State of the Union 2016: Will Obama shape his legacy, like other two-term presidents?
- 8 years ago
After leading the United States for seven years, President Obama on Tuesday night will deliver his final State of the Union address -- perhaps his last great opportunity to command the nation's attention.
The annual address, typically delivered before a joint session of Congress, usually gives the president an opportunity to encourage Congress and the American public to embrace his policy agenda.
However, for a president at the end of his second term, the State of the Union gives him a chance to define his legacy in his own terms and make the case that the next president should build on that legacy.
President Obama intends to do that by arguing that he has left the United States poised for a bright future.
"There is no country in the world that is better positioned to capitalize on the kind of opportunities we see, whether it relates to our national security or it relates to our economy than the United States of America," White House spokesman Josh Earnest explained Monday.
The annual address, typically delivered before a joint session of Congress, usually gives the president an opportunity to encourage Congress and the American public to embrace his policy agenda.
However, for a president at the end of his second term, the State of the Union gives him a chance to define his legacy in his own terms and make the case that the next president should build on that legacy.
President Obama intends to do that by arguing that he has left the United States poised for a bright future.
"There is no country in the world that is better positioned to capitalize on the kind of opportunities we see, whether it relates to our national security or it relates to our economy than the United States of America," White House spokesman Josh Earnest explained Monday.