President Obama Gives Final News Conference

WASHINGTON, DC – President Obama is promising not to stay silent after he leaves office on Friday. Obama talked to reporters about his legacy, controversies, and his advice to Donald Trump.

“This is a job of such magnitude, that you can’t do it by yourself,” Obama told reporters.

As he prepares to leave office, President Obama says he remains optimistic about the future.

“At my core, I think we’re going to be OK,” Obama said.

He used his final news conference to defend his legacy, including his recent decision to commute the sentence of Chelsea Manning, convicted of stealing and leaking sensitive military documents to Wikileaks.

“I feel very comfortable that justice has been served and that a message has still been sent,” Obama said.

The President says it’s in America’s interest to have a constructive relationship with Russia, but says Russian President Vladimir Putin has made that tough.

“That return to an adversarial spirit that I think existed during the Cold War, has made the relationship more difficult,” he said.

He also there’s still more work to be done on issues like race.

“We’re going to have to make sure that we’ve, in our own lives, in our own families, and workplaces, do a better job of treating everybody with basic respect,” Obama said.

Also, he says he plans to keep a low profile once he leaves the White House, but won’t hesitate to weigh in on big issues.

“There’s a difference between that normal functioning of politics and certain issues or certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake,” Obama said.