President Obama will give a farewell address next week from Chicago, his hometown, most likely his last chance to defend his legacy directly to the country before Donald J. Trump is sworn in, the White House announced on Monday.
The address is set for the evening of Jan. 10 at McCormick Place, a hulking convention center overlooking Lake Michigan. In an email to supporters, Mr. Obama said the speech would give him “a chance to say thank you for this amazing journey, to celebrate the ways you’ve changed this country for the better these past eight years, and to offer some thoughts on where we all go from here.”
Since Mr. Trump beat Hillary Clinton in November, many of Mr. Obama’s accomplishments appear at risk, notably the Affordable Care Act that Mr. Trump has said he is intent on rolling back. In an effort to unify Democrats around protecting the health care legislation, Mr. Obama is scheduled to travel to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with lawmakers from his party.
