President Obama said that if he could run for a third term he thinks he would win, while calling for African leaders to adhere to term limits during a historic speech before the African Union.
“I actually think I’m a pretty good president. I think if I ran, I could win. But I can’t,” Obama said in Ethiopia on Tuesday. ” There’s a lot that I’d like to do to keep America moving, but the law’s the law.”
President Obama addressed his third term viability while calling on African leaders to step aside when their terms end on Tuesday. During his speech, the first by an American president before the African Union, Obama said when a leader “tries to change the rules in the middle of the game” in order to stay in office it puts a nation’s stability and the future of Democratic progress across the continent at risk. Obama specifically noted recent elections in Burundi, where President Pierre Nkurunziza won a third term. The United Nations has said those elections occurred in an environment that was not “not conducive for an inclusive, free and credible electoral process,” according to the Associated Press.
” The point is, I don’t understand why people want to stay so long. Especially, when they’ve got a lot of money,” Obama said Tuesday, during the final stretch of his historic trip to two African countries. “And sometimes you’ll hear a leader say ‘I’m the only person who can hold this nation together.’ If that’s true, then that leader has failed to truly build their nation.”
Though Obama admitted he thinks he’s done a good job at the helm — something about 49% of Americans agree with, according his most recent CNN approval ratings — he didn’t hesitate to list off the freedoms he’ll gain back when he leaves office.
“I’m looking forward to life after being president,” Obama said. “I won’t have such a big security detail all the time. It means I can go take a walk, I can spend time with my family, I can find other ways to serve. I can visit Africa more often.”
See Scenes From Obama's Africa Trip
President Barack Obama flanked by Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn (top left) and African Union Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (top right), arrives to deliver remarks at the African Union in Addis Ababa on July 28, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—ReutersPresident Barack Obama delivers a speech to the African Union in Addis Ababa on July 28, 2015.Evan Vucci—APDelegates react to remarks by President Barack Obama at the African Union in Addis Ababa on July 28, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—ReutersPresident Barack Obama shakes hands with farmer Gifty Jemal Hussein, after seeing her corn during a tour of Faffa Food in Addis Ababa on July 28, 2015.Evan Vucci—APPresident Barack Obama laughs at the hair nets the members of the press have to wear during a tour of Faffa Food, in Addis Ababa on July 28, 2015.Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty ImagesPresident Barack Obama reviews a marching band during a welcome ceremony at the National Palace in Addis Ababa on July 27, 2015. Tiksa Negeri—ReutersPresident Barack Obama receives flowers from children, with Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, as he arrives at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa on July 26, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—ReutersKenyan traditional dancers sing as they wait to entertain President Barack Obama upon his arrival to board Air Force One for his departure to Ethiopia, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on July 26, 2015. Daniel Irungu—EPAThe crowd surges toward President Barack Obama as he greets the audience after his remarks at Safaricom Indoor Arena in Nairobi on July 26, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—ReutersPresident Barack Obama delivers a speech during at Safaricom Indoor Arena in Nairobi on July 26, 2015. Sun Ruibo—Xinhua Press/CorbisThe crowd cheers as President Barack Obama arrives to speak at Safaricom Indoor Arena in Nairobi on July 26, 2015. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty ImagesPresident Barack Obama stands in silent tribute after laying a wreath at the August 7th Memorial Park to pay tribute to the victims of the 1998 bombing at U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, on July 25, 2015. John Okoyo—Xinhua Press/CorbisPeople wave U.S. flags before President Barack Obama's motorcade arrival, in Nairobi on July 25, 2015.Georgina Goodwin—AFP/Getty ImagesPresident Barack Obama and his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta leave after a joint press conference, discussing corruption, terrorism, and gay rights, at the State House in Nairobi on July 25, 2015. Simon Maina—AFP/Getty ImagesPresident Barack Obama sits with his step-grandmother, Mama Sarah and half-sister Auma Obama, during a gathering of extended family at his hotel in Nairobi on July 24, 2015. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty ImagesEight-year-old Joan Wamaitha is hugged by President Barack Obama as he arrives at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on July 24, 2015.Evan Vucci—APCrowds of Kenyans gather to celebrate the visit of President Barack Obama, at Kamukunji Grounds in Kibera neighborhood, Nairobi on July 24, 2015 . Till Muellenmeister—AFP/Getty Images
