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Carolyn Kaster/AP

'The only thing that’s the end of the world is the end of the world' - Obama bows out

Overall, the outgoing President said, he believes America will be ok.

US PRESIDENT BARACK Obama bowed out of the Oval Office with a typically measured press conference today.

Speaking to press in the White House for the last time, Obama sent a message to his successor Donald Trump, urging him against acting rashly in office. He said that he had had “fairly lengthy and substantive” conversations with the incoming President.

“I can tell you that — and this is something I have told him — that this is a job of such magnitude that you can’t do it by yourself. You are enormously reliant on a team.

“But if you’re going to make big shifts in policy, just make sure you’ve thought it through and understand that there are going to be consequences and actions typically create reactions.”

Obama said that he would like to be retired, meaning he will not run for any political office. He did, however, say he would speak up if he felt America’s “core values” were being debased.

In a veiled warning to Trump, Obama also said systematic discrimination or any effort to “round up” immigrant youths “arbitrarily or because of politics… would merit me speaking out.”

“There’s a difference between that normal functioning of politics and certain issues or certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake.”

Asked what he told his daughters Sasha and Malia after the election, he said the pair were “something”.

“They were disappointed.

They paid attention to what their mom said during the campaign and believed it because it’s consistent with what we have tried to teach them in our household and what I’ve tried to model as a father with their mom and what we’ve asked them to expect from future boyfriends or spouses. But what we’ve also tried to teach them is resilience and we’ve tried to teach them hope and that the only thing that is the end of the world is the end of the world.

Overall, the outgoing President said, he believes America will be ok.

“It is true that behind closed doors, I curse more than I do publicly and sometimes I get mad and frustrated like everybody else does, but at my core, I think we’re going to be OK. We just have to fight for it.”

Obama said that in retirement he would like to do some writing, but first will take a family holiday to Palm Springs, California.

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    Mute Pat Casey
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    Feb 21st 2022, 8:10 AM

    A big thank you to the ESB crews out there working in atrocious conditions to get power reconnected around the country.

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    Mute ed w
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    Feb 21st 2022, 2:19 PM

    @Pat Casey: definitely. but powercheck just said my house has gone from the power due back at 12.30pm to 10pm hope they get it on a bit sooner !

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    Mute Barty
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    Feb 21st 2022, 8:20 AM

    Strongest winds out of the three storms goes to Franklin.

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    Mute Gabriel Holmes
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    Feb 21st 2022, 8:32 AM

    @Barty: Depends on were you are.

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    Mute saoirse janneau
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    Feb 21st 2022, 8:34 AM

    @Barty: definitely. Wind from the NW is the new norm.

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    Mute ed w
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    Feb 21st 2022, 11:39 AM

    @Gabriel Holmes: nope, highest recorded mean wind speeds were higher at 107kmh for mace head vs 93kmh roches point for eunice.

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    Mute Joe_X
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    Feb 21st 2022, 2:53 PM

    @Barty: definitely but were Met Eireann caught on the hop? We seemed to have a couple days notice Dudley and Eunice, but there seemed to be no mention of Franklin until after it had made landfall! Was it how it did not affect the east coast or what that they took their eyes off the ball!

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    Mute Shane Fleming
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    Feb 21st 2022, 8:05 PM

    @Barty: Not in Kerry it wasn’t. Friday morning was absolutely horrendous.

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    Mute Locutus Of Borg
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    Feb 21st 2022, 1:43 PM

    A big shout out to those poor souls relying on electric heat pumps to heat their homes. It must be freezing with no power

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    Mute Darren Byrne
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    Feb 21st 2022, 2:56 PM

    @Locutus Of Borg: I’d imagine any system that is relying on a pump to push hot water around the radiators in a house is going to have a problem.

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    Mute Reuben Gray
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    Feb 21st 2022, 3:01 PM

    @Locutus Of Borg: As opposed to a gas boiler which requires no electricity at all and runs on magic?

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    Mute Locutus Of Borg
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    Feb 21st 2022, 3:28 PM

    @Reuben Gray: well I was thinking more along the lines of those who built houses last year or had houses builtl for them and were denied the opportunity to put in a chimney to allow for the use of a stove or open fire so as to at least have a fire to sit around when the inevitable power outages do happen

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    Mute Quiet Goer
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    Feb 21st 2022, 3:15 PM

    Global warming

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