As he prepares to leave office, President Barack Obama admits he was in tears during a send-off dinner with his senior staff.
"I got through about four minutes of the thing and then started to get my hanky out," Obama told former aide David Axelrod during a podcast interview.
"There are two things that can get me teary. One is talking about my daughters or see my daughters. And the second is my team."
In the interview with Axelrod, Obama says had he been able to seek a third term, he is confident he would have been reelected.
"I am confident in this vision because I'm confident that if I had run again and articulated it, I think I could've mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it," Obama said.
"I know that in conversations that I've had with people around the country, even some people who disagreed with me, they would say, 'The vision, the direction that you point towards is the right one.'"
However, the Constitution restricts presidents to just two terms in office.
He again stressed he would be working hard to develop young Democratic leaders once he left office, but didn't discount the possibility of his speaking out on issues at some point.
"At a certain point, you make room for new voice and fresh legs," he said. "That doesn't mean that if a year-and-a-half from now, or two years from now, there is an issue of such moment, such import, that isn't just a debate about a particular tax bill or a particular policy, but goes to some foundational issues about our democracy that I might now weigh in," he said.
"You know, I'm still a citizen and that carries with it duties and obligations."
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