On January 10, Barack Obama gave his Farewell Address to the nation that he served for eight years.
The main ideas the former president chose to highlight in his address were the decreased unemployment rates, increased wages, and the death Osama Bin Laden.
Obama reflected on his presidency saying, “If I had told you eight years ago that America would reverse a great recession, reboot our auto industry, and unleash the longest stretch of job creation in our history…if I had told you that we would open up a new chapter with the Cuban people, shut down Iran’s nuclear weapons program without firing a shot, and take out the mastermind of 9/11… If I had told you that we would win marriage equality, and secure the right to health insurance for another 20 million of our fellow citizens – you might have said our sights were set a little too high. But that’s what we did.”
Bringing his speech to an end, Obama recognized those who influenced him most: First Lady Michelle Obama, who was able to enter into a role that she did not sign up for, and former Vice President Joe Biden, who has been his right-hand man for the last eight years.
Through the entirety of the speech there was a hint towards the unknown of what the next four years will bring, but he stressed that we can only look at how far we have come and to make new strides with the new President. Obama closed his final speech with the phrase “Yes We Can. Yes We Did.”