President Barack Obama will deliver his farewell address to the American people on Jan. 10, at 9 p.m. ET, from McCormick Place in his hometown, Chicago, Illinois.
The president’s farewell address is a tradition dating back to 1796, when George Washington said goodbye to Americans before transferring power to his successor.
In a written remark released at the beginning of the month, President Obama described presidency as an “amazing journey” and announced his remarks would be a “grateful farewell” to the American people.
Promising to “offer some thoughts on where we all go from here,” many are likely hoping that the president will put forward suggestions as to how President-elect Donald Trump might ease the transition from one administration to the next.
Despite worries about Trump’s capacity to perform the duties required of the commander in chief, President Obama has so far expressed optimism that the president-elect will rise to the occasion.
Also noteworthy: The address will be the first presidential address to be broadcast live in 360-degree video.
The video will be broadcast by VRScout, a Los Angeles-based virtual-reality media company. VRScout’s head of studio, Ryan Bell, has likened the president’s use of the innovative technology as “similar to the first time a president was put on television or a president was put on the radio.”
Not a bad way to go out.
The White House is also encouraging viewers to follow the event live on social media using the hashtag #YesWeCan.
How to Live Stream President Obama’s Farewell Address
As this will be the first presidential address to be broadcast live in 360-degree video, it will be easy for viewers at home to catch every word live.
VRScout plans to broadcast the address live under its social-media handle on Facebook Live, Twitter, and YouTube.
For those who would prefer to watch in 2D, the president’s remarks will be streaming live on the White House’s on official Facebook page, or at whitehouse.gov/farewell.
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