Tea or pardons? Here are 6 things Obama will do on his last day in office
Barack Obama's presidency is finally coming to an end on Friday, January 20, after completing two full terms as the United States of America commander in chief.
At midday, Obama will officially no longer be president and Donald Trump will be sworn in as the new president of the US.
But what will Obama do on his last day in office?
Here are some of the things he might likely do before leaving the White House.
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1. Leave a letter for Trump in the Oval Office
It has become a tradition for for the outgoing president to leave a note for the incoming president. Obama will likely pen some personal words of advice to Donald Trump. However, the content of the letter may not be made public for years to come.
Obama will likely pen some personal words of advice to Trump
In January 2009, the outgoing president George W. Bush, tucked a note into a drawer of Obama's Oval Office desk wishing him well on the "fabulous new chapter" he was about to begin in his life.
2. Bid farewell to the White House staff
Obama and his family will wake up in the White House for the final time and will bid farewell to the small army of White House staffers around 8.30am.
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3. Tea with the Trumps
The Obamas and the Trumps
Just like presidents before him, Obama has invited Trump and his wife Melania to come for tea before they all head together to the Capitol for the inauguration. Obama will enjoy his last cup of White House brew alongside the Trumps.
4. Grant more pardons
Issuing last-minute pardons or commutations is a prerogative of the presidency and past presidents have done so during their final hours in office.
Obama has already commuted 209 sentences and granted 64 pardons in his final days, most notably for Chelsea Manning, Chelsea Manning, who was jailed for leaking classified files to WikiLeaks.
Some are speculating that he could issue former secretary of state Hillary Clinton a pre-emptive pardon over any offences committed in her use of a private email server. This would protect Mrs Clinton if Mr Trump decided to pursue his threats of prosecuting her.
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5. Attend the inauguration of Trump
Obama will attend the swearing-in and inauguration Trump and will be escorted from the Capitol by their successors.
6. Helicopter ride out of Washington
Obama will board the Air Force One for the last time
It has been a ritual since 1977, when Gerald Ford was leaving office, for the president to be flown from the Capitol grounds via Marine One to Andrews Air Force Base for a flight back to his hometown. Once the inaugural ceremony is over and an emotional goodbye with his administration officials, Obama and his family will board Air Force One for the very last time to Andrews air force base.