President Obama’s Final Press Conference: ‘You’re Supposed to Be Skeptics’
President Barack Obama began his final press conference on Wednesday afternoon by stressing the importance of a free press corps.
“We are accountable to the people who send us here,” Obama said of the presidency. “You’re not supposed to be sycophants. You’re supposed to be skeptics.”
Obama’s comment was a clear dig at President-elect Donald Trump, who has a combative relationship with the press. Trump recently called CNN “fake news” and mentioned that he only uses Twitter to defend himself against the “dishonest media.”
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Obama continued: “Having you in this building has made this place work better.”
The “building” comment could also be interpreted as a dig at Trump, as the incoming administration has mentioned the possibility of moving the press to a separate building on the White House campus in order to accommodate more reporters.
Obama started off his final press conference with one final, famously nerdy joke: “Let me start off by saying I was sorely tempted to wear a tan suit today.”
The joke was a callback to his decision to wear a tan suit during a statement about the terrorist group ISIS back in 2014. At the time, many people had fun with the president’s choice of outfit.
On the future of the country, Obama said, “This is not just a matter of ‘no drama Obama,’ this is what I really believe — I think we’re going to be OK.”
He ended the press conference by wishing the White House press corps “good luck.”
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