'So that's what we mean when we say America is exceptional. Not that our nation has been flawless from the start, but that we have shown the capacity to change, and make life better for those who follow,' Obama told the crowd. He is seen above on stage with wife Michelle and daughter Sasha
'If I had told you that we would win marriage equality, and secure the right to health insurance for another 20 million of our fellow citizens - you might have said our sights were set a little too high. But that's what we did. That's what you did. You were the change. You answered people's hopes, and because of you, by almost every measure, America is a better, stronger place than it was when we started,' Obama said during the speech. His daughter Malia is embraced by her mom Michelle above
The president brought his sister Auma Obama, who is from Kenya, speechwriter Cody Keenan, national security adviser Susan Rice, counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco, communications director Jen Psaki and other White House staff with him on Air Force One. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Housing Secretary Julian Castro and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel were seen in the audience cheering and clapping for Obama during his remarks. The Reverend Jesse Jackson and David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Obama, were also there. Vice President Joe Biden, who spent his afternoon at the Detroit Auto Show in Michigan, joined Obama in Chicago along with Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden. They did not deliver remarks but joined him on stage, alongside Michelle and Malia, at the conclusion of his lengthy speech that was shorter than all of his State of the Union addresses but lasted nearly an hour, nonetheless. 'This is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it,' Obama said as he reflected on his election to the nation's highest office. 'After eight years as your President, I still believe that,' he added.
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'To Joe Biden, the scrappy kid from Scranton who became Delaware's favorite son: you were the first choice I made as a nominee, and the best,' Obama told Biden during the speech. They are seen hugging after the address
'Obama called the idea of a 'post-racial America' touted after he was elected 'unrealistic'. He said race relations had improved in past decades, but added: 'We're not where we need to be'
Time to say goodbye: President Barack Obama is joined by First Lady Michelle Obama, daughter Malia Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden after giving his presidential farewell address at McCormick Place in Chicago
President Obama sat for an interview with Lester Holt of NBC News at Valois, a Chicago restaurant, before the first family traveled the short distance across downtown for his final speech. He is seen above interacting with the crowd after the address
President Barack Obama boarded Air Force One with First Lady Michelle Obama in Maryland earlier on Tuesday. Obama steps down in just 10 days before Donald Trump enters the White House
Both the president and the first lady wore heavy, black winter coats en route to the Windy City. They are expected to return to Washington DC overnight in what is likely to be their last ever trip on Air Force One
Obama's legacy hangs in the balance after Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton won the national popular vote but came up short in the Electoral College. He is expected to use his final address as a way to cement his vision for the US
Their older daughter Malia, 18, was seen flashing a wide smile on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland before she boarded Air Force One. She wore a stylish camel topcoat with black high heeled ankle boots
Obama stopped for a photo opportunity with Air Force One crew members ahead of his last chance to steer the country toward the policies and values at the core of his vision for America
Obama (pictured with Michelle and Malia leaving the WHite House) delivered remarks before 18,000 supporters, some of whom paid more than $300 for a spot at Chicago's convention center tonight
Pictured left, Obama aboard Air Force One en route to Chicago, and right, speechwriter Cody Keenan going over the president's remarks
Obama spoke to 18,000 of his supporters in Chicago, many of whom waited seven hours today to see him speak today and some of whom paid more than $300 for a spot at Chicago's convention center. The Obamas own a house on the South Side of Chicago. A former U.S. senator for Illinois, it was here that the nation's first black president declared victory in 2008 in Grant Park and cultivated his optimistic tone toward politics. He and his wife are not staying at their Chicago home overnight. They were to return to Washington late Tuesday evening, taking what is likely to be their final flight on Air Force One while Obama is president. The 55-year-old will step down in just 10 days with his legacy hanging in the balance after Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton won the national popular vote but came up short in the Electoral College. Operating under a belief that the messenger, not the message, caused the shock loss, Obama used the bully pulpit tonight to decry the divisive rhetoric he has commonly associated with Trump and policies his successor has espoused. 'We must guard against a weakening of the values that make us who we are,' Obama said on Tuesday night. 'That’s why, for the past eight years, I’ve worked to put the fight against terrorism on a firm legal footing. That’s why we’ve ended torture, worked to close Gitmo, and reform our laws governing surveillance to protect privacy and civil liberties.' In a pointed assault on Trump he added, 'That’s why I reject discrimination against Muslim Americans.'
Obama is expected to deliver a parting plea to Americans not to lose faith in their future, no matter what they think about their next president (pictured, the crowd before Obama's final farewell)
