ET Online; Barack Obama delivered his final formal address as president of the United States on Tuesday with an impassioned, profoundly moving speech that reflected on all the nation has accomplished during the last eight years and the obstacles that lay ahead.
Obama, who spent much of his speech encouraging political involvement and warning against complacency, also shared his thanks with the people in his life who helped him the most over his two terms in office -- First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters, Sasha and Malia.
Michelle – for the past twenty-five years, you’ve been not only my wife and mother of my children, but my best friend," an emotional Obama said to his wife. "You took on a role you didn’t ask for and made it your own with grace and grit and style and good humor. You made the White House a place that belongs to everybody. And a new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model. You’ve made me proud. You’ve made the country proud."
Addressing his daughters, the President praised them for how they've handled growing up "under the strangest of circumstances" and in the public eye, sharing, "Of all that I’ve done in my life, I’m most proud to be your dad."
Obama also shared his appreciation with his vice president and good friend, Joe Biden, telling the 74-year-old veteran politician, "You were the first choice I made as a nominee, and the best. Not just because you have been a great vice president, but because in the bargain, I gained a brother."
Throughout his elegant and deftly delivered oration, celebrities, politicians and journalists took to Twitter and Instagram to share their love for the outgoing president, as well as the class and statesmanship he brought to the White House.
While Obama only briefly mentioned President-Elect Donald Trump by name, it was clear that much of his speech was aimed at the fear and trepidation many Americans are feeling at the prospect of his impending reign. That concern regarding the incoming president was evident in many posts.
However, it was Obama's inspiring words and call to action -- along with his promise that he won't stop fighting for the country and for freedom, even as a private citizen -- that seemed to invigorate people the most, especially when he concluded his speech with the motivating words that became the slogan of his first presidential campaign in 2004: "Yes we can!"
Celebrities reacted to POTUS's speech, check them out;
