Timeline Of The Barack Obama Presidency (2016–2017)
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The following is a timeline of the
presidency of Barack Obama Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican n ...
, from January 1, 2016 to January 20, 2017. For his time as president-elect, see the presidential transition of Barack Obama; for a detailed account of his first months in office, see first 100 days of Barack Obama's presidency; for a complete itinerary of his travels, see list of presidential trips made by Barack Obama.


January 2016

* January 5 – announces an executive order on
gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with on ...
that would require purchased guns to undergo background checks. * January 7 – participates in a town hall meeting regarding gun control entitled ''Guns in America'' at the
George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...
in Fairfax, Virginia, organized by CNN and moderated by
Anderson Cooper Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967) is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator from the Vanderbilt family. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news broadcast show ''Anderson Cooper 360°''. In addition to his duties at C ...
. * January 12 – delivers his final State of the Union Address before a joint session of Congress. * January 15 – holds a live interview with YouTube personalities Adande Thorne,
Destin Sandlin Destin Wilson Sandlin (born September 17, 1981) is an American engineer and science communicator who produces the video series ''Smarter Every Day'' on his YouTube channel of the same name, which was launched in 2007. Sandlin also runs the YouTu ...
and Ingrid Nilsen. * January 16 – signs an executive order lifting some of the economic
sanctions A sanction may be either a permission or a restriction, depending upon context, as the word is an auto-antonym. Examples of sanctions include: Government and law * Sanctions (law), penalties imposed by courts * Economic sanctions, typically a b ...
on Iran. * January 17 – delivers a statement on the Iran nuclear deal framework and the release of four
Iranian-American Iranian Americans are United States citizens or nationals who are of Iranian ancestry or who hold Iranian citizenship. Iranian Americans are among the most highly educated people in the United States. They have historically excelled in busine ...
prisoners from Iran through prisoner exchange. * January 19 − holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia discussing the military intervention against ISIL. * January 20 – visits Detroit's
auto show An auto show, also known as a motor show or car show, is a public exhibition of current automobile models, debuts, concept cars, or out-of-production classics. It is attended by automotive industry representatives, dealers, auto journalists a ...
. * January 27 – meets with Democratic presidential candidate
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
in the
Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the President of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval-shaped room ...
.


February

* February 3 – visits a mosque in
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
, marking his first visit to a mosque in the United States. * February 4 − holds a bilateral meeting and a press conference with President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia, where Obama announced a $450 million plan to fund Plan Colombia. * February 4 − honors the 2015 NBA champion, the
Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
, at the
East Room The East Room is an event and reception room in the Executive Residence, which is a building of the White House complex, the home of the president of the United States. The East Room is the largest room in the Executive Residence; it is used for ...
of the White House. * February 8 − holds a bilateral meeting with President Sergio Mattarella of Italy. * February 9 – releases his final budget proposal for the fiscal year 2017. * February 10 – addresses the Illinois General Assembly in the State Capital Building in Springfield, Il and spoke about political gridlock. * February 13 – issues a statement on the passing of Supreme court Justice
Antonin Scalia Antonin Gregory Scalia (; March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectu ...
* February 15–16 – hosts the first special U.S.-ASEAN Leaders Summit, participating with the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at the
Sunnylands Sunnylands, the former Annenberg Estate, located in Rancho Mirage, California, is a estate currently run by The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, a not-for-profit organization. The property was owned by Walter and Leonore Annenberg ...
estate in Rancho Mirage, California. * February 18 – welcomes the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks to the White House. * February 23 – unveils his plan to close the
Guantanamo Bay detention camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp ( es, Centro de detención de la bahía de Guantánamo) is a United States military prison located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also referred to as Guantánamo, GTMO, and Gitmo (), on the coast of Guant ...
in Caimanera, Cuba. * February 24 − holds a bilateral meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan to discuss ISIS, the Syrian war and refugees and the reducing of tensions in the Middle East. * February 24 – signs H.R. 1428 – Judicial Redress Act of 2015 and H.R. 644 – Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 into law. * February 29 − awards a Medal of Honor to SEAL Team Six member Edward Byers for rescuing an American doctor from the Taliban in Afghanistan in December 2012.


March

* March 10 – welcomes Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the White House for a
state visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...
. * March 10 – The Obamas host a state dinner at the White House for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. * March 15 – holds a bilateral meeting with Taoiseach of Ireland, Enda Kenny. * March 16 – announces Merrick Garland as his nomination to replace the late
Antonin Scalia Antonin Gregory Scalia (; March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectu ...
as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. * March 20 – The President and the First Family travel to Havana, Cuba, to underscore the thaw in
Cuba–United States relations Cuba and the United States restored diplomacy, diplomatic relations on July 20, 2015. Relations had been severed in 1961 during the Cold War. U.S. diplomatic representation in Cuba is handled by the Embassy of the United States, Havana, United ...
following a 54-year rift; Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to visit the country since
Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...
in 1928. * March 21 – holds a bilateral meeting and a joint press conference with President
Raúl Castro Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz (; ; born 3 June 1931) is a retired Cuban politician and general who served as the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, the most senior position in the one-party communist state, from 2011 to 2021, succeedi ...
of Cuba at the
Palace of the Revolution The Palace of the Revolution ( es, Palacio de la Revolución), is a palace in Havana, Cuba within the Plaza de la Revolución that serves as the house of the Cuban government and the First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party. History The ord ...
in Havana. * March 22 – addresses the Cuban people on national television from the Gran Teatro de La Habana in Havana, where he also delivered a statement on the Brussels bombings. * March 22 – The Obamas and President Castro attend an
exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...
baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuba national baseball team at Havana's Estadio Latinoamericano to highlight the two countries' cultural relations. The Rays won the game 4–1. * March 23 – holds a bilateral meeting and a joint press conference with President Mauricio Macri of Argentina at Casa Rosada during a visit to Buenos Aires to discuss improving
Argentina–United States relations Argentina and the United States have maintained bilateral relations since the United States formally recognized the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, the predecessor to Argentina, on January 27, 1823. Relations were severely strained in ...
, following tension in trade and investment between the two countries under Néstor and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's administrations. * March 31 – hosts the
2016 Nuclear Security Summit The 2016 Nuclear Security Summit was a Summit (meeting), summit held in Washington, D.C., United States on March 31 and April 1, 2016. It was the fourth edition of the conference, succeeding the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit. Background The 2 ...
at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., participating with 58 leaders and representatives from around the world to lay out a system of global security against nuclear warfare. * March 31 – On the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit, Obama holds a trilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shinzō Abe of Japan and President Park Geun-hye of South Korea to discuss trilateral cooperation amid
North Korea's nuclear program North Korea has a Korean People's Army, military nuclear weapon program, nuclear weapons program and, as of early 2020, is estimated to have an nuclear arsenal, arsenal of approximately 30 to 40 nuclear weapons and sufficient production of f ...
. * March 31 – holds a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping of China to discuss "global nuclear security cooperation" amid North Korea's nuclear program, as well as "constructive" cooperation regarding the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.


April

* April 4 – meets with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to discuss the alliance's involvement in the military intervention against ISIL (particularly in Libya) and the War in Afghanistan, as well as the Syrian refugee crisis. * April 14 - Obama and Vice President Biden meet with Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama in the Oval Office. * April 20 – holds a bilateral meeting with King Salman of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh to discuss joint action against the
nuclear program of Iran The nuclear program of Iran is an ongoing scientific effort by Iran to research nuclear technology that can be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran has several research sites, two uranium mines, a research reactor, and uranium processing facilit ...
and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the
Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...
and Yemeni crises, as well as to resolve the issue of human rights. * April 21 – participates in a summit meeting with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh to discuss ways of addressing the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and other regional conflicts, including the Syrian and Yemeni crises. * April 22 – The President and the First Lady attend a private lunch with
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle in England to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday. * April 22 – participates in a joint press conference with British Prime Minister
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
at
10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along wi ...
in London, reiterating their campaign for British voters to vote for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union ahead of the referendum on June 23. * April 22 – The President and the First Lady attend a dinner hosted by
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...
, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry at
Kensington Palace Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official L ...
in London, where they also greet
Prince George of Cambridge Prince George of Wales (George Alexander Louis; born 22 July 2013) is a member of the British royal family. He is the eldest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. George is the eldest grandchild of King Charle ...
. * April 23 – participates in a town hall meeting with the British youth at Lindley Hall in London, where he addressed questions regarding political issues like terrorism, trade, and the Northern Ireland peace process, as well as social issues and changes involving LGBT rights, racial inequality (touching on the Black Lives Matter movement), and discrimination towards non-binary gender persons. * April 24 – During a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Hanover, Germany, President Obama announces plans to increase
U.S. military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
presence in Syria to at least 250 personnel to
combat Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...
the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and assist local
Syrian forces The Syrian Arab Armed Forces ( ar, الْقُوَّاتُ الْمُسَلَّحَةُ الْعَرَبِيَّةُ السُّورِيَّةُ, al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥah al-ʿArabīyah as-Sūrīyah) are the military forces of the Syrian Arab R ...
in doing so. * April 25 – becomes the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Hannover Messe, the world's largest industrial fair, which he opened as the U.S. was the "partner country" of the fair. * April 25 – and Chancellor Merkel participate in a multilateral meeting with other European leaders including British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President
François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle from ...
, and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to discuss cooperation in resolving the Syrian and Libyan civil wars and the Russo-Ukrainian War. * April 30 – attends his last White House Correspondents' Dinner.


May

* May 4 – visits
Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...
to address the city's water crisis. * May 7 – delivers a commencement speech to the 2016 graduating batch of Howard University, urging them to change their country "through action." * May 13 – hosts a multilateral meeting and state dinner at the State Dining Room of the White House for the leaders of the five
Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...
: Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen of Denmark, President
Sauli Niinistö Sauli Väinämö Niinistö (; born 24 August 1948) is a Finnish politician who has served as president of Finland since March 2012, the 12th person to hold that office. A lawyer by education, Niinistö was Chairman of the National Coalition Part ...
of Finland, President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson of Iceland, Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway, and Prime Minister Stefan Löfven of Sweden. The six leaders discussed humanitarian issues, combating climate change, and the Russo-Ukrainian War. * May 15 – delivers a commencement speech entitled ''Ignorance is not a Virtue'' at Rutgers University's 250th anniversary commencement ceremony in
New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Hanoi for a three-day visit to Vietnam aimed at building stronger economic and defense ties with the country and the Asia-Pacific region. * May 23 – announces the full lifting of the 32-year
arms embargo An arms embargo is a restriction or a set of sanctions that applies either solely to weaponry or also to "dual-use technology." An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes: * to signal disapproval of the behavior of a certain actor * to maintain ...
on Vietnam. * May 25 – attends the
42nd G7 summit The 42nd G7 summit was held on 26–27 May 2016 at the Shima Kanko Hotel in Kashiko Island, Shima, Mie Prefecture, Japan. In March 2014, the G7 declared that a meaningful discussion was currently not possible with Russia in the context of the ...
in Shima,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. * May 26 – and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe visit one of Japan's holiest Shinto sites, the Ise Grand Shrine and plant trees. * May 27 – becomes the first sitting U.S. president to visit the city of
Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...
following the
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the onl ...
, where he pays his respects along with Prime Minister Abe and meets with survivors at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, calling for the end of nuclear weapons.


June

* June 2 − delivers a commencement speech to the graduating class of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado, urging them to reject an " isolationist foreign policy." * June 7 − holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. * June 9 – meets with Vermont Senator
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
and soon after endorses former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the presidency in the
2016 election The following elections occurred in the year 2016. Africa Benin Republic *2016 Beninese presidential election 6 March 2016 Cape Verde * 2016 Cape Verdean presidential election 2 October 2016 Chad * 2016 Chadian presidential election 10 A ...
. * June 16 – travels to
Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
to meet with survivors and families of those victimized by the Orlando nightclub shooting, the second-deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, which occurred four days prior. * June 17–19 – visits the Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico and Yosemite National Park in California's
Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
mountains to highlight
natural conservation Nature conservation is the moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values unde ...
, which coincides with the centennial celebrations of the National Park Service. * June 24 – announces that the Stonewall Inn in New York City will be designated as the first
National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...
dedicated to the LGBT history in the United States. * June 24 – While delivering his speech at the
Global Entrepreneurship Summit The Global Entrepreneurship Summit is an annual event organized by the federal government of the United States, in partnership with foreign government hosts. The summit originated from an event organized by the Obama Administration called the P ...
2016 at
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
in Palo Alto, California, Obama comments on the United Kingdom's decision to withdraw from the European Union following the result of their nationwide referendum held on June 23, saying that the
Special Relationship The Special Relationship is a term that is often used to describe the politics, political, social, diplomacy, diplomatic, culture, cultural, economics, economic, law, legal, Biophysical environment, environmental, religion, religious, military ...
between the U.S. and the UK is "enduring", UK's membership in NATO is "a vital cornerstone of U.S. foreign, security, and economic policy", and the U.S.' relationship with both the UK and the EU will "remain indispensable". * June 29 – participates in the
North American Leaders' Summit The North American Leaders' Summit (NALS), called the Three Amigos Summit in the English language popular press and Cumbre de Los Tres Amigos in Spanish, is the trilateral summit between the prime minister of Canada, the president of Mexico, and ...
in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico. * June 29 – addresses the
Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...
in Ottawa to commit to
Canada–United States relations Relations between Canada and the United States have historically been extensive, given the two countries' shared origins and border, which is the longest in the world. Starting with the American Revolution, when Loyalists fled to Canada, a vocal ...
. *June 30 — signs the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act ( PROMESA).


July

* July 7–9 – participates in the 2016 NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland that focuses on strengthening defense cooperation to protect Eastern Europe from Russian aggression on Ukraine, confronting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the European migrant crisis, and the United Kingdom withdrawal from the European Union. He also announces that around 1,000 extra troops will be deployed to Poland to bolster NATO's eastern flank. * July 7 – In Warsaw, Obama comments on the American public reaction to the shooting of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the shooting of Philando Castile in Minnesota, cases which have led to protests in the United States and allegations of racial injustice and profiling by police. * July 8 – In Warsaw, Obama comments on the shooting of Dallas police officers in the aftermath of the fatal shootings of Sterling and Castile, the deadliest single incident in the history of U.S. law enforcement since the
September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
He calls the event "a vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement," and orders all U.S. flags to be flown in half-staff for five days in honor of the five victims. * July 22 – holds a bilateral meeting and a press conference with President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico. * July 27 – is a keynote speaker at the
Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...
in Philadelphia.


August

* August 2 – welcomes Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to the White House for a state visit; the Obamas host a state dinner at the White House for Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. * August 6 – begins his vacation of the island of
Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...
for the 6th and final time during his presidency. * August 21 – and his family return to the White House after a 16-day vacation on the island of Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts. * August 23 – visits
Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...
to survey the damage and to comfort the victims of flood destruction in 20 Louisiana parishes. * August 31 – leaves on his final trip to Asia as President. He visits
Midway Atoll Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and
Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
.


September

* September 4 − participates in the
2016 G-20 Hangzhou summit The 2016 G20 Hangzhou summit was the eleventh meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20). It was held on 4–5 September 2016 in the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang. It was the first ever G20 summit to be hosted in China and the second in an Asian countr ...
in Hangzhou, China. * September 6 − participates in the
Eleventh East Asia Summit The Eleventh East Asia Summit was held in Vientiane, Laos on September 6–8, 2016. The East Asia Summit is an annual meeting of national leaders from the East Asian region and adjoining countries. Attending delegations The heads of state and ...
in Vientiane, Laos. * September 19 – holds a bilateral meeting with Premier
Li Keqiang Li Keqiang (born 1 July 1955) is a Chinese politician who is the outgoing premier of China. An economist by profession, Li is head of China's executive branch as well as one of the leading figures behind China's Financial and Economic Affai ...
of China. * September 19 – holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia. * September 20 – addresses the United Nations General Assembly. * September 24 – dedicates the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture on the
National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institut ...
in Washington D.C. * September 28 – experiences the first veto override of his administration. In a bipartisan vote, both houses of Congress override Obama's veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act. The legislation allows families of the victims of the September 11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia for its alleged role in the attacks. * September 30 – gave a eulogy at the funeral for former Israeli President and Prime Minister
Shimon Peres Shimon Peres (; he, שמעון פרס ; born Szymon Perski; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the ninth president of ...
.


October

* October 18 – welcomes Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to the White House for a
state visit A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...
. * October 18 – hosts a state dinner at the White House for Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.


November

* November 8 – The
2016 United States presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket ...
takes place.
Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...
nominee Donald Trump becomes president-elect after he had secured the projected total to 279 electoral votes by winning Pennsylvania (20 electoral votes) and Wisconsin (10 electoral votes), which he had reached over the required electoral votes of 270 to clinch victory. Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton concedes defeat and congratulates Trump on his victory. * November 8 – The
Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...
narrowly retains majorities in the House of Representatives and the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
after suffering important election losses. * November 9 – calls President-elect Donald Trump in the early morning hours to congratulate him on his victory. * November 10 – meets with President-elect Donald Trump at the Oval Office to discuss the transition of power between the presidents. President Obama states the meeting was "excellent," and President-elect Trump says the meeting was supposed to last around 10–15 minutes, but went on to be around 90 minutes. * November 14 – holds his first news conference since the election of Donald Trump and encourages Americans to give him some time to get adjusted to the responsibilities of the position as President. * November 15 – travels to Athens, Greece, the first stop on his final international trip as president. * November 16 – tours the Acropolis of Athens and the Parthenon, on the second day of his official visit to Greece. * November 20 – attends the APEC economic summit in
Lima, Peru Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...
. * November 26 – releases a statement on the death of
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
saying in part, "History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him. "


December

* December 2 – holds a bilateral meeting with Secretary-General-designate
António Guterres António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres ( , ; born 30 April 1949) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat. Since 2017, he has served as secretary-general of the United Nations, the ninth person to hold this title. A member of the Portuguese Socia ...
of the United Nations. * December 6 – gives his last national security speech at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. In the speech, the President says that the danger of terrorism is a long-term issue, saying "the threat will endure". * December 7 – notes the 75th anniversary of the World War II Pearl Harbor Attack. * December 14 – signs the
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, a bipartisan bill to expand funding for
medical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as experimental medicine, encompasses a wide array of research, extending from "basic research" (also called ''bench science'' or ''bench research''), – involving fundamental scientif ...
. * December 15 – signs the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act of 2016, which makes it illegal to use a
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to purchase tickets online. * December 16 – holds his final press conference of 2016. * December 16 – and his family travel to Hawaii on
Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used ...
for their annual holiday vacation. * December 23 – signs into law the annual defense spending bill which would increase military pay and require all new recruits to be issued athletic shoes made in the United States. * December 27 – visits the USS Arizona Memorial with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe to honor the 2,403 Americans who died on December 7, 1941.


January 2017

* January 2 – returns to the White House after his annual Hawaiian vacation. * January 3 – The
115th United States Congress The 115th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the United States Senate, Senate and the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. ...
convenes with the
Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...
retaining their majorities in the House of Representatives and the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. * January 3 –
Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member o ...
is re-elected as
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the U. ...
. * January 4 – visits Democratic lawmakers on
Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...
with a message to save the
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, as Republicans prepare to repeal and replace the regulatory overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system. Obama gives his farewell address to the armed forces at Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia. * January 6 – In a joint session of the United States Congress, the results for the electoral college are counted. In his role as
President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for e ...
, Vice President Joe Biden reads the results and declares President-elect Donald Trump as the winner of the 2016 presidential election. President Obama hosts a farewell party at the White House with a guest list reportedly including
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, Tyler Perry, Chrissy Teigen, Samuel L. Jackson, Charles Barkley, John Legend, Meryl Streep, George and Amal Clooney,
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,
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and
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, Nick Jonas, Jordin Sparks,
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, Paul McCartney, Kelly Rowland, Olivia Wilde, Jason Sudeikis,
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, Tom Hanks,
Reverend Al Sharpton Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, talk show host and politician. Sharpton is the founder of the National Action Network. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic ...
,
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,
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,
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, and
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. * January 10 – delivers his farewell speech at McCormick Place in his hometown of Chicago. * January 12 – signs an executive order which ends the exemption for Cubans who arrive in the United States without visas. Obama presents Vice President Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. * January 16 – welcomes the
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champion
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
to the White House. * January 17 – makes a surprise appearance at the final press briefing given by White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, praising Earnest for his two and a half years' service. He also issues a
pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...
to General James Cartwright, involving a case in which Cartwright gave information to reporters regarding the Stuxnet virus used against the Iranian nuclear program. Obama commutes the sentence of Chelsea Manning, who was convicted of giving classified information to WikiLeaks. * January 18 – holds the final press conference of his presidency, at the White House's James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. * January 19 – commutes the sentences of 330 nonviolent drug offenders, the most acts of clemency ever granted in a single day by any U.S. president. * January 20 – completes his two terms in office and leaves the White House for the final time as President. * January 20 – Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States, at noon EST. Obama, who is now former president, leaves for a vacation in
Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...
to begin his post-presidency.


See also

* Timeline of the Barack Obama presidency (2009–2017)


References


External links


Miller Center Obama Presidential Timeline
{{DEFAULTSORT:Timeline of the Barack Obama presidency (2016-January 2017)
Presidency of Barack Obama Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican n ...
Presidency of Barack Obama Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican n ...
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
Articles containing video clips 2016 timelines