This is a list of presidential trips made by Barack Obama during 2016 and early 2017, the eighth and final year of his presidency as the 44th president of the United States.
This list excludes trips made within Washington, D.C., the U.S. federal capital in which the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the president, is located. Also excluded are trips to Camp David, the country residence of the president, and to the private home of the Obama family in Kenwood, Chicago.
January Country/U.S. stateAreas visitedDatesDetailsImage Nebraska Omaha,Papillion January 13 President Obama delivered a speech at the University of Nebraska Omaha's Baxter Arena discussing the economic progress the state had made under his leadership and the "agenda for his remaining year — and the years to come — to keep it going," following his final State of the Union Address. He also visited the city of Papillion to meet with a mother who wrote him a letter last year regarding climate change. Louisiana Baton Rouge January 13–14 President Obama participated in a town hall meeting at McKinley High School discussing the economic progress the state had made under his leadership and the "agenda for his remaining year — and the years to come — to keep it going," following his final State of the Union Address. In his speech, he also touched on the expansion of Medicaid, a day after Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed an executive order allowing access to the health insurance program in the state. Michigan Detroit January 20 President Obama visited the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, following the announcement in his Weekly Radio Address.
February Country/U.S. stateAreas visitedDatesDetailsImage Maryland Catonsville February 3 President Obama visited the Islamic Society of Baltimore in Catonsville, marking his first presidential visit to a mosque in the United States. Illinois Springfield February 10 President Obama addressed the Illinois General Assembly, commemorating nine years since the launch of his presidential campaign. The president also attended a private event at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. California San Francisco Bay Area,Los Angeles,Coachella Valley February 10–16 On the evening of February 10, President Obama arrived at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View and attended two Democratic Party fundraisers for Democrats running in the U.S. Senate elections, 2016 in Palo Alto and Atherton, the following day. Later that afternoon, President Obama departed the Bay Area arrived in Los Angeles and headed to Burbank to tape his appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He then attended two fundraisers organized by the Democratic National Committee in Hancock Park.
On February 12, Obama flew to Palm Springs, where he designated three National Monuments: Castle Mountains National Monument, Mojave Trails National Monument, and Sand to Snow National Monument. He spent his weekend in Rancho Mirage. On the evening of February 13, President Obama delivered a statement on the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia.
On February 15–16, President Obama hosted the U.S.-ASEAN Summit with the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage. According to a statement released by the White House, the summit was aimed at strengthening cooperation on "political, security, and economic issues" between the United States and the ASEAN member states under the U.S.-ASEAN strategic partnership signed in November 2015. Florida Jacksonville February 26 President Obama toured the facilities of the Saft America Advanced Battery plant at Jacksonville's Cecil Commerce Center to tout the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to which Saft America won a $95.5 million grant which they used to build their facilities.
March Country/U.S. stateAreas visitedDatesDetailsImage Wisconsin Milwaukee March 3 President Obama delivered a speech at Milwaukee's United Community Center to applaud the city's achievements in increasing the number of enrollees under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act after the city won a competition organized by the White House among 20 cities. Texas Austin,Dallas March 11–12 President Obama participated in a 45-minute keynote interview with The Texas Tribune editor-in-chief Evan Smith regarding the usage of technology in civic engagement at the annual South by Southwest Interactive conference, held at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin. He also attended a Democratic Party fundraiser at the Austin Music Hall, as well as a private dinner-fundraiser, before flying to Dallas to attend fundraisers for the Democratic National Committee. Cuba Havana March 20–22 On February 18, 2016, a White House official announced that President Obama would undertake a historic visit to Cuba on March 20–22 to mark the end of the 54-year tensions in Cuba–United States relations, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. In an interview with Yahoo! News in December 2015, President Obama said that he would only visit Cuba if he could meet with the Cuban dissident movement, saying: "If I go on a visit, then part of the deal is that I get to talk to everybody, I've made very clear in my conversations directly with President Raúl Castro that we would continue to reach out to those who want to broaden the scope for, you know, free expression inside of Cuba."
Hours before the President and the First Family's arrival, the weekly demonstration by protesters from more than 50 Ladies in White human rights activists and other opposition groups, hoping for the President's awareness of "women fighting for the liberty of political prisoners," were cleared by Cuban police in the Havana neighborhood of Miramar. President Obama and the First Family arrived in Havana's José Martí International Airport on the rainy afternoon of Sunday, March 20, where they were greeted by Cuban officials led by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla. The First Family first headed to the Meliá Habana Hotel to meet with the staff of the newly reopened U.S. Embassy in Havana and their families. The Obamas later completed a walking tour of Old Havana (guided by Havana historian Eusebio Leal), visiting the Plaza de Armas, the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, and the Havana Cathedral. At the Havana Cathedral, they met with Cardinal Jaime Ortega, the Archbishop of Havana, who along with Pope Francis and the Holy See helped normalize and restore Cuba–United States relations. In the evening, the Obamas dined at a local paladar in central Havana.
President Obama began his Monday, March 21, by paying his respects to Cuban national hero José Martí during a brief wreath-laying ceremony at his memorial at Havana's Plaza de la Revolución. He then headed to the Palace of the Revolution to meet with his Cuban counterpart, President Raúl Castro, where he was given a welcome ceremony before the two heads of state began their official talks. During their meeting, the two presidents pledged to work towards a "new path" in reconciling their two countries' relations amid their differences in human rights and democracy. U.S. Secretaries John Kerry and Penny Pritzker of State and Commerce, respectively, were in attendance, while Vice President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla were among the several Cuban Council of Ministers who participated in the discussions.
The two leaders later participated in a joint press conference, where President Obama declared a "new day" in Cuba–U.S. relations but acknowledged President Castro's statement regarding the "profound differences" between their two countries regarding human rights and democracy, which Obama criticized. Obama also added that the embargo against Cuba and the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base continue to be obstructions in the normalization and restoration of the two countries' relations, wherein Castro responded saying that it would be "the most important obstacle to our economic development and the well-being of the Cuban people." In addition, Castro criticized the U.S.' demand for a human rights reform in Cuba, saying that "Cuba believes civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights are universal" and later adding that Cuba opposes "political manipulation and double standards in the approach to human rights." When asked by CNN's Jim Acosta about political prisoners in Cuba, Castro denied knowledge of such, insisting that his government only holds spies, terrorists and armed insurrectionists, and demanded for a list to be released.
Later in the afternoon, President Obama attended an event with U.S. and Cuban entrepreneurs that would allow for the exploration of opportunities between the two countries' businesses at an effort to enhance Cuba's private sector and encourage the discontinuation of the trade embargo against Cuba amidst the country's state-owned-dominated economy. During the event, Obama urged the rehabilitation of the country's infrastructure to allow for better transportation of goods, wholesale marketing to help small business owners, and the unification of the country's dual-currency system (the Cuban peso and the Cuban convertible peso), all to improve Cuba's economy. In the evening, President Castro treated President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to a state dinner at the Palace of the Revolution. Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, First Lady Chief of Staff Tina Tchen, Senator Patrick Leahy, and Representative Charles Rangel of New York's 13th congressional district were among the American entourage who attended the state dinner.
On the morning of his final day in Cuba, Tuesday, March 22, President Obama addressed the Cuban people on national television from the Gran Teatro de La Habana, along Havana's Paseo del Prado. President Castro was among the Cubans in attendance at the theater. He began his remarks by responding to the Brussels bombings that occurred several hours prior, which he condemned, saying: "We can and we will defeat those who threaten the safety and security of people all around the world," and added that the attacks were a reminder "that the world must unite in fighting against the scourge of terrorism." Obama then transitioned to his speech regarding "a new chapter" in Cuba's relations with the United States and the Western Hemisphere, saying that he visited the country to "bury the last remnants of the Cold War in the Americas" and to "extend the hand of friendship to the Cuban people." He called on the U.S. Congress to lift the U.S. embargo against Cuba, saying that "it is an outdated burden on the Cuban people" and a "burden on the Americans who want to work and do business or invest here in Cuba." Obama also touched on the importance of Cubans being able to "realize their potential," as they would not "without continued change in Cuba," urging the removal of the country's two-currency system and the access of the Internet all across Cuba. Speaking for democracy to be "embraced" in Cuba, saying that it "allows for the fullest expression of the ideals of any revolution" and "gives individuals the capacity to be catalysts," he appealed for political freedom within Cubans, including the right of freedom of speech, religion and criticism of government. Obama also referenced several American and Cuban historical figures during his speech, including Cuban national hero José Martí, writer Ernest Hemingway, baseball legend Jackie Robinson, and singer Gloria Estefan.