Watch President Obama’s Final State of the Union Address Here

Tuesday night (Jan 12, 2016) marked the last time President Obama traveled to Capitol Hill to address both houses of Congress for his annual State of the Union address.

Aides announced prior to the speech that the focus would mainly be on the president's optimistic outlook about America's future, along with a look back at his administration's achievements.

Though Obama did not directly address the ongoing presidential campaigns, he covered multiple topics that have dominated the various debates held thus far, including immigration, gun violence, ISIS and the state of the economy.

In doing so, he hoped to draw a contrast with what he sees as an excessively pessimistic view of life in America being presented by Republicans running for their parties 2016 presidential nomination, like Donald Trump, Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida.

Asked recently about the campaign rhetoric of Trump, Obama responded, "I’m pretty confident that the overwhelming majority of Americans are looking for the kind of politics that does feed our hopes and not our fears, that does work together and doesn’t try to divide us, that isn’t looking for simplistic solutions and scapegoating."

The president looked to shape the direction of his successor's administration, focusing on America's role as a global leader economically, militarily and diplomatically.

The response to the State of the Union came from Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina. She offered a counterpoint to President Obama's assessment of the country's current state. “This is a time of great challenges for our country, but also of great opportunities," Haley said regarding her opportunity. "I intend to speak about both.”