Obama previews farewell: ‘We made America better’

President Obama previewed the farewell address he will give on Tuesday, recapping the major accomplishments of his administration and insisting his government had made America better.

Obama touted an improving economy, the Affordable Care Act, reduction of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the death of Osama bin Laden, a renewed relationship with Cuba and the Iran nuclear deal.

“By these measures and many more, we have made America a better, stronger place for the generations that follow ours,” the president said in his weekly address.

{mosads}”We’ve run our leg in our long journey of progress, knowing that our work is and will always be unfinished,” he said. “That’s the imperative of citizenship — the idea that with hard work, people who love their country can change it. That will be the focus of my farewell to you this Tuesday — and I hope you’ll tune in.”

Obama’s comments about making America a better country sounded a bit like a reply to President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign theme of “Make America Great Again”

Democrats chafed at that slogan during the campaign, arguing the country already was great.

Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20 after his defeat of Democrat Hillary Clinton, whom Obama vigorously campaigned for throughout the last year.

Obama said that the idea of ordinary people coming together to make change has been a “running thread” throughout his career.

“That’s the belief at the heart of this precious American experiment in self-government. It’s what gives work and purpose to each new generation,” he said.

“It’s easy to lose sight of that truth in the day-to-day back-and-forth of Washington and our minute-to-minute news cycles. But remember that America is a story told over a longer time horizon, in fits and starts, punctuated at times by hardship, but ultimately written by generations of citizens who’ve somehow worked together, without fanfare, to form a more perfect union.”

The White House said that while the farewell address is a tradition dating back to George Washington, Tuesday will mark the first time a president has returned to his hometown to deliver the speech. 

Obama will deliver his address at 9 p.m. EST on Jan. 10 in Chicago.