President Obama delivered a longwinded lecture to the press on Friday about its "unfair" treatment of Hillary Clinton during the campaign, drawing ire from mainstream journalists.
The president, who was delivering his final 2016 news conference, implied the media's "obsession" with Clinton's leaked emails did more damage to the former secretary of state than the Russian cyber attacks against Democratic political networks.
"This was an obsession that dominated the news coverage," Obama said. "So I do think it is worth us reflecting how it is that a presidential election of such importance, of such moment, with so many big issues at stake and such a contrast between the candidates came to be dominated by a bunch of these leaks."
Obama also spent much of the press conference defending his foreign policy legacy. He spoke at length about the decaying situation in Syria, conceding that while he felt personally responsible for some of the bloodshed, he still believes he did all that he could.
Journalists from outlets including the Huffington Post, MSNBC, and CNN took to Twitter to sound off their frustration with the president's last speech of the year.
POTUS used this moment to lecture the press, defend his own response rather than protect country. Have never been more disappointed in him.
— Krystal Ball (@krystalball) December 16, 2016
Our democracy is at stake and POTUS gives a dissertation. Muses about the books that will be written. Its unbelievable.
— Krystal Ball (@krystalball) December 16, 2016
This sounds like someone whose entire theory of how the US + world works has largely been disproven in past 2 months
— Nick Riccardi (@NickRiccardi) December 16, 2016
Obama answer on Aleppo seems to be: Because there are awful crises happening everywhere, we shouldn't do anything at all.
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) December 16, 2016
Here's Obama with another veiled shot at FOX News...
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) December 16, 2016
It's sort of amazing to watch Obama, ever the Institutionalist, sipping coffee in the house on fire saying "This is fine."
— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) December 16, 2016
Dems would be wise to focus on what they can fix (their own campaigns and platforms) and not on how unfair the circumstances are.
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) December 16, 2016
It's also the media's fault for not reporting on South Sudan as much as on Syria, apparently
— Ali Rogin (@AliABCNews) December 16, 2016
.@potus clearly still very skeptical of safe zones in Syria but appears open to temporary humanitarian corridor for #aleppo refugees
— Anne Rumsey Gearan (@agearan) December 16, 2016
"These multi-part questions, I start losing track," Obama says for all of us.
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) December 16, 2016
At this rate, Obama will still be answering questions tomorrow afternoon
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) December 16, 2016
Shorter Obama: I acted about as ideally as one can hope. You, the media, were the problem
— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) December 16, 2016
obama burning Russia. "Their economy doesn’t produce anything anyone wants to buy.."
— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) December 16, 2016
I gather that Obama just wimped out, bigly. Sad!
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 16, 2016
What kind of coffee beverage do you imagine POTUS is sipping right there?
— Alex Byers (@byersalex) December 16, 2016
Striking to hear Obama now implicating Republicans for Putin/Trump when at DNC he took pains to cast Trump as NOT a regular Republican.
— Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) December 16, 2016
Who says Obama doesn’t celebrate Xmas? This press conference is a gift to Trump.
— Ana Marie Cox (@anamariecox) December 16, 2016
"domestic propagandists"
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) December 16, 2016
Obama making fun of reporters’ looooong questions (that he gives loooooooong answers to): "Two questions, each one has four parts"
— Elise Foley (@elisefoley) December 16, 2016
Obama almost fell asleep in the middle of an analogy about Michelle's healthy eating initiative.
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) December 16, 2016
Long pause there before POTUS eventually decides to use "our Govt" to describe those attacking media for stories critical of them
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) December 16, 2016
At his final press conference, Obama finally rips off the mask, with nothing to lose ... revealing he's exactly who we thought he was.
— Yoni Appelbaum (@YAppelbaum) December 16, 2016