00:00My fellow Americans, I'm speaking to you tonight from the Oval Office.
00:05Before I begin, let me speak to important news from earlier today.
00:10After eight months of non-stop negotiation, by my administration, a ceasefire and a hostages
00:18deal has been reached by Israel and Hamas, the elements of which I laid out in great detail
00:24in May of this year. This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely
00:31implemented by the incoming administration. That's why I told my team to keep the incoming
00:37administration fully informed, because that's how it should be, working together as Americans.
00:44This will be my final address to you from the American people from the Oval Office,
00:48from this desk as President. And I've been thinking a lot about who we are and maybe
00:54more importantly, who we should be. Long ago in New York Harbor, an iron worker installed
01:02beam after beam, day after day. He was joined by steel workers, stone masons, engineers.
01:09They built not just a single structure, but a beacon of freedom. The very idea of America was
01:16so big, we felt the entire world needed to see. The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France after
01:24our civil war. Like the very idea of America, it was built not by one person, but by many people
01:31from every background and from around the world. Like America, the Statue of Liberty is not
01:38standing still. Her foot literally steps forward atop a broken chain of human bondage. She's on
01:46the march and she literally moves. She's built the sway back and forth to withstand the fury
01:53of stormy weather, to stand the test of time because storms are always coming.
01:59She sways a few inches, but she never falls into the current below. An engineering marvel.
02:05The Statue of Liberty is also an enduring symbol of the soul of our nation.
02:11A soul shaped by forces that bring us together and by forces that pull us apart.
02:16And yet through good times and tough times, we've withstood it all. A nation of pioneers and
02:22explorers, of dreamers and doers, of ancestors native to this land, of ancestors who came by
02:30force. A nation of immigrants came to build a better life. A nation holding the torch of the
02:38most powerful idea ever in the history of the world, that all of us, all of us are created equal.
02:46That all of us deserve to be treated with dignity, justice, and fairness. That democracy
02:54must defend and be defined and be imposed, moved in every way possible.
03:03Our rights, our freedoms, our dreams. But we know the idea of America, our institution,
03:10our people, our values that uphold it are constantly being tested.
03:15Ongoing debates about power and the exercise of power,
03:19but whether we lead by the example of our power or the power of our example,
03:25whether we show the courage to stand up to the abuse of power or we yield to it.
03:31After 50 years at the center of all of this, I know that believing in the idea of America
03:38means respecting the institutions that govern a free society. The presidency, the Congress,
03:46the courts, a free and independent press. Institutions that are rooted,
03:53they just might not reflect the timeless words, but they echo the words of the Declaration of
04:01Independence. We hold these truths to be self-evident. Rooted in the timeless words
04:07of the Constitution, we, the people. Our system of separation of powers,
04:14checks and balances, it may not be perfect, but it's maintained our democracy for nearly 250 years,
04:22longer than any other nation in history that's ever tried such a bold experiment.
04:28In the past four years, our democracy has held strong.
04:32And every day I've kept my commitment to be president for all Americans.
04:36Through one of the toughest periods in our nation's history,
04:40I've had a great partner and Vice President Kamala Harris. It's been the honor of my life
04:46to see the resilience of essential workers getting us through a once-in-a-century pandemic.
04:52The heroism of service members and first responders keeping us safe.
04:57The determination of advocates standing up for our rights and our freedoms
05:02instead of losing their jobs to an economic crisis that we inherited. Millions of Americans
05:09now have the dignity of work. Millions of entrepreneurs and companies creating new
05:14businesses and industries, hiring American workers, using American products.
05:21Together, we've launched a new era of American possibilities.
05:26One of the greatest modernizations of infrastructure in our entire history,
05:30from new roads, bridges, clean water, affordable high-speed Internet for every American.
05:37We invented the semiconductor, smaller than the tip of my little finger,
05:42and now it's bringing those chip factories and those jobs back to America where they belong,
05:47creating thousands of jobs. Finally, giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription
05:54drug prices for millions of seniors. And finally, doing something to protect our children
06:01and our families by passing the most significant gun safety law in 30 years
06:07and bringing violent crime to a 50-year low, meeting our sacred obligation to over 1 million
06:13veterans so far who are exposed to toxic materials and to their families, providing medical care and
06:21education benefits and more for their families. You know, it will take time to feel the full
06:29impact of all we've done together, but the seeds are planted and they'll grow and they'll bloom
06:35for decades to come. At home, we've created nearly 17 million new jobs more than any other single
06:42administration in a single term. More people have healthcare than ever before. And overseas,
06:49we've strengthened NATO. Ukraine is still free. And we've pulled ahead of our competition with
06:55China and so much more. I'm so proud of how much we've accomplished together for the American
07:02people. And I wish the incoming administration success because I want America to succeed.
07:10That's why I've held my duty to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition of power,
07:16to ensure we lead by the power of our example.
07:20I have no doubt that America is in a position to continue to succeed.
07:24That's why my farewell address tonight, I want to warn the country of some things that give me
07:29great concern. This is a dangerous con- and that's a dangerous concentration of power
07:36in the hands of a very few ultra-wealthy people. The dangerous consequences,
07:42if their abuse of power is left unchecked. Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme
07:50wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic
07:55rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead. We see the consequences all across
08:03America, and we've seen it before. More than a century ago, the American people stood up
08:11to the robber barons back then and busted the trusts. They didn't punish the wealthy,
08:18just made the wealthy pay by the rules everybody else had to.
08:22Workers want rights to earn their fair share. You know, they were dealt into the deal
08:29and helped put us on a path to building the largest middle class, the most prosperous century
08:35any nation in the world has ever seen. We've got to do that again. The last four years,
08:42that is exactly what we've done. People should be able to make as much as they can, but pay,
08:48play by the same rules, pay their fair share of taxes. So much is at stake. Right now,
08:56the existential threat of climate change has never been clear. Just look across the country,
09:03from California to North Carolina. That's why I signed the most significant climate and clean
09:09energy law ever, ever in the history of the world, and the rest of the world is trying to model it
09:14now. It's working, creating jobs and industries of the future. Now, we've proven we don't have
09:21to choose between protecting the environment and growing the economy. We're doing both.
09:28The powerful forces want to wield their unchecked influence to eliminate the steps we've taken
09:33to tackle the climate crisis, to serve their own interest for power and profit.
09:40We must not be bullied into sacrificing the future, the future of our children and our
09:45grandchildren. We must keep pushing forward and push faster. There's no time to waste.
09:53It's also clear that American leadership in technology is unparalleled, an unparalleled
09:59source of innovation that can transform lives. We see the same dangers of a concentration of
10:06technology, power, and wealth. You know, as farewell address, President Eisenhower
10:13spoke of the dangers of the military-industrial complex. He warned us then about, and I quote,
10:19the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power, end of quote. Six days,
10:27six decades later, I'm equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech-industrial complex
10:34that could pose real dangers for our country as well. Americans are being buried under an
10:41avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power. The free press is
10:48crumbling. Editors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact-checking.
10:55The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit. We must hold the social platforms
11:02accountable to protect our children, our families, and our very democracy from the abuse of power.
11:11Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is the most consequential technology of our time,
11:18perhaps of all time. Nothing offers more profound possibilities and risks for our economy
11:26and our security, our society, for humanity. Artificial intelligence even has the potential
11:34to help us answer my call to end cancer as we know it. But unless safeguards are in place,
11:40AI could spawn new threats to our rights, our way of life, to our privacy,
11:46how we work, and how we protect our nation. We must make sure AI is safe and trustworthy
11:52and good for all humankind. In the age of AI, it's more important than ever that the people
12:00must govern. And as the land of liberty, America, not China, must lead the world in the development
12:09of AI. You know, in the years ahead, it'll help to be – it's going to be up to the president,
12:17the presidency, the Congress, the courts, the free press, and the American people to confront
12:23these powerful forces. We must reform the tax code, not by giving the biggest tax cuts to
12:29billionaires, but by making them begin to pay their fair share. We need to get dark money. That's that
12:35hidden funding behind too many campaign contributions. We need to get it out of
12:39our politics. We need to enact an 18-year time limit, term limit, time and term,
12:46for the strongest ethics and the strongest ethical reforms for our Supreme Court. We need to ban
12:52members of Congress from trading stock while they're in the Congress. We need to amend the
12:58Constitution to make clear that no president – no president is immune from crimes that he or she
13:05commits while in office. The president's power is not limited. It's not absolute. And it shouldn't be.
13:13And in a democracy, there's another danger to the concentration of power and wealth.
13:19It erodes a sense of unity and common purpose. It causes distrust and division.
13:27Participating in our democracy becomes exhausting and even disillusioning.
13:32And people don't feel like they have a fair shot. We have to stay engaged in the process.
13:38I know it's frustrating. A fair shot is what makes America, America.
13:44Everyone's entitled to a fair shot. Not a guarantee, but just a fair shot. An even playing field.
13:51Going as far as your hard work and talent can take you.
13:55We can never lose that essential truth. We remain who we are.
13:59I've always believed, and I've told other world leaders, America can be defined by one word.
14:06Possibilities. Only in America do we believe anything is possible.
14:13Like a kid with a stutter from a modest beginning in Scranton, Pennsylvania,
14:17in Claymont, Delaware, sitting behind this desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States.
14:24That's the magic of America. It's all around us.
14:28Upstairs in the residence of the White House, I've walked by a painting of the Statue of Liberty
14:34I don't know how many times. In the painting, there are several workers climbing on the
14:40outstretched arm of the statue that holds the torch. It reminds me every day I pass it
14:47of the story and soul of our nation and the power of the American people.
14:54There's a story of a veteran. This is a veteran, the son of an immigrant,
14:58whose job was to climb that torch and polish the amber panes so rays of light could reach
15:05out as far as possible. He was known as the keeper of the flame. He once said of the Statue
15:12of Liberty, quote, speaks a silent universal language, one of hope that anyone who seeks
15:21and speaks freedom can understand. Yes, we sway back and forth to withstand the fury of the storm,
15:29to stand the test of time, a constant struggle, constant struggle, a short distance between
15:36peril and possibility. But what I believe is the America of our dreams is always closer than we
15:44think. It's up to us to make our dreams come true. Let me close by stating my gratitude to so
15:52many people. To the members of my administration, as well as public service and first responders
15:58across the country and around the world, thank you for stepping up to serve. To our service members
16:06and your families, it's been the highest honor of my life to lead you as Commander-in-Chief
16:13and, of course, to Kamala and her incredible partner,
16:17a historic Vice President. She and Doug have become like family. To me, family is everything.
16:25My deepest appreciation to our amazing First Lady, who's with me in the Ovals today,
16:31for our entire family. You're the love of my life and the life's of my love.
16:38My eternal thanks to you, the American people.
16:42After 50 years of public service, I give you my word. I still believe in the idea
16:49for which this nation stands, a nation where the strengths of our institutions
16:54and the character of our people matter and must endure. Now it's your turn to stand guard.
17:02May you all be the keeper of the flame. May you keep the faith. I love America. You love it, too.
17:09God bless you all. May God protect our troops. Thank you for this great honor.
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