Obama's Farewell Speech Will Be Forward-Looking, Not A 'Victory Lap'

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jan 10, 2017 4:24PM

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Historic, momentous, emotional. When Barack Obama delivers his farewell address on Tuesday night from McCormick Place, it will likely hit all those descriptors. But it won’t merely be a catalog of legacy-defending accomplishments, White House officials insisted on Monday. Instead, expect a call for sustained political and social mobilization.

The focus of the speech, which Obama will deliver around 8 p.m., will be a forward-looking call to stay motivated, long-serving Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett said on Monday.

“His intention is to motivate people to want to get involved and fight for their democracy," Jarrett said, via the Tribune. "The major focus on the speech isn't going to be reflecting back on how far we've come over the last eight years, but really looking forward and how we take the accomplishments, many (of which) through the hard work and grit of the American people came to fruition, and build on that going forward.”

“[I]t’s not a victory lap speech,” Jarrett also said on Monday.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the speech will draw on Obama’s personal and political narrative, stretching back to its Chicago roots, to illustrate the need for vigilance in the face of setbacks, speechwriter Cody Keenan told the Sun-Times.

As for attendees, First Lady Michelle Obama will be on hand, as will Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden, his wife. The crowd is expected be around 14,000, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki intimated on Monday when addressing reporters. But don’t expect a rally-type atmosphere.

“It was important to the president personally that this not be a rally…It’s a serious speech and a serious message,” Psaki said, via the Sun-Times. The farewell address will likely be shorter than a State of the Union address, officials said, and attendees will be seated for the speech.

But for all the focus on the future, expect Obama to spend some time reminding the public of the administration’s achievement and, despite the hostile political landscape, easing the transition of power.

"[Presidents] are almost very respectful in the way they present their administration's accomplishments," Gerhard Peters, co-director of the American Presidency Project, told WBEZ. "You know, at times they're also very humble… They're very graceful to their successor, and I'd expect President Obama to be, even though this has been a very political climate, this transition."

Thousands braved subzero temperatures for a shot at tickets to the farewell this weekend. Some sellers were asking for thousands of dollars on the secondary market.