--- title: President Obama Says He's 'Optimistic' About 2016 description: "I have never been more optimistic about the year ahead than I am right now." canonical: https://time.com/4155470/barack-obama-optimistic-2016/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-18T19:34:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:00:43.493Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Obama Says He's 'Optimistic' About 2016 og:description: "I have never been more optimistic about the year ahead than I am right now." og:url: https://time.com/4155470/barack-obama-optimistic-2016/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt161c58ac9924104d/69887627f887dcddcce93d42/barack-obama-press-conference.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to the media during his year end news conference in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House December 18, 2015 in Washington, DC. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Obama Says He's 'Optimistic' About 2016 twitter:description: "I have never been more optimistic about the year ahead than I am right now." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt161c58ac9924104d/69887627f887dcddcce93d42/barack-obama-press-conference.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Obama Says He's 'Optimistic' About 2016 by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Dec 18, 2015 7:34 PM UTC  U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to the media during his year end news conference in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House December 18, 2015 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to the media during his year end news conference in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House December 18, 2015 in Washington, DC.Alex Wong—2015 Getty Images by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Dec 18, 2015 7:34 PM UTC After ticking off a list of achievements over his presidency and the past year, President Obama said he looks forward to a productive year in his final press conference before leaving for his family vacation. “Since taking this office, I have never been more optimistic about the year ahead than I am right now, and in 2016 I’m going to leave it all out on the field,” he told reporters at the White House. Obama noted that unemployment and uninsured rates are down, praised the recent climate agreement signed in Paris and the Supreme Court decision on gay marriage, and highlighted recent bill he signed reforming No Child Left Behind. He also argued that the U.S. has kept up pressure on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, calling on Americans to remain vigilant but refuse to be terrorized. Among the unfinished business that Obama hopes to tackle next year: Closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center, reforming criminal justice laws and boosting job growth further. He said he may take executive actions in some cases but remains hopeful that he can get Republican lawmakers on board. “Every battle I’ve had with Congress over the last five years has been uphill, and we keep on surprising you by getting stuff done,” he said. **Read Next:** [_Obama Planning New Gun Restrictions in ‘Weeks, Not Months’_](http://time.com/4154984/barack-obama-guns/) ### See Air Force One's Transformation Over 70 Years  After the original Air Force One, a C-87A Liberator Express nicknamed Guess Where II, was deemed unsafe for presidential use, this Douglas C-54 Skymaster, nicknamed Sacred Cow was introduced for President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945\. It was equipped with a radio telephone, sleeping area, and elevator for President Roosevelt's wheelchair. Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  In 1947, Sacred Cow was replaced with Independence by President Truman, who named it after his hometown. The Douglas DC-6 Liftmaster's nose was painted as a bald eagle. Truman Presidential Library  President Eisenhower added Columbine II, a Lockheed C-121 Super Constellation, to the Presidential fleet in 1953. William J. Smith—AP  Columbine III, and two smaller Aero Commanders, joined Eisenhower's Presidential planes. Popperfoto/Getty Images  Special Air Mission 26000, a Boeing 707, went into presidential service under the Kennedy administration. SAM 26000 stayed in service through Bill Clinton's administration until 1998. Wally Nelson—AP  Although SAM 26000 remained in service throughout the 1990s, it was replaced as the primary executive aircraft by SAM 27000, the same model aircraft, in 1972\. Pictured here is President Ronal Reagan on SAM 27000. TSGT Michael J. Haggerty—AP  In 1990, SAM 28000, a Boeing 747 was introduced to the Presidential fleet. Pablo Martinez Monsivais—AP  SAM 29000, also a Boeing 747, remains President Obama's primary transport aircraft. Raymond Boyd—Getty Images  In January, 2015, it was announced that a Boeing 747-8 will take over as the newest member of the Presidential Fleet known as Air Force One. 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