Presidency of Barack Obama

Presidency of Barack Obama January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017
President	Barack Obama
Cabinet	See list
Party	Democratic
Election	2008 2012
Seat	White House
← George W. Bush Donald Trump →
Seal of the President
Archived website Library website

This article is part of a series about Barack Obama
Political positions Electoral history Early life and career Family Public image Honors Pre-presidency Illinois State Senator 2004 DNC keynote address U.S. Senator from Illinois sponsored bills President of the United States Presidency timeline Policies Economy Energy Foreign policy Europe East Asia Middle East South Asia Obama Doctrine foreign trips Pardons Social Space Appointments Cabinet Judges First term Campaign 2008 general election primaries Transition First inauguration First 100 days Recovery Act Russia nuclear treaty Affordable Care Act Dodd–Frank Iraq withdrawal Killing of Osama bin Laden Libya intervention Afghanistan withdrawal Benghazi attack Timeline '09 '10 '11 '12 Second term Reelection campaign 2012 general election reactions Second inauguration Anti-ISIL campaign Iraq Syria Iran deal Cuban thaw Sanctions against Russia Selma 50th anniversary speech Obergefell v. Hodges Paris Agreement Kunduz hospital airstrike Failed nomination of Merrick Garland Timeline '13 '14 '15 '16–'17 Post-presidency Planned presidential library Obama Foundation One America Appeal Dreams from My Father The Audacity of Hope A Promised Land Nobel Peace Prize
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The presidency of Barack Obama began at noon EST (17:00 UTC) on January 20, 2009, when Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following a decisive victory over Republican nominee John McCain in the 2008 presidential election. Four years later, in the 2012 election, he defeated Republican Mitt Romney to win re-election. He was the first African American president, the first multiracial president, the first non-white president, and the first president to have been born in Hawaii. Obama was succeeded by Republican Donald Trump, who won the 2016 presidential election.

Obama's first-term actions addressed the global financial crisis and included a major stimulus package, a partial extension of the Bush tax cuts, legislation to reform health care, a major financial regulation reform bill, and the end of a major US military presence in Iraq. Obama also appointed Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, the latter of whom became the first Hispanic American on the Supreme Court. Democrats controlled both houses of Congress until Republicans won a majority in the House of Representatives in the 2010 elections. Following the elections, Obama and Congressional Republicans engaged in a protracted stand-off over government spending levels and the debt ceiling. The Obama administration's policy against terrorism downplayed Bush's counterinsurgency model, expanding air strikes and making extensive use of special forces and encouraging greater reliance on host-government militaries. The Obama administration orchestrated the military operation that resulted in the killing of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011.

In his second term, Obama took steps to combat climate change, signing a major international climate agreement and an executive order to limit carbon emissions. Obama also presided over the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and other legislation passed in his first term, and he negotiated rapprochements with Iran and Cuba. The number of American soldiers in Afghanistan fell dramatically during Obama's second term, though U.S. soldiers remained in Afghanistan throughout Obama's presidency and continue to as of 2021. Republicans took control of the Senate after the 2014 elections, and Obama continued to grapple with Congressional Republicans over government spending, immigration, judicial nominations, and other issues.