He, Michelle, Malia and the Bidens ALL cry in emotional farewell

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[h=1]Obama tells supporters 'you were the change' in farewell address he used to hit Republicans for 'selective sorting of the facts' and discrimination after declaring that talk of a 'post-racial America' after his election 'was never realistic'[/h]

• Obama attempted to steer the country towards policies and values at the core of his vision for America
• His final address began at 9pm EST and was delivered from his adopted hometown of Chicago, Illinois
• President rode Air Force One with First Lady Michelle Obama and older daughter Malia
• He offered advice to the American people about challenges that lie ahead, the White House says
• Obama, whose legacy hangs in the balance, will depart the Oval Office in 10 days before Trump enters office
• Obama used the bully pulpit Tuesday to decry the divisive rhetoric he has commonly associated with Trump

By FRANCESCA CHAMBERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS and JESSICA CHIA FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 16:55, 10 January 2017 | UPDATED: 05:02, 11 January 2017

 

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President Barack Obama received a hero's welcome in Chicago on Tuesday night as he took the stage to deliver his farewell speech.
Supporters stomped on the bleachers set up behind him and members of the crowd shouted 'four more years' over a disruption. 'You can tell that I'm a lame duck,' he said over loud cheering from supporters and members of his administration, 'because nobody's following instructions.'
The exiting president who entered office on a mandate of 'hope and change' told his supporters 'you were the change' and encouraged them to continue standing up for their values.
'Yes We Can. Yes We Did. Yes We Can,' he said at the end of his remarks, a reference to his 2008 slogan and the future progress he expects backers of his brand of politics to make.
Obama never mentioned his successor by name but made multiple references to his nemesis, president-elect Donald Trump, as he declared to loud clapping and cheers 'that science and reason matter' and referenced Trump's attacks on Muslims.
He also decried the 'selective sorting of facts' he said members of the Republican Party have embraced.
In the 50-minute speech Obama took on the touchy topic of race, saying that talk of a 'post-racial America' after he was elected 'was never realistic' as he condemned the framing of economic disagreements as a battle between 'hardworking white middle class and undeserving minorities.'
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President Barack Obama received a hero's welcome in Chicago Tuesday night as he took the stage to deliver his farewell speech

 

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'My fellow Americans,' Obama said to cheers, 'Michelle and I have been so touched by all the well-wishes we’ve received over the past few weeks.' Every day, I learned from you. You made me a better President, and you made me a better man'

 

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Obama acknowledged it was easy for people to retreat into their own bubbles - whether it was on college campuses or through social media - and called it a 'threat to democracy'

 

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The president emphasized the need for unity among Americans, and gave a shoutout to the contributions of immigrants, women, workers, veterans and activists

 

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From left, Vice President Joe Biden, Jill Biden, first lady Michelle Obama and Malia Obama, standing for the national anthem

 

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The president himself wiped away a tear while paying tribute to his wife, who he said made the role of first lady her own 'with grace and with grit and with style'

 

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Obama went on to say: 'Malia and Sasha, under the strangest of circumstances, you have become two amazing young women...You have become two amazing young women. You are smart and you are beautiful and more importantly you are kind and thoughtful and full of passion'

 

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The president was accompanied on his trip by First Lady Michelle Obama and their elder daughter, Malia. The White House said Sasha, 15, did not attend because she has a test in the morning.
'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 with grit and with style and good humor,' Obama told his wife in his remarks.
He called Vice President Joe Biden, also in attendance, 'a brother' and said his decision to add him to the ticket was the first he made as the Democratic nominee for president in 2008 and the best.
Obama told his daughters that of all the things he'd done in his life, 'I'm most proud to be your dad.'
The president's primetime address, which began promptly 9pm EST, was his last attempt to steer the country toward the policies and values at the core of his vision for America before he hands over control of the White House to Trump.
Revisiting high points in American history like the suffrage movement and the battle at Iwo Jima, Obama said, 'that’s what we mean when we say America is exceptional.

 

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'Not that our nation has been flawless from the start, but that we have shown the capacity to change, and make life better for those who follow.'
Obama admitted that, 'yes, our progress has been uneven.' He said, 'The work of democracy has always been hard, it’s always been contentious, sometimes it’s been bloody.
'For every two steps forward, it often feels we take one step back,' he said, a remark that was interpreted by a whooping audience as a reference to the election of Trump. 'But the long sweep of America has been defined by forward motion, a constant widening of our founding creed to embrace all, and not just some,' he continued.
The Democratic president only briefly rehashed his eight-year presidency.
Had he told the country eight years ago he'd reverse the Great Recession, save the auto industry, bring about the longest stretch of job growth in the nation's history, thaw relations with Cuba, strike a nuclear deal with Iran, win the battle over gay marriage, give healthcare to 20 millions and 'take out the mastermind of 9/11' - 'you might have said our sights were set a little too high,' Obama proclaimed.

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President Barack Obama wipes his tears as he speaks at McCormick Place in Chicago

 

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He told his daughters, only one of whom was in attendance that of all the things he'd done in his life, 'I'm most proud to be your dad'

 

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Obama also threw down the gauntlet to Trump, saying if anyone could come up with a better healthcare plan, he would be happy to publicly support it

 

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Michelle and Malia watch on from the crowd during the address. Obama thanked both of them and daughter Sasha in his final speech to the nation

 

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Malia sheds a tear as her father says during his final address to the nation that he is so 'proud to be her dad'

 

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He was a BUM President dbanana0-9....Now get the fuck out of here :hammerit@)kth)(&^azzkick(&^

 

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US first lady Michelle Obama (R) and the Vice Presidents wife, Jill Biden, hug as US President Barack Obama speaks during his farewell address in Chicago

 

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'But that’s what we did. That’s what you did. You were the change,' he told his supporters. 'Because of you, by almost every measure, America is a better, stronger place than it was when we started.'
Continuing, he noted that 'in ten days, the world will witness a hallmark of our democracy.' Before he could finish his sentence, his audience began booing his departure from the Oval Office and the arrival of Trump. Their jeers turned to cheers as he finished the pre-written line that applauded 'the peaceful transfer of power from one freely-elected president' to another.
'I committed to President-Elect Trump that my administration would ensure the smoothest possible transition, just as President Bush did for me,' he said. 'Because it’s up to all of us to make sure our government can help us meet the many challenges we still face.'
He went on to say that while the nation's Founding Father 'quarreled and compromised...but they knew that democracy does require a basic sense of solidarity – the idea that for all our outward differences, we are all in this together; that we rise or fall as one.'
The Obamas arrived in Chicago at 5.35pm local time. The president and first lady both wore black winter coats as they exited Air Force One with their older daughter Malia, who was sporting a stylish camel topcoat.
President Obama sat for an interview with Lester Holt of NBC News at Valois, a Chicago restaurant, before the first family traveled the short distance across downtown for his final speech.
'My fellow Americans,' Obama said to applause as he began his remarks, 'Michelle and I have been so touched by all the well-wishes we’ve received over the past few weeks. Every day, I learned from you. You made me a better President, and you made me a better man.'

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'Michelle - for the past 25 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 humor,' the president told his wife. they are seen embracing after the speech

 

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Malia hugs her father as she joins him on the stage after he delivered his final address to the nation

 

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The First Family hold hands as they take to the stage at the end of Obama's address in Chicago

 

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'So that's what we mean when we say America is exceptional. Not that our nation has been flawless from the start, but that we have shown the capacity to change, and make life better for those who follow,' said Obama. He is seen above on stage after the speech with wife Michelle and daughter Malia