Obama delivers final White House address

President Obama delivered his final White House weekly address Saturday, urging Americans to not take democracy for granted.  

“Whether we’ve seen eye-to-eye or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you, the American people – in living rooms and schools; at farms and on factory floors; at diners and on distant military outposts – are what have kept me honest, kept me inspired, and kept me going,” he said. “Every day, I learned from you. You made me a better president, and you made me a better man.”

{mosads}Obama recounted some of memorable Americans he has met over the course of his eight years in office.  

“Over the course of these eight years, I have seen the goodness, the resilience, and the hope of the American people,” he said. “I’ve seen neighbors looking out for each other as we rescued our economy from the worst crisis of our lifetimes. I’ve hugged cancer survivors who finally know the security of affordable health care. I’ve seen communities like Joplin rebuild from disaster, and cities like Boston show the world that no terrorist will ever break the American spirit.”

Obama, echoing his Tuesday night farewell address in Chicago, encouraged people to stay involved and be “guardians of our democracy.” 

“It has been the honor of my life to serve you as President. Eight years later I am even more optimistic about our country’s promise,” he said. “And I look forward to working along your side, as a citizen, for all my days that remain.”

President Obama has less than a week left in the White House. President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in on Jan. 20.