As the final hours of U.S. President Barack Obama’s tenure wind down and the world prepares for the swearing in of president-elect Donald Trump at his inauguration on Friday, touching tributes started to pour in online for the outgoing 44th president.
Early Friday morning, the Twitter hashtag #ThankYouObama was the second-highest trending topic after the hashtag #InaugurationDay.
More than 12,000 tweets filled with messages of gratitude, photo tributes and fond memories of the country’s first African-American commander-in-chief dominated the social media site.
Darren Thorne, an international and constitutional lawyer, told CTV’s Your Morning on Friday that he thinks a lot of people are realizing that Obama represented the “best of America.”
“I think they achieved a tremendous amount, but beyond that, he was a fundamentally decent man,” Thorne said. “If you look at his presidency, there wasn’t a whiff of controversy over the last eight years. There was a certain integrity there.”
Thorne pointed to the Affordable Care Act and the economic turnaround during the president’s first term as crowning achievements of the Obama administration. He said part of President Obama’s popularity can be attributed to his ability to identify with average Americans.
“He was a president unlike any who came before,” Thorne said. “He was from a working class background himself. He seemed to understand the common people and that really mattered.”
Obama’s connection with Americans was evident in the tweets that flooded the social media site on Trump’s inauguration day.
Some users chose to thank Obama with heartfelt, simple thank yous for his past eight years of work.
#ThankYouObama for all you've done the last 8 years, you will be sincerely missed.
— chandler (@ChandlerShelnut) January 20, 2017
I remember in 2012 watching #Obama take his oath. I'll miss his thoughtfulness compassion, ability to listen &care 4the ppl. #ThankYouObama
— Annie Shapiro (@AnnieShapiro91) January 20, 2017
#ThankYouObama for fighting for women, LGBT, and racial equality. You will be missed.
— Jessie (@kayloromantics) January 20, 2017
Other Obama fans chose to express their appreciation with memes and artwork.
#ThankYouObama for showing us a leader with class, grace, intelligence, honesty, humor and, most importantly, love. pic.twitter.com/XrqXucy3tF
— Heather Ross (@Our3Muttz) January 20, 2017
#ThankYouObama #ThanksObama pic.twitter.com/a8nWAWmQyf
— OutNSocial™ (@outnsocial) January 20, 2017
Dear sir,
— Super Unintelligible (@SUnintelligible) January 20, 2017
You'll never meet me, but you should know that your compassion saved my life. Thank you, my friend. #ThankYouObama pic.twitter.com/CG0KTF8eV3
There were countless beautiful photo homages of the president and first lady Michelle Obama.
#ThankYouObama for showing the world that love wins, always. pic.twitter.com/NSNBe6j8dy
— #ProjectLouisAid (@NoControlProjec) January 20, 2017
#ThankYouObama Intelligence, class and dignity. pic.twitter.com/BnSusrvFG5
— Alice Hempel (@alicehempel) January 20, 2017
Thank you for inspiring us for the last 8 years. Your hard work, intelligence and kindness have made us proud #ThankYouObama pic.twitter.com/7hXJx0MZJt
— Deborah Wagner (@DeborahWagner8) January 20, 2017
#ThankYouObama for the past 8 years. I am proud to say you had an excellent two terms. pic.twitter.com/ZUfHKguW2a
— ♥Enchanted♥ (@Loveswagtag) January 20, 2017
Even non-Americans thanked President Obama for his leadership on the world stage. Thorne said Obama seemed to have more respect for the rest of the world than previous administrations in his approach to foreign policy.
“It was a more open approach to the rest of the world and that mattered,” Thorne said.
i'm not american but thank you, thank you, thank you ❤ #ThankYouObama pic.twitter.com/pGQoWmInlR
— lara (@Laraaaaaa1D) January 20, 2017
I am a Japanese but I've a lot to thank you for. Our Japanese really love you. You're the best president ever.#ThankYouObama
— Ellen;) (@applepie_el) January 20, 2017
Of course, there were some users that chose to utilize the trending hashtag to share their dislike of the outgoing president.
#ThankYouObama for selling more guns then the NRA or any gun salesmans could ever dream of
— Matt (@MattW1188) January 20, 2017
But the overwhelming majority of the tweets were positive endorsements of Obama’s legacy. One of the users even expressed their support for a well-deserved rest for the outgoing president.
Time to put your feet up #ThankYouObama pic.twitter.com/C6QuBaHuc1
— Celeste Hartsough (@c_hartsough) January 20, 2017
Thorne said he thinks Obama will be able to do anything he wants to do in the aftermath of his presidency.
“He’s the most popular man in the world,” he said. “I do think he’s going to work on minority issues in a way that he wasn’t able to concentrate on strictly speaking as the president.”
The man himself delivered his last tweet as president of the United States on Friday morning.
I'm still asking you to believe - not in my ability to bring about change, but in yours. I believe in change because I believe in you.
— President Obama (@POTUS) January 20, 2017
The official White House Twitter account also posted a tribute to the outgoing president.
Yes we can.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 20, 2017
Yes we did.
Thank you for being a part of the past eight years. pic.twitter.com/mjmr4RkxpV