Obama pens farewell

Obama pens farewell letter to Americans

It is a tradition for the sitting president to leave a letter to his successor in the Oval Office, but President Barack Obama took the time on his final full day in office to pen a letter to the American populace.

"You made me a better President, and you made me a better man," it said.

In the letter posted on Facebook, he wrote of meeting all types of citizens during his eight years in office, showing him grace, community, strength, and more.

"I've seen you, the American people, in all your decency, determination, good humor, and kindness. And in your daily acts of citizenship, I've seen our future unfolding," he wrote.

The president doubled down on the message he's been pushing of citizen participation in the last few weeks.

He says the American people should "throw ourselves into that work" and that no great change ever happened without hard work. He also made sure readers knew he'd be right there along with them.

"The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word 'We.' 'We the People.' 'We shall overcome.' Yes, we can," he concluded.

He also invited those who'd like to stay connected to join the Barack Obama Foundation mailing list for updates on his and Michelle's post-White House accomplishments.

Obama will leave office January 20 when Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th president.