It’s a wrap! President Barack Obama gave his final press conference yesterday where he opened up about what life will look like for him post-presidency. He also praises his daughters Malia and Sasha Obama. Go inside for a few highlights from his last press speech, plus pics and videos of First Lady Michelle Obama’s last White House Walk through….
President Barack Obama held his final news conference of his presidency in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House yesterday. This was the last chance for reporters to ask President Obama their last questions before he leaves office on January 20th.
One reporter asked POTUS how did he and First Lady Michelle Obama talk to their daughters, Malia and Sasha Obama, about the meaning of this presidential election. First, POTUS showered his daughters with praise saying they “surprise, enchant and impress” him more every single day.
“You know, every parent brags on their daughters or their sons. You know, if your mom and dad don't brag on you, you know you got problems,” he said. Ha!
President O said it was interesting to see how they reacted to the result of the presidential election. While they were disappointed in the results, they accepted the outcome and didn’t get cynical about it.
Oh, and there are no plans for either of them to get into politics.
He shared:
"They paid attention to what their mom said during the campaign and believed it because it's consistent with what we have tried to teach them in our household and what I've tried to model as a father with their mom and what we've asked them to expect from future boyfriends or spouses. But what we've also tried to teach them is resilience and we've tried to teach them hope and that the only thing that is the end of the world is the end of the world."
"And so, you get knocked down, you get up, brush yourself off and you get back to work. And that tended to be their attitude. I think neither of them intend to pursue a future of politics and in that, too, I think their mother's influence shows."
"But, both of them have grown up in an environment where I think they could not help but be patriotic to love this country deeply, to see that it's flawed, but see that they have responsibilities to fix it. And that they need to be active citizens. And they have to be in a position to talk to their friends and their teachers and their future co-workers in ways that try to shed some light as opposed to just generate a lot of sound and fury. And I expect that's what they're going to do. They do not -- they don't mope."
"And -- and what I really am proud of them, but what makes me proudest about them, is that they also don't get cynical about it. They -- they have not assumed because their side didn't win or because some of the values that they care about don't seem as if they were vindicated that automatically America has somehow rejected them or rejected their values. I don't think they feel that way."
The apples don't fall far from the tree.
So what are President Barack thoughts on another black president?
“When we have everybody getting a chance and everybody's on the field, we end up being better."
“So, you know, I use that as a metaphor and if in fact we continue to keep opportunity open to everybody, then yeah, we're going to have a woman president. We're going to have a Latino president. And we'll have a Jewish president, a Hindu president. You know, who knows who we're going to have.”
After a long 8-years of running the nation and holding the highest power of the land, what will President Obama be doing?
“I want to do some writing. I want to be quiet a little bit and not hear myself talk so darn much. I want to spend precious time with my girls. “
Sounds good to us! Some downtime is much deserved.
Check out his full speech below:
And before they leave the White House:
First Lady Michelle Obama did one last walk through around the “people’s house” before they leave tomorrow that she shared on her social media accounts. FLOTUS bid farewell and expressed her gratitude to the American people.
In one shot, FLOTUS and POTUS embraced one another while looking over the White House balcony toward the Washington Monument. She captioned, “Being your First Lady has been the honor of a lifetime. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
She posted a similar message on her SnapChat account as well.
FLOTUS was all smiles with her dogs Sunny and Bo sitting on a stariwell in the White House.
Sunny and Bo even joined her for her last stroll through 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the place they've called home for the last 8-years:
Adorbs!
By the way, if you're looking to keep up with FLOTUS on social media, her new Twitter/Instagram handle is @michelleobama44. President Obama can be found at his new handle @barackobama44.
Photos: Getty