Come together. Obviously, he was going to be talking to the people that voted for donald trump who are disaffected in some way by either Democratic Party politics or Republican Party politics. They voted for the change agent. Remember, a short distance from this stage, barack obama was the change agent in 2008. At this time, he said that this election was all about running on his record, Hillary Clinton was about running on his record. Now, he is going to defend that record, and he is goingnd to say there is still hope and a change in the future. It is interesting. We want it is interesting that he has taken a different posture of welcoming the president elect. Why is that q mack i think he wants to have that smooth t transition, and he has talked about it. Its been rocky at times. It is very familiar. He has done it many times. This is the last time he will do it as president of the United States. Tucker bret baier, thanks a lot. President obama, as you can see, has taken the stage in chicago. He will address this country one final time. Brett and i will be back when the president has finished. [applauding] president obama hello skybrook [applauding] its good to be home [applauding] thank you, everybody [applauding] thank you. [applauding]ry thank you. [applauding] thank you so much, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [applauding] its good to be home. Thank you. [applauding] thank you. Were on live tv here, ive got to move. [applauding] you can tell that im a lame duck, because nobody is following instructions. Everybody have a seat. My fellow americans, michelle and i have been so touched by all the wellwishes that weve received over the past few weeks. But tonight its my turn to say thanks. Whether we have seen eyetoeye or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you, the American People in living rooms and in schools, at farms and on factory floors, at diners and on distant military outposts those conversations are what have kept me honest, and kept me inspired, and keptt me going. And every day, i have learned from you. You made me a better president , and you made me a better man. So i first came to chicago when i was in my early twenties, and i was still trying to figure out who i was, still searching for a purpose to my life. And it was a neighborhood notse far from here where i began working with Church Groups in the shadows of closed steel mills. It was on these streets where i witnessed the power of faith, and the quiet dignity of working people in the face of struggle p and loss. [crowd chanting four more years] i cant do that. Now this is where i learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, and they get engaged, and they come together to demand it. After eight years as your president , i still believe that. And its not just my belief. Its the beating heart of our american idea our bold experiment in selfgovernment. Ea its the conviction that we are all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Its the insistence that these rights, while selfevident, have never been selfexecuting; that we, the people, through the instrument of our democracy, can form a more perfect union. What a radical idea, the great gift that our founders gave to us. The freedom to chase our individual dreams through our sweat, and toil, and imagination and the imperative to strive together as well, to achieve a common good, a greater good. For 240 years, our nations call to citizenship has given work and purpose to each new generation. Its what led patriots to choose republic over tyranny, pioneerso to trek west, slaves to brave that makeshift railroad to freedom. Its what pulled immigrants and refugees across oceans and the rio grande. Its what pushed women to reach for the ballot. Its what powered workers to organize. Its why gis gave their lives at omaha beach and iwo jima; iraq and afghanistan and why men and women from selma to stonewall were prepared to give theirs as well. To [applauding] so thats 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. Yes, our progress has been uneven. The work of democracy has always been hard. It has been contentious. Sometimes it has been bloody. For every two steps forward, it often feels we take one step back. 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. [applauding]fo 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 Irans NuclearWeapons Program without firing a shot, take out the mastermind of 911 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 if i i had told you all that, you might have said our sights were set a little too high. But thats what we did. Thats what you did. You were the change. The answer to peoples hopes and, because of you, by almost every measure, america is a better, stronger place than it was when we started. In 10 days the world will witness a hallmark of our democracy. No, no, no, no, no. The peaceful transfer of powerer from one freelyelected president to the next. Fu [applauding] i committed to president elect trump that my administration would ensure the smoothest possible transition, just as president bush did for me. [applauding] because its up to all of us to make sure our government can help us meet the many challenges we still face. We have what we need to do so. We have everything we need to meet those challenges. After all, we remain the wealthiest, most powerful, and most respected nation on earth. Our youth, our drive, our diversity and openness, our boundless capacity for risk and reinvention means that the future should be ours. But that potential will only be realized if our democracy works. Only if our politics better reflects the decency of ouron people. [applauding] only if all of us, regardless of Party Affiliation or particular interests help restore the sense of common purpose that we so badly need right now. And thats what i want to focus on tonight, the state of our democracy. Understand democracy does not require uniformity. Our founders argued, they quarreled, and eventually they compromised. They expected us to do the same. But they knew that democracy does require a basic sense of solidarity. The idea that, for all our outward differences, were all in this together, that we rise or fall as one. There have been moments throughout our history that threatened that solidarity. And the beginning of this century has been one of those times. A shrinking world, growing inequality, demographic change, and the specter of terrorism. These forces havent just tested our security and our prosperity, but are testing our democracy as well. And how we meet these challenges to our democracy will determine our ability to educate our kids and create good jobs and protect our homeland. In other words, it will determine our future. To begin with, our democracy wont work without a sense that everyone has economic opportunity. [applauding] and the good news is that today the economy is growing again. Wages, incomes, home values and retirement accounts are all rising again. Poverty is falling again. [applauding] the wealthy are paying a fair share of taxes. Even as the stock market shatters records, the Unemployment Rate is near a 10year low. The uninsured rate has never, ever been lower. [applauding] Health Care Costs are rising at the slowest rate in 50 years. And ive said, and i mean it, anyone can put together a plan that is demonstrably better than the improvements weve made to our health care system, that covers as many people at lesse cost, i will publicly support it. [applauding] because that, after all, is why we serve. Not to score points or take credit. But to make peoples lives better. [applauding] but, for a that weve made, we know its not enough. Our economy doesnt work as well or grow as fast when a few prosper at the expense of a growing middle class, and ladders for folks who want to get into the middle class. [applauding] thats the economic argument. But stark inequality is also corrosive to our democratict idea. While the top 1 percent has amassed a bigger share of wealth and income, too many of our families in inner cities and in Rural Counties have been left behind. The laid off factory worker, the waitress or Health Care Worker whos just barely getting by and struggling to pay the bills. Convinced that the game is fixeg against them. That their government only serves the interest of the powerful. Thats a recipe for more cynicism and polarization in our politics. Now therere no quick fixes to this longterm trend. I agree, our trade should be fair and not just free. But the next wave of economic dislocations wont come from overseas. It will come from the relentless pace of automation that makes a lot of good middle class jobs obsolete. And so were going to have to forge a new social compact to guarantee all our kids the education they need. [applauding] to give workers the power to unionize for better wages. To update the social safety net to reflect the way we live now. And make more reforms to the tax code so corporations and the individuals who reap the most from this new economy dont avoid their obligations to the country thats made their very success possible. [cheers and applause] we can argue about how to best achieve these goals. But we cant be complacent about the goals themselves. For if we dont create opportunity for all people, the disaffection and division that has stalled our progress will only sharpen in years to come. Theres a second threat to our democracy. And this one is as old as our nation itself. After my election there was talk of a postracial america. And such a vision, however well intended, was never realistic. Race remains a potent and often divisive force in our society. Now ive lived long enough to know that Race Relations are better than they were 10 or 20 or 30 years ago, no matter what some folks say. [applauding] you can see it not just in statistics. You see it in the attitudes of Young Americans across the political spectrum. But were not where we need to be. And all of us have more work to do. [applauding] if every economic issue is framed as a struggle between a hardworking white middle class and an undeserving minority, then workers of all shades are going to be left fighting foror scraps while the wealthy withdraw further into their private enclaves. [applauding] if were unwilling to invest in the children of immigrants, just because they dont look like uss we will diminish the prospects of our own children because those brown kids will represent a larger and larger share of americas workforce. [applauding] and we have shown that our economy doesnt have to be a zerosum game. Last year, incomes rose for all races, all age groups, for men and for women. So if were going to be serious about race Going Forward, we need to uphold laws against discrimination in hiring, and in housing, and in education, and in the criminal justice system. That is what our constitution and highest ideals require. But laws alone wont be enough. Hearts must change. It wont change overnight. Social attitudes oftentimes take generations to change. But if our democracy is to work the way it should in this increasingly diverse nation, then each one of us need to try to heed the advice of a great character in american fiction, atticus finch, who said you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. For blacks and other minority groups, that means tying our own very real struggles for justice to the challenges that a lot of people in this country face. Not only the refugee or the immigrant or the rural poor or the transgender american, but also the middleaged white guy who from the outside may seem like hes got all the advantages, but has seenee his world upended by economic, and cultural, and technological change. We have to Pay Attention and listen. [applauding] for white americans, it means acknowledging that the effects of slavery and jim crow didnt suddenly vanish in the 60s. S that when minority groups voice discontent, theyre not just g engaging in reverse racism or practicing political correctness. When they wage peaceful protest, theyre not demanding special treatment, but the equal treatment that our founders promised. [applauding]rs for nativeborn americans, it means reminding ourselves that the stereotypes about immigrants today were said, almost word for word, about the irish, and italians, and poles, who it was said were going to destroy the fundamental character of america. And as it turned out, america wasnt weakened by the presence of these newcomers, these newcomers embraced this nations creed, and this nation was strengthened. [applauding] so regardless of the station we occupy, we all have to try harder, we all have to start with the premise that each of our fellow citizens loves this country just as much as we do; country just as much as we do, that they value hard work andke family just like we do. That their children are just as curious and hopeful and worthy of love as our own. [applauding] and thats not easy to do. For too many of us its become safer to retreat into our own bubbles, whether in our neighborhoods, or on college campuses, or places of worship, or especially our social media feeds, surrounded by people who look like us and share the same political outlook and never challenge our assumptions. In the rise of naked partisanship and increasing economic and regional stratification, the splintering of our media into a channel fore every taste, all this makes this great sorting seem natural, even inevitable. And increasingly we become so secure in our bubbles that we start accepting only information, whether its true or not, that fits our opinions, instead of basing our opinions on the evidence that is out there. [applauding] and this trend represents a third threat to our democracy. Look, politics is a battle of ideas. Thats how our democracy was designed. In the course of a healthy debate, we prioritize 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 might be making a fair point, and that science and reason matter, then were going to keep talking past each other. [applauding] and well make Common Ground and compromise impossible. And isnt that part of what so often makes politics dispiriting . How can elected officials rage about deficits when we propose to spend money on preschool for kids, but not when were cutting taxes for corporations . How do we excuse ethical lapses in our own party, but pounce when the other party does the same thing . Its not just dishonest, its selective sorting of the facts. Its selfdefeating because, as my mom used to tell me, reality has a way of catching up with you. [applauding] has the promise to save this planet. But without bolder action, our children wont have time to debate the existence of climate change. Theyll be busy dealing with iti effects. More environmental disasters, more economic disruptions, waves of climate refugees seeking sanctuary. Now we can and should arguein about the best approach to solve the problem. But to simply deny the problem not only betrays future generations, it betrays the essential spirit of this country, the essential spirit of innovation and practical problemsolving that guided our founders. [cheering and applauding] it is that spirit it is that spirit born of the enlightenment that made us an economic powerhouse. The spirit that took flight at kitty hawk and cape canaveral, the spirit that cures disease and put a computer in every pocket, its that spirit. A faith in reason and enterprise, and the primacy of right over might, that allowed us to resist the lure of fascism and tyranny during the great depression, that allowed us to build a postworld war ii order with other democracies. An order based not just on military power or national affiliations, but built on principles, the rule of law, human rights, freedom of religion and speech and assembly and an independent press. [applauding] that order is now being challenged. First by violent fanatics who claim to speak for islam. More recently by autocrats in foreign capitals who seek free markets in open democracies and Civil Society itself as a threat to their power. The peril each poses to our democracy is more far reaching than a car bomb or a missile. They represent the fear of b change. The fear of people who look or speak or pray differently. A contempt for the rule of law that holds leaders accountable. An intolerance of dissent and free thought. A belief that the sword or the gun or the bomb or the Propaganda Machine is the ultimate arbiter of whats true and whats right. Because of the extraordinary courage of our men and women in uniform. Because of our Intelligence Officers and Law Enforcement and diplomats who support our troops. [applauding] no Foreign Terrorist Organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland these past eight years. [cheering and applauding]nd and although [applauding] boston and orlando and San Bernardino and fort hood remind us of how dangerous radicalization can be, our Law Enforcement agencies are more effective and vigilant than ever. We have taken out tens oft thousands of terrorists, including bin laden. [cheering and applauding] the Global Coalition were 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. [cheering and applauding] and all who serve or have served it has been the honor of my lifetime to be your co