-chief in the city where he launched his unlikely and boundary-breaking political career — Chicago.
There Obama, who won the White House for the first time in 2008 on the message of “hope and change,” told supporters who have been with him from the start to take heart and not despair as he laid out a forward-looking vision for America.
“For all our outward differences, we all share the same proud title: Citizen,” Obama told the boisterous crowd.
“Ultimately, that’s what our democracy demands. It needs you. Not just when there’s an election, not just when your own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full span of a lifetime.
Obama’s last trip on Air Force One will be a pilgrimage to his adoptive hometown, where he will address a sell-out crowd not far from where he accepted the presidency eight years ago.
Diehard fans—many African Americans—have braved Chicago’s frigid winter to collect free tickets, which now sell for upwards of $1,000 a piece on Craigslist.
The First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden will come along on for the ride.
Obama, having vowed a smooth handover of power, finds himself being increasingly critical of Trump as he prepares to leave office on January 20.
