Ive said before, i think we made some useful contributions to it, but the primaryni heros n this stage of our growth that is a democracy and as a society are all the individual activists and and sons and daughters and couples who courageousxdly said, this is who i am and im proud of it. And that opened peoples minds, and opened their hearts and eventually was caught up, but i dont think any that have would have happened without the activism in some cases loud and nowco see, but izi some cases jt quiet stand very personal. And i think that what we did as an administration was to help the societynr to move in aco ber direction but to do soni in a wy that didnt create enormous backlash and was systematic and respectful of the fact that in some cases these issues were controversial. I think the way we handled for example, dont ask dont tell being methodical about it, working with the joint chiefs, making sure we showed that this would not have an impact on thei effectiveness of the greatest military on earth. And then to have defense secretary bob gates and a chairman in mike mullin the joint chiefs who were open to evidence and ultimately worked with me to do the right thing, i am proud of that. But again, none that have would have happened without this incredible transformation that was happen ink society. When i gave ellen the president ial medal of freedom, i meant what i said. I think somebody that kind and likable projecting into living rooms around the country, that changed attitudes. And that wasnt easy to do for her. And thats just one small example of what was happening in countless communities all across the country. So im proud that in certain places we maybe provided a good block down field to help the movement advance. I dont think it is something that will be reversible because American Society has changed, the attitudes of young people in particular have changed. That doesnt mean there arent going to be some fights that are important, legal issues, issues surrounding transgender persons there are still going to be battle, is that need to take place. But if you talk to young people, malia, sashas generation, even if theyre republicans, conservative, many will tell you, i dont understand how you would discriminate against somebody because of sexual orientation. That is just sort of burned into them in pretty powerful ways. April . Thank you, mr. President. Long before today youve been considered a under your watch people have said that you have expanded the rubberband of inclusion and with the election and the Incoming Administration saying that rubberband is its even broken. Im thinking back to a time when air force one went to selma, alabama, where you said your job was to with that what gaps still remain of issues on the table and what part will you play in fixing those gaps in your new life. And lastly, you are the first black president. Do you expect this country to [ inaudible ] ill answer the last question first. I think were going to see people of merit rise up from every race, faith corner of this country. Thats americas strength. When we have everybody getting a chance, everybody is on the field, we end up being better. I think ive used this analogy before. We killed it in the olympics. In brazil. And michelle and i we always have the olympic team here and its a lot of fun, first of all, just because any time youre meeting somebody who is the best at anything its impressive. And these mostly very young people are all just so healthy looking and they just beam and exude fitness and health. So we have a great time talking to them. But they are of all shapes, sizes, colors, the genetic diversity that is on display is remarkable. And if you look at simon biles then look at michael phelps, theyre completely different and its precisely because of those differences that weve got people here who can excel at any sport. And, by the way, more than half of our medals came from women. And the reason is because we had the foresight several decades ago with something called title 9 to make sure that women got opportunities in sports, which is why our women compete better because they have more opportunities than folks in other countries. So, i use that as a metaphor and if in fact we continue to keep opportunity open to everybody, were going to have a woman president , latino president , well have a jewichz president ,o hindu president , who knows who were going to have. I suspect well have whole bunch of mixed up president s at some point, but nobody really knows what to call them. And thats fine. What do i worrynr about . I obviously spend a lot of time on this, april, at my address on tuesday so i wont go through the whole list. I worry about inequality because i think that if we are not investing in making sure everybody plays a role in this economy, the economy will not move as fast and i think it will also lead to furth jn and furthr separation between us as americans. Not just along racial lines, there are whole bunch of folks who voted for the president elect because they feel forgotten stand disenfranchised. They feel as if theyre being looked down on, they feel like their kids arent going to have the same opportunities as they did. And you dont want to have an america in which a very small sliver of people are doing really well and everybody else is fighting for scraps, as i said last week. Because thats oftentimes when racial divisions get magnified. People think, well, only way i get ahead if i make sure somebody else gets less, somebody who doesnt look like me or doesnt worship in the same place i do. Thats not a good recipe for our democracy. I worry about, as i said in response to a previous question, machinery of our democracy works better. We are the only country in the advanced world that makes it hard tore vote rather than easier. And that dates back, theres an ugly history to that that we should not be shy about talking about. Yes, im talking about voting rights. The reason that we are the only country among advanced democracies that makes it harder to vote is, traces directly back to jim crow. And the legacy of slavery. And if he became acceptable to restrict the franchise. And thats not who we are, that shouldnt be who we are, that is not when America Works best. I hope that people pay a lot of attention to making sure that everybody has a chance to vote, make it easier, not harder. This whole notion of election of voting fraudni, this is something that is constantly been this is fake news. The notion that there whole bunch of people out there who are going out there and are not eligible to vote and want to vote. We are have the opposite problem, people who are eligible to vote who dont vote. So the idea that we put in place a whole bunch of barriers to people voting doesnt make sense, i said before, political jury remaundering because politics decide that you live in a district where everybody votes the same way you do soco these arent competitive races. And we get 90 democratic districts, 0 republican districts. Thats bad for democracy, too, i worry about that. I think it is very important for us to make sure that our criminal Justice System is fair and just, but i also think its also very important to make sure that it is not politicized, that it maintains an integrity that is outside of partisan politics at every level. I think at some point were going to have to spend this will require some action by the supreme court, we have to reexamine just the flood of endless money that goes into our politics, which i think is very unhealthy. Whole bunch of things i worry about there. And as i said in my speech on tuesday, we got more work to do on race. It is not it is simply not true that things have gotten worse, they havent. Thing are getting better. I have more confidence on racial issues in the next generation than i do in our generation or the previous generation. I think kids are smarter about it, theyre more tolerant, they are more inclusive by instinct and we are. Hopefully my presidency maybe helped that along a little bit. When we feel stress, when we feel pressure, when were just fed information that encourages some of our worst instincts we tend to fall back town some of the old racial fears and racial divisions and racial stereotypes and its very hard for us to break out of those. And to think about people as people. And imagine being in that persons shoes. And, by the way, its no longer black and white issue alone, you got hispanic folks and asian folks, this is not just the same old battles, we got this stew thats bubbling up with people from everywhere. Were going to have to make sure that we in our own lives and families and workplaces do a better job of treating everybody with basic respect. And understanding that not everybody starts off in the same situation. And imagining what it would be like if you were born in an innercity and had no job prospects anywhere within 20mile radius. Or how does it feel being born spin rural county where theres no Job Opportunities in 20 mile radius. Seeing those two things connected as opposed to separate. nr we got work to do. But overall i think on this front the trend lines ultimately i think will be good. Christie. Thank you. You are going to get the last question. Ive been knowing her since springfield, illinois. When i was a state senator she listened to what i had to say. The least i can do is give her the last question as president of the united states. There you go. Well, thank you, mr. President. It has been an honor. And i have personal question for you, because i know how much you like that. The first lady put the stakes or the 2016 election in very personal terms in speech that resonated across the country. She really spoke to concerns of women, lgbt folks, people of color, manyni others. So i wonder now how you and the first lady are talking to your daughters about the meaningni of this election and how you interpret it for yourself and for them. You know, every parent brags on their daughters or their sons. If mom and dad dont brag on you, you got problems. co but, man, my daughters are something. And they just surprise and enchant and impress me more and more every single day as they grow up. And these days when we talk we talk as parent to child but also we learn from them. And i think it was really interesting to see how malia and sasha reacted. They were disappointed. They paid attention to that their mom said during the campaign and believed it, because its consistent with what weve tried to teach them in our household. What ive tried to model as a father with their mom and what weve asked them to expect from future boy friends or spouses. But what weve always tried to teach them resilience and hope. And that the only thing that is the end of the world is the end of the world. And so you get knocked down you get up, brush yourself off and you get back to work. And that tended to be their attitude. I think neither of them intend to pursue a future of politics and in that, too, i think their mothers influence shows. But both of them have grown up in an environment where i this they could not helpni but be patriot i can to love this country deeply to see that its flawed, but see that they have responsibilities to fix it. And that they need to be active citizens. And they have to be in a position to talk to their friends and their teachers and their future coworkers in ways to shift this some light as opposed to just generate a lot of sound and fury. And i expect thats what theyre going to do. They do not they dont mope. And what i really am proud of them, but what makes me proudest about them is that they also dont get cynical about it. They have not assumed because their side didnt win or because some of the values that they care about dont seem as if they were vindicated that automatically america had somehow rejected them or rejected theirnr values, i dont think they feel that way. I think they have in part through osmosis and part through dinner time conversation, is that appreciated the fact that this is a big complicated country and democracy is messy and it doesnt always work exactly the way you might want. It doesnt guarantee certain outcomes. But if you are engaged and involved then there are lot more good people than bad in this country. Theres a core decency to this country. That they got to be a part of lifting that up. I expect they will be. In that sense they are representative of this generation that makes me really optimistic. Ive been asked ive had some conversations with some journalists where they said, okay, you seem like youre okay but really, really, what are you thinking . And ive said, no, what im saying really is what i think. I believe in this country. I believe in the americanni people. I believe that people are more good than bad. I believe tragic things happen. I think there is evil in the world but i think that at the end of the day if we work hard and if were true to those things that feel true and feel right that the world gets tattle better teach time. Thats what this presidency has tried to be about. I think that in the young people ive worked with. I couldnt be prouder of them. And so this is not just a matter of no drama obama. This is what i really believe. It is true that behind closed doors i curse more than i do. ni sometimes i get mad. And frustrated like everybody else does. But at my core, i think were going to be okay. We just have to fight for it. We have to work for it and not take it for granted. I know that you will help us do that. Thank you very much, press corps. Good luck pelley leaving the White House Press room for the last time asni president of the unitd states. His 39th White House Press conference and of course the last. Margaret brennan has been listening in on the News Conference there in the Briefing Room, lets go to hear quickly. Margaret . Reporter well, scott, president obama really left it on that note saying that he hopes that his presidency has really been about centering on what he sees as the promise of america, trying to reassure not only his daughters but the American Public that the change that is about to happen in terms of transition of power wont erase the legacy that he has built over the past eight years. Something he says he not only tells himself but he actually believes. It was interesting there to hear his explanation of why he made that surprise decision to reduce the sentence of Chelsea Manning the Army Intelligence analyst who leaked u. S. Secrets that at the time the white house said endangered the lives of americans around the world. But yesterday the president chopped that sentence down to just six years. He said that time served has been enough. nr he doesnt want to have too harsh of a sentence on that front. But he quickly then tried to pivot to others who have endangered National Security saying on those fronts he does see stiffer sentences as needed. When we talked about russia something that i asked him about in terms of president elect offering to lift the sanction, is that mr. Obama just recently put in place against russia in exchange for Nuclear Disarmament efforts, president obama said, look, i wish donald trump luck on that but frankly Vladimir Putin has not gone as far as we have been willing to go in reducing his arms and warned President Trump in a very careful turn not to confuse leverage sanctions as way to get something on the Nuclear Front that would largely endanger global stability as he characterized it. Big nations dont go around pushing around smaller ones. Saying that when it comes to International Norms america, no naturaller who is the president is the biggest player in the world and needs to uphold that global order. So it was theme he came back to there to reporters who havenr packed town this White House Briefing room. Pelley co hang in there with us just a moment as we bring in bob schieffer. Bob, the president said that if you do the right thing the world gets a little bit better every time. Thats what this administration is all about. This was his farewell News Conference. He ended on a good note saying he thinks theres a core decency in this country, thats what were all about. I think to call this a News Conference you might question that. There wasnt a great deal of news here. The needle didnt move very much. But again this was his farewell News Conference. Farewell News Conference. Early on, i thought it was interesting, he took a little dig at the trump transition people talking about moving the press corps out of that room and there is some talk of moving reporters completely out of the white house. He said, you have made this administration stronger by being here in this building. Obviously, he was talking about what the trump people had been talking about. Not many headlines here today, but a very nice kind of a goodbye. He paid tribute to the press. He said, look, i enjoyed working with you but dont take that to mean i liked all the stores you wrote. That was certainly fair and i think that was a today ning for him to say. Pelley margaret, the president went down a list of things he said will continue to trouble him as he moves into the private world, being just another american citizen. He talked about the restrictions on voting in this country, gerrymandering that separates democrats and republicans into various congressional districts around the country, reform in the criminal Justice System and what he called the endless money in politics. Thats right, and when it comes to gerrymandering or those political districts as they are structured, we know that it is something president obama will continue to work on as a private citizen along with his former attorney general eric holder, but i thought it was an interesting if diplomatic way to say to president elect trump, i am respectfully ceding power mere and will stay quiet, but heres what i wont be quiet about. I wont be quiet about institutional efforts, he said, at rolling out discrimination, perhaps the calls for religiousbased registries or bans on certain religious groups when it comes to entering this country, restrictions on the press as bob just pointed out, other fronts will. So i think you saw once again the Community Activist side of president obama not going away, as he leaves office, but, when it comes to using that bully pulp ehind me, he wont have that anymore, but he did say there are certain things that i