As we prepare to experience a divisive and uncertain Trump presidency starting this Friday, we must sadly also bid adieu to the calm and charismatic President Barack Obama. While the President-Elect has been trying to push his blatantly unethical cabinet appointments through their controversial confirmation hearings, President Obama has spent his final days in the oval office preparing for the White House transition.
This afternoon, Obama gave his final news conference as Commander-in-chief, defending his final decisions in office and stressing the importance of the freedom of press that his successor has publicly threatened. In his opening statement, the president commended the room full of journalists for “asking tough questions” throughout the last eight years, and thanking them for conveying information to the everyday American.
The parting leader fielded numerous questions from the press, ranging from the Trump transition to the rising number of Democrats boycotting the upcoming inauguration. President Obama also spoke on his decision to commute the 35-year prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, an Army private convicted of sharing classified military documents with WikiLeaks.
“Let us be clear: Chelsea Manning has served a tough prison sentence. It made sense to commute — and not pardon her sentence . . . I feel very comfortable that justice has been served, and a message has still been sent,” Obama said to the sea of reporters.
The parting leader fielded numerous questions from the press, ranging from the Trump transition to the rising number of Democrats boycotting the upcoming inauguration. President Obama also spoke on his decision to commute the 35-year prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, an Army private convicted of sharing classified military documents with WikiLeaks.
“The only thing that is the end of the world is the end of the world,” he said towards the tail end of the press conference.
After Trump takes office in less than two days, Obama and his wife will vacation in Palm Beach, Florida, before eventually relocating to their private residence in Washington, D.C. All in all, the press conference contained both a tinge of hope and sadness, leaving many to wonder if we’ll ever witness a calm and composed presidential press conference again.
