“But we’re not where we need to be. All of us have more work to do. After all, if every economic issue is framed as a struggle between a hardworking white middle class and undeserving minorities, then workers of all shades will be left fighting for scraps while the wealthy withdraw further into their private enclaves. If we decline to invest in the children of immigrants, just because they don’t look like us, we diminish the prospects of our own children – because those brown kids will represent a larger share of America’s workforce,” Obama said.
Obama also talked about foreign policy and how foreign powers can also be a threat to US democracy.
“So let’s be vigilant, but not afraid. ISIL will try to kill innocent people. But they cannot defeat America unless we betray our Constitution and our principles in the fight. Rivals like Russia or China cannot match our influence around the world – unless we give up what we stand for, and turn ourselves into just another big country that bullies smaller neighbors,” Obama said, clearly referring to US intelligence agencies confirming that Russia hacked the US elections to Trump’s advantage.
Trump has publicly expressed his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and has dismissed claims of any hacking. In fact, Trump has done it very publicly, thanks to his prolific use of microblogging site Twitter, which appears to be the President-elect’s favourite means of communication.
The internet – and the misinformation it spreads – was never more evident than it was during these US elections. Joking about that was something Obama couldn’t resist.
