Obama pens farewell letter to Americans

President Barack Obama has penned a letter to the American populace, telling them no great change has ever happened without hard work.

US President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama has penned a farewell letter to the American populace. (AAP)

It is a tradition for the sitting president to leave a letter to his successor in the Oval Office, but President Barack Obama took the time on his final full day in office to pen a letter to the American populace.

"You made me a better President, and you made me a better man," it said.

In the letter posted on Facebook, he wrote of meeting all types of citizens during his eight years in office, showing him grace, community, strength, and more.

"I've seen you, the American people, in all your decency, determination, good humor, and kindness. And in your daily acts of citizenship, I've seen our future unfolding," he wrote.
The president doubled down on the message he's been pushing of citizen participation in the last few weeks.

He says the American people should "throw ourselves into that work" and that no great change ever happened without hard work. He also made sure readers knew he'd be right there along with them.

"The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word 'We.' 'We the People.' 'We shall overcome.' Yes, we can," he concluded.

He also invited those who'd like to stay connected to join the Barack Obama Foundation mailing list for updates on his and Michelle's post-White House accomplishments.

Obama will leave office January 20 when Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th president.

Share
Published 20 January 2017 8:00am
Updated 20 January 2017 11:32am
Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world