In valedictory speech, Obama takes note of values he sought in office
ATHENS — President Barack Obama extolled the strengths of democracy from its Greek birthplace on Wednesday in a valedictory speech aimed at highlighting the values he sought to respect in office and prodding his Republican successor, Donald Trump, to follow suit.
On a farewell trip to Europe, Obama tried to reassure allies that core US priorities, including a commitment to the Nato military alliance, would continue under Trump, despite the New York businessman’s campaign trail statements that called that commitment into question.
Obama portrayed the United States as an example of democracies prizing the peaceful transfer of power, even when ideas between the incoming and outgoing leaders
The next american president and I could not be more different, We have very different points of view, but american democracy is bigger than any one person
Barack Obama, US president
are opposed.
“The next American president and I could not be more different,” he said to an audience in Athens. “We have very different points of view, but American democracy is bigger than any one person.”
Obama took care of some local business in his speech. He urged creditors to help Greece dig out of its mountain of debt and called on young people to stay in the country to spur its economic recovery.
But his broader message extended beyond Athens.
Step-by-step, Obama listed the values of US democracy that he and fellow Democrats in the United States have accused Trump of violating during his presidential campaign, an implicit call on his successor to change course. In the same way that democracies are based on the peaceful resolution of disagreements within society, so cooperation is the best way to resolve conflicts with nations, he said.
“That’s how with diplomacy we were able to shut down Iran’s nuclear weapons programme without firing a shot (and) with diplomacy the United States opened relations with Cuba,” Obama said.