>> tucker: can democrats do anything to stop it? >> don't know. >> tucker: no. [laughs] the final address to the country, our show starts right now. >> tucker: good evening and welcome to the new 9:00 p.m. in addition, as you can see we are waiting for the president. in his farewell address to the country. it should start in about 90 seconds. but until then, i am joined by my friend, bret baier. so, you have said that this is basically a summation of what the president thinks his legacy is and also a defense of that legacy. in what proportions do you thin think? >> as a looking forward speech, one that will be optimistic, that the country and

president obama's eyes can still come together. but obviously she's going to be talking to the people that voted for donald trump, who are in some way democratic party politics or republican politics and they voted for the change agent. again, a short distance from this stage, barack obama was the change agent in 2008. this time, he said that this election was all about running on his record. hillary clinton. was about running on his record. now, he is going to defend that record and he is going to say there is still hope and change in the future. >> tucker: it's interesting that president obama has taken a much more moderate and welcoming posture toward the president-elect than almost any of his colleagues in the congress. why is that? >> i think he wants to have that smooth transition and he has talked about it. it's been rocky at times, as the president has announced there on

the stage. it is very familiar. he has done it many times. this is the last time he will do it as president of the united states. >> tucker: president obama has as you see, taken the stage. bret baier and i will be back. when the president has finished. [u2 playing] >> president obama: hello, chicago. it is good to be home. thank you, everybody.

[cheering and applauding] >> president obama: thank you. thank you so much, thank you, thank you. it is good to be home. [cheering and applauding] >> president obama: wow. all right, thank you. everybody sit down, thank you.

you can tell -- you can tell that i am a lame duck because nobody is following instructions. everybody have a seat. my fellow americans, michelle and i have been so touched by all the well wishes that we have received over the past few week weeks. but tonight, tonight it is my turn to say thank you. whether we have seen eye to eye

or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you, the american people, and living rooms and in schools, at farms, on factory floors, at diners, and on distant military outposts, those conversations are what have kept me honest and kept me inspired. and kept me going. and every day i have learned from you, you made me a better president. and you may be a better man. i first came to chicago when i was in my early 20s. and i was still trying to figure out who i was, still searching for a purpose in my life. and it was a neighborhood not far from here when i began working with church groups in the shadows of closed steel

mills. it was on the streets street we witnessed the power of faith, and the quiet dignity of working people in the face of struggle. and loss. i can't do that. [laughs] this is where i learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved and they get engaged and they come together to demand it. after eight years as their president, i still believe that. and it's not just my belief. it's the beating heart of our american ideas. our bold experiment in self-government.

it is the conviction that we are all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights. among them, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happyness. it is the persistence that these rights, that we, the people, through the instrument of our democracy can form a more perfect union. what a radical idea. the great gift that our founders gave us, the freedom to chase our individual dreams through our sweat and toil and imagination. and the imperative to strive together as one, to achieve a common good, a greater good.

for 240 years, our nation's call to citizenship has given work and purpose to each new generation. it is what led patriots to choose republic over tyranny. pioneers to track west. slaves to break that makeshift road to freedom. it's what pulled refugees across oceans and the rio grande, it's what pushed women to reach for the ballot, it's what powered workers to organize. it is why gis gave their lives on omaha beach, iwo jima. iraq and afghanistan. and why men and women from selma to stonewall were prepared to give theirs as well.

so, that's what we mean when we say america is exceptional. that's why our nation has been flawless from the start but we have shown the capacity to change. and make life better for those who follow. yes, our progress has been uneven. the work of democracy has always been hard. it has always been contentious. sometimes it has been bloodied. for every two steps forward, it often feels we take one step back. but the long sweep of america has been defined by forward motion. a constant widening of our founding creed to embrace all and not just some.

[cheering and applauding] >> president obama: if i had told you eight years ago that america would reverse the great recession, reboot our auto industry and unleash the longest threat of job history, if i had told you that we would open up a new chapter with the cuban people, shut down iran's nuclear weapon program, take out the mastermind of 9/11. if i had told you that we would win marriage equality, and get

health care for another 20 million of our fellow citizens, if i had told you all that, 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. the answers to people's hopes and because of you, by almost every measure, america is a better, stronger place than it was when we started. in ten days, the world will witness a hallmark of our

democracy. [booing] >> president obama: no, no, no. the peaceful transition of power from one freely elected president to the next. [cheering and applauding] >> president obama: i committed to president-elect trump the smoothest possible transition just as resident bush did for me. because it is up to all of us to make sure our government can help us meet the many challenges we still face. we have what we need to do so. we have everything we need to meet those challenges. after all, we remain the wealthiest, most powerful and most respected nation on earth. our youth, our drive, our

diversity, our boundless capacity for reinvention means that the future should be ours. but that potential will only be realized if our democracy works. only if our politics better reflects the decency of our people. only if all of us, regardless of party affiliation or particular interests, help restore common purpose that we so badly need right now. and that's what i want to focus on tonight. the state of our democracy. understand democracy does not require uniformity. our founders argued, eventually

they compromised. they expected us to do the same. but they knew that democracy does require a basic sense of solidarity. the idea that for all our outward differences, we are all in this together. that we rise or fall as one. there have been moments throughout our history that threatened that solidarity. in the beginning of the century, it was one of those times. a shrinking world, growing inequality, demographic change and the spectrum of terrorism. they haven't just threatened our

security and prosperity, but they are testing our democracy as well. and how we meet these challenges to our democracy will determine our ability to educate our kids and create good jobs, and protect our homeland. in other words, it will determine our future. to begin with our democracy won't work without a sense that everyone has economic opportunity. the good news is that today the economy is growing again, wages, incomes, values, retirement, poverty is falling again. the wealthy are paying a fair share of taxes, even as the stock market shatters records. the unemployment rate is near a 10-year low, the uninsured rate

has never, ever been lower. [cheering and applauding] >> president obama: health care costs are rising at the slowest rate in 50 years and i've said and i mean it -- if anyone can put together a plan that is better than the improvements we've made to our health care system that covers as many people at a lesser cost, i will publicly support it. because that, after all, is why we serve. not to score points or take credit, but to make people's lives better. but for all the real progress

that we make, we know it is not enough. our economy doesn't work as well or grow as fast when a few prosper the cost of the middle class, that's a the economic argument but start inequality is also the democratic idea. the top 1% has amassed a bigger share of wealth and income, too many of our families and inner cities and in rural counties have been left behind. the laid-off factory workers, the waitress, or health care worker who is just barely getting by and struggling to pay the bills. convinced that the game is fixed against them, that their government only serves the interest of the powerful. that is a recipe for more cynicism and polarization in our politics.

there are no quick fixes to this long-term trend. i agree, our trade should be fair and not just free. but the next wave of economic dislocations will not come from overseas, it will come from the relentless pace of autumn is asian that makes a lot of good middle-class jobs obsolete and so we are going to have to force a new social construct, to give our kids the social needs. to update reforms to the tax code, so individuals who reap the most from this new economy don't avoid their obligations to the country that has made their very success possible. we can argue about how to best

achieve these goals. but we can't be complacent about the goals themselves. for if we don't create opportunity for all people, the disaffection and division that has stalled our progress will only sharpen in years to come. there is a second threat to our democracy and this one is is old as our nation itself. after my election, there was talk of a post-racial america. in such a vision, however well intended, it was never realisti realistic. race remains a potent and often divisive force in our society. now, i have lived long enough to know that racial relations are

better than they were ten or 20 or 30 years ago, no matter what anyone says. you see it in the attitudes of young americans across the political spectrum. but we are not where we need to be. and all of us have more work to do. if every economic issue is framed as a struggle between a hard-working white middle class and an undeserving minority, then workers of all shades are going to be left fighting for scraps while the wealthy withdraw further into their private on clubs. and if we are unwilling to invest in the children of immigrants just

because they don't look like us, we will diminish the prospects of our own children because those brown kids will represent a larger and larger share of american workforce. and we have shown that our economy does not have to be a zero-sum game. last year, incomes rose for all races. all age groups. for men and for women. so, if we are going to be serious about race going forwar forward, we need to uphold laws against discrimination in hiring and in housing and in education and in the criminal justice system. that is what our how highest ideals require.

but laws alone won't be enough. hearts must change. they won't change overnight, social attitudes often times take generations to change but if our democracy is to work the way it should in this increasingly diverse nation, then each one of us need to try to heat the advice of a great character in american fiction. atticus finch. who said, "you never really understand a person until you can see something from his point of view. until you climb into his skin and walk around in it" ." for blacks and other minority groups, that means tying our own very real stop ohmic struggles for justice to the challenges that a lot of people in this country face. not only the refugees or the immigrants or the rural poor or

the transgender american but also the middle-aged white guy who from the outside, may seem like he's got advantages, but has seen his world offended by economic and cultural and technological change. we have to pay attention and listen. for white americans that need acknowledging that the effects of slavery and jim crow didn't suddenly vanish in the '60s, but one when minority groups vd discontent, they are not just in reverse racism or political practice, when they wage peaceful protests, they are not demanding special treatment but equal treatment that our founders promised.

for nativeborn americans -- [cheering and applauding] >> president obama: for nativeborn americans, it means reminding ourselves that the stereotypes about immigrants today were said almost word for word about the irish, and italians, and polish, who said they were going to destroy the fundamental character of america. and as it turned out, america wasn't weakened by the presence of these newcomers, these newcomers embraced this nation's creed and this nation was strengthened. so regardless of the station that we occupy, we all have to

try harder. we all have to start with the premise that each of our fellow citizens love this country just as much as we do. that they value hard work and family just like we do. that their children are just as curious and hopeful and worthy of love as our own. and that is not easy to do. for too many of us, it has become safer to retreat into our own bubbles. whether in our neighborhoods, or on college campuses, or places of worship, or especially our social media feeds. surrounded by people who look like us and share the same political outlooks and never challenge our assumptions.

in the rise of naked partisanship, increasing economic and regional stratification, a channel for every taste, all of this makes this great sorting seem natural. even inevitable. and increasingly, we become so secure in our bubbles that we start accepting only information -- whether it's true or not -- that fits our opinions instead of basing our opinions on the evidence that is out there. and this trend represents a third threat to our democracy. politics is a battle of ideas. that is how our democracy was designed.

in the course of a healthy debate, we prioritize different goals and the different means of reaching them. but without some common baselin baseline, without unwillingness to admit new information, and conceive that your opponents might be making a fair point, and that science and reason matter, then we are going to keep talking past each other. and will make it come, common ground and compromise impossible. isn't that part of what so often makes politics dispiriting? how can elected officials rage about deficits when we propose to send max spend money on preschool for kids but not when we are cutting wages for worker workers. how do we pounce when the other

party does what we pass for our own party? the selective sorting of sorts, it is self-defeating. because as my mom used to tell me, reality has a way of catching up with you. take the challenge of climate change. in just eight years, we have our dependence on foreign oil, we've led the world to an agreement on a promise to save this planet. but without bolder action, our children won't have time to debate the existence of climate change. they will be busy dealing with its effects.

more environmental disasters, more economic disruptions, waves of climate refugees seeking sanctuary. now, we can and should argue about the best approach to solve the problem. but to simply deny the problem not only betrays future generations, it betrays the essential spirit of this country. the essential spirit of innovation and practical problem-solving that guided our founders. [cheering and applauding] >> president obama: it is that spirit born of the enlightenment that made us an economic powerhouse. the spirit that took flight at kitty hawk and cape canaveral,

the spirit the cured disease and put a computer in every pocket. it is that spirit, a face in reason and enterprise, right over might that allowed us to resist the lure of fascism and tyranny. during the great depression. that allowed us to build a post-world war ii order with other democracies, and order based not just on military power or national affiliations but built on principles, the rule of law, human rights. freedom of religion and the speech and assembly and press. that order is now being challenged. first by violent fanatics, who claim to speak for islam, more

recently by autocrats in foreign capitals who seek free markets and open democracies and civil society itself as a threat to their power. the peril each poses to our democracy is more far-reaching than a car bomb or a missile. they represent the fear of change, the fear of people who look or speak or pray different. a contempt for the rule of law that holds leaders accountable. an intolerance of dissent and free thought. the belief that the sword or the gun or the bomb or the propaganda machine is the ultimate arbiter of what is true and what is right.

because of the extraordinary courage of our men and women in uniform, because of our intelligence officers and law enforcement and diplomats who support our troops, no foreign terrorist organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland in these past eight years. and although boston and orlando and san bernardino and fort hood remind us of how dangerous radicalization can be, our law enforcement agencies are more effective and diligent than ever. we've taken out tens of thousands of terrorists, including bin laden. the global coalition we are leading my

soul thematic isil it has been the honor of my life, to be your commander-in-chief. and we all owe you deep, deep gratitude. [cheering and applauding] but protecting our way of life, that is not just the job of our military. democracy can buckle when it gives into fear. so just as we, as citizens, must remain vigilant against external aggression, we must guard

against a weakening of the values that make us who we are. and that is why for the past eight years i have worked to put the fight against terrorism on a firmer, legal foot. that is why we have ended torture, worked to close gitmo, reformed our laws governing surveillance to protect privacy and civil liberty. that is why i reject discrimination against muslim americans. who are just as patriotic as you are. that is why we cannot withdraw

from the global fight to expand democracy and human rights and women's rights, and lgbt rights. no matter how imperfect our efforts, no matter how expedient ignoring such values may seem, that's part of defending americ america. for the fight against extremism and intolerance and sectarianism and chauvinism, or the the fight against authoritarianism and nationalist aggression. if the scope of freedom and respect for the rule of law spreads around the world, the likelihood of war around nations increases.

and our nation will be threatened. so let's be vigilant, but not afraid. isil will try to kill innocent people. but they cannot defeat america unless we betray our constitution and our principles in the fight. rivals like russia cannot match our influence around the world unless we give up what we stand for. and turn ourselves into just another big country that bullies smaller neighbors. which brings me to my final point. our democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted. [cheering and applauding] >> president obama: all of us,

regardless of party should be throwing ourselves into the cast of rebuilding our democratic institutions. when voting rates are some of the lowest and advanced democracies, we should be making it easier, not harder to vote. when trust in our institutions is low, we should reduce the corrosive influence of money in our politics and insist on the principles of transparency and ethics in public service. when congress is dysfunctional, we should draw our congressional districts to encourage politicians to cater to common sense and not rigid extremes.

but remember, none of this happens on its own. all of this depends on our participation. on each of us accepting the responsibility of citizenship. regardless of which way the pendulum of power happens to be swinging. our constitutions is a remarkable, beautiful gift. but it is really just a piece of parchment. it has no power on its own. we, the people, give it power. we the people give it meaning. with our participation and with the choices that we make. and the alliances that we forge.

whether or not we stand up for our freedom, whether or not we expect and enforce the rule of law, that is up to us. america is no fragile thing, but the gains of our long journey to freedom are not assured. in his own farewell address, george washington wrote that self-government is the underpinning of our safety, prosperity, and liberty. but, from different causes and from different quarters, much pains will be taken to weaken in your mind the conviction of this truth. and if so, we have to preserve this truth with zealous anxiety, that we should reject the first dawning of every alienation of our country from the rest.

or the sacred ties that make us one. [cheering and applauding] >> president obama: america, we weaken those ties will wille allow our political dialogue to become so corrosive the people of good character are not even willing to enter into public service. americans with whom we disagree are seen and not just as misguided but as malevolent. we weaken those ties when we define some of us as more american than others. when we write off the whole system as inevitably corrupt. and when we sit back and blame the leaders we elect without examining our own role in electing them.

it calls to each of us to be those anxious, jealous guardians of our democracy. to embrace the joyous task we've been given, to continually try to improve this great nation of ours. because, for all our outward differences, we in fact all share the same proud title. the most important part of democracy, citizen. citizen. so, you see, that is what our democracy demands.

it needs you. not just when there is an election, not just when your own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full span of a lifetim lifetime. if you are tired of arguing with strangers on the internet, try talking with one of them in real life. [cheering and applauding] >> president obama: if something needs fixing, then lace up your shoes and do some organizing. if you are disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself.

show up, dive in. stay at it. sometimes, you will win. sometimes, you'll lose. preserving a reservoir of goodness in people, that can be a risk. there will be times when the process will disappoint you. but for those of us fortunate enough to have been part of this one, and to see it up close, let me tell you, it can energize and inspire. and more often than not, your faith in america and in americans will be confirmed. mine sure has been. over the course of these eight years, i've seen the the hopeful faces of young graduates, and

our newest military officers. i have mourned with grieving families, searching for answers. and found grace in a charleston church. i have seen our scientists help the paralyzed man regain his see of touch. i've seen warriors who have been given up for dead, walk again. i have seen our doctors and volunteers rebuild after earthquakes and stop pandemics in their tracks. i've seen the youngest of children remind us through their actions and through their generosity of our obligations to care for refugees or work for peace. and above all, to look out for each other.

so that faith that i placed all those years ago, not far from here, ordinarily in ordinary a, that has been regained in ways i cannot possibly imagine. you were there with us, and 2004, in 2008. in 2012. maybe you still can't believe we pulled this whole thing off. let me tell you, you are not the only ones. michelle? [cheering and applauding]

>> president obama: michelle, girl of the southside, for the past 25 years, you have not only been my wife and mother of my children, you have been my best friend. [cheering and applauding] >> president obama: you took on a role you did not ask for. and you made it your own. with grace and with grit and with style, and good humor.

you made the white house up lisa belongs to everybody. and a new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model. so, you have made me proud and you have made the country proud. malia and sasha, under the

strangest of circumstances, you have become to amazing young women, you are smart and you are beautiful but more important, you are kind and you are thoughtful and you are full of passion. you wore the burden of years in the spotlight so easily. of all that i've done in my life, i am most proud to be your dad. to joe biden -- [cheering and applauding]

>> president obama: the scrappy kid from scranton, who became delaware's favorite son. you were the first decision i made as a nominee and it was the best. not just because you have been a great vice president, because in the bargain, i gained a brother. we love you and jill-like family, and your friendship has been one of the great joys of our life. to my remarkable staff. for eight years, and for some of you, a whole lot more, i've drawn from your energy, and everyday i try to reflect back what you displayed.

heart, and character, and idealism. i've watched you grow up, get married, have kids, and start incredible new journeys of your own. even when times got tough and frustrating, you never let washington get the better of yo you. you guarded against cynicism, and the only thing that makes me prouder than all the good that we've done is the thought of all the amazing things that you're going to achieve here. [cheering and applauding] >> president obama: and to all of you out there, every organizer who moved to an unfamiliar town, every kind family who welcomed them in. every volunteer who knocked on doors, every young person who

cast a ballot for the first time, every american who lived and breathed the hard work of change -- you are the best organizers anyone could ever hope for, and i will be forever grateful. because he did change the world. you did. and that is why i leave this stage tonight even more optimistic than when we started. because i know our work has not only helped so many americans, it has inspired so many americans. especially so many young people out there. to believe that you can make a difference. to hitch your wagon to something bigger than yourself. let me tell you, this generation coming up, unselfish, altruistic, creative, patriotic. i have seen you in every corner of the country.

you believe in a fair and just and inclusive america. you know that constant change has been america's hallmark, that is not something to fear but something to embrace. you are willing to carry the hard work of democracy forward. you will soon outnumber all of us, and i believe that the result of our future is in good hands. [cheering and applauding] >> president obama: my fellow americans, it has been the honor of my life to serve you. i won't stop. in fact, i will be right there with you, as a citizen. for all my remaining days. but for now, whether you are young or whether you are young at heart, i do have one final

ask of you as your president. the same thing i asked when you took a chance on me eight years ago. i am asking you to believe. not in my ability to bring about change, but in yours. i am asking you to hold fast to that faith written into our founding documents. that idea whispered by slaves and abolitionists, that spirit sung by immigrants and homesteaders and those who marched for justice. that creed reaffirmed by those who planted flags from foreign battlefields to the surface of the moon. a creed at the core of every american who is that story is not yet written. yes we can. yes we did. yes we can. thank you. god bless you. may god continue to bless the united states of america.

thank you. [cheering and applauding] b-2 and with that, president obama wraps up the final major speech of the eight years of his presidency. >> tucker: 54 minutes just about he went. he said an awful lot. we are here now with bret baier. is that what you are expecting? >> for the most part. president obama can deliver a speech. the there is no doubt about it. running from president but being in that office for eight years, it comes with a lot of perks but it comes with a lot of sacrifice as well. i think you saw the president getting emotional there at the end, talking about his wife and kids over the past eight years. on policy, take some swipes, he didn't do that. failed swipes if you will at the president-elect and some of the policies. he defended his record and he talked about optimism and

looking forward, that americans can come together. that he is found faith in different events throughout his presidency. it is roughly what the white house forecast, he does deliver a speech well. it is a question of whether he can backup all that he said with the facts of the last eight years. >> tucker: what is interesting to me was, and you covered him closely all these eight years, what he said tonight is pretty much an approximation of what he might have said in 2009 or 2010 or any of the intervening years. it wasn't really a sense that a lot has changed during that time, whereas i think outside of the white house, there is a sense that everything is different and everybody is reassessing their previous beliefs. did you get that feeling from his speech tonight? >> i think he has reassessed in a sense, saying that there were people who are hurting. people who are left behind. acknowledging that they didn't go far enough to get things done. and that was something he didn't

really talk about on the campaign trail. that his legacy was on the line in this past election. he now looks forward and says he wants to rebuild not only his party but help rebuild the country to come together going forward. i think there were some amazing lines in the speech, obviously he touched -- it was touching for democrats who had to listen to it, saying good-bye to this president. but i think there are many people looking at this record and saying the reason donald trump was elected was because he didn't hit all the marks. impulsive. >> tucker: that is right. you noted that, to have up to our defense of legacy, to improve race relations, you can raise serious questions about whether he achieved that. it was really speech, he used the word organizer at least three times, may be more than that. to me that sounded like really a

harbinger of what is coming. that he is trying to inspire people to share his worldview. what he is going to do next, which is something very public, isn't it? >> yeah, he is saying lace up your shoes, get the clipboard. if you are talking to people anonymously on the internet, talk to someone in person. he's trying to fire up his party. it is a party in the wilderness when it comes to the politics of where it goes. but the images here of him with his family in chicago, as i mentioned just a few miles away from grant park where he accepted the victory in 2008, for democrats i think it is probably a double-edged sword. there is some sadness but there is also, where it is a party from here? >> tucker: whenever you have a figure as large as him, it is pretty hard to raise up the next

generation of leaders because they are in his shadow. will that be a problem for democrats going forward if he doesn't retreat into the solitude and silence that is the conventional post-presidency? and remains a face of the democratic party? that has massive implications for where the democrats go next, doesn't it? >> it does, and he will have a big role, whether it is endorsement, guidance, this speech was a blueprint forward. but it also was a call to unity, a call to come together and while he did take some swipes at president-elect trump, he also said this is a smooth the transition that will happen. he pledged to do it just like george w. bush did for him. >> tucker: i think that was the part where the audience booed pretty loudly. >> definitely did. but maybe throughout america and the states that didn't vote for hillary clinton, they were happy to hear him at least say that.

>> tucker: stylistically, could you find an order more different from donald trump and barack obama and vice versa? >> no, barack obama is sometimes this person with flowery language. trump is more practical with his delivery and what he is trying to say. i think the pendulum has swung and we will see how the baton and silver in just a few days. >> tucker: since you covered the white house, is there a recognition that as popular as the polls suggest he and his family are personally, this election was really a personal rejection of his legacy. you get the feeling they feel that way? >> they feel very defensive about president obama, they say he leaves with high approval ratings. i don't think that how they

explain the loss is what they talk about. >> tucker: interesting. always worth learning something. bret baier, thanks a lot. that is it for us tonight. 9:00 p.m., we will be back tomorrow. sean hannity is next. don't miss it. >> sean: thanks, tucker. welcome to "hannity." the obama nightmare is finally coming to an end. he just finished giving his farewell address in his hometown of chicago and he is already attempting to rewrite the history books about his failed presidency. we will explain what president obama does not want you to know about the last eight years and how president-elect trump now has the opportunity to fix the mess he is inheriting. that is tonight's opening monologue. we were just watching president obama, boasting about the economy.