Obama’s final farewell to the press goes viral again

Donald Trump did not address journalists before leaving White House

Former President Barack Obama’s final farewell to the press has gone viral again, as Donald Trump left the White House and Joe Biden became the 46th US president.

The clip of Mr Obama’s farewell to the press at the White House on 18 January 2017 resurfaced on Twitter on Tuesday after being posted shortly after 3 November presidential election by Howard Mortman, the communications director of C-SPAN.

In the video, which has been viewed millions of times, Mr Obama thanked the press corps for their work over the eight years of his presidency.

“I want to thank all of you. Some of you have been covering me for a long time,” Mr Obama, who served as US president from 2009 to 2017, said in the White House briefing room.

“Some of you I’ve just gotten to know, we have travelled the world together, we’ve hit a few singles, a few double together and I’ve offered advice that I thought was pretty sound, like ‘don’t do stupid stuff,’” the former president continued.

“The only reason they were long is because you asked six part questions,” Mr Obama joked, before adding: “But I have enjoyed working with all of you. That does not of course mean that I’ve enjoyed every story that you have filed, but that’s the point of this relationship.

Read more: Follow live updates and news on Inauguration Day 2021

“You’re not supposed to be sycophants, you are supposed to be sceptics, you are supposed to ask me tough questions.”

He concluded: “You are not supposed to be complimentary, but you are supposed to cast a critical eye on folks who hold enormous power and make sure that we are accountable to the people who sent us here. And you have done that.”

The speech was praised by social media users, with @mansoortshams writing: “The how to on conducting a final press conference before handing over power to the next president.”

User@Charlot44646 added: “Graciousness, Dignity & Human kindness. I am thankful that, although not perfect, this was who we had as President in my Lifetime.”

However, numerous others were quick to point out the differences between Mr Obama and Mr Trump’s relationships with the press.

User @gngreen wrote: “That’s someone who understands that the media are NOT the enemies of the people, something his successor will never, ever understand.”

While The Daily Beast editor at large Molly Jong-Fast added: “Imagine Trump saying (or even thinking) any of these things.”

Mr Trump was combative with the press over his four years as president, popularising the phrase “fake news” and describing journalists as the “enemy of the people”.

He berated several journalists for wearing face masks during press conferences amid the coronavirus pandemic and regularly criticised those who wrote negative articles about him.

Read more: Biden inauguration: Who is performing and what time is the concert?

Mr Trump even fell out with Fox News, which was often described as his favourite network, on the campaign trail for his unsuccessful reelection campaign after they gave coverage to speeches from Mr Obama.

Although he gave a farewell speech on Wednesday, Mr Trump did not specifically address journalists before he left the White House.