POTUSRECORDThe office changes.PRESIDENT OVERVIEW / SELECTED EVIDENCE
Two economic terms. Diplomatic implementation and its limits. Policy milestones and promises tested against their stated criteria.
By POTUS RECORD · Published and updated .
HOW TO READ THE RECORD
The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell met the included promise’s test when repeal took effect. The Guantánamo closure pledge remained unfulfilled at its stated checkpoint. In diplomacy, JCPOA implementation in 2016 and the later U.S. withdrawal belong to the same record. Those differences matter more than counting every announcement as a completed result.
The economic terms also need separate starting points. The second term inherits conditions at the end of the first; neither begins with an economy created entirely by that president. The figures below describe national outcomes during fixed calendar windows, alongside evidence about selected actions.
01 / TWO COMPLETED ECONOMIC TERMS
Each term contains four calendar years; the January handover is included. The first window includes a decline in annual real GDP in 2009. The second begins from 2012 levels, after four years of the same presidency.
Barack Obama I / 2009–2012
Barack Obama II / 2013–2016
| Measure | Barack Obama I2009–2012 | Barack Obama II2013–2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Average annual real GDP growthArithmetic mean of four annual growth rates | 1.0% | 2.4% |
| Average annual inflationFour annual changes in annual-average CPI-U | 1.6% | 1.1% |
| Average unemployment rateMean of 48 monthly U-3 rates | 9.0% | 5.9% |
| Cumulative real GDP changePrior annual level → final annual level | +3.9% | +9.7% |
| Cumulative consumer price changePrior December → final December | +9.2% | +5.2% |
| Unemployment rate change (percentage points)Prior December → final December | +0.6 | -3.2 |
In this edition, the second term has higher average real GDP growth and lower average unemployment than the first. Consumer prices rise in both endpoint comparisons, even though average inflation is lower in the second. These are different measures; a lower inflation rate does not mean a lower price level.
The inherited baselines are annual or December observations, not inauguration-day measurements. Recessions, recoveries, the Federal Reserve, Congress, inherited policies and other actors affect these outcomes. Neither these windows nor excluding a first year would isolate Obama’s causal contribution.
GDP change and CPI change are cumulative, not annualized. Annual averages must not be multiplied by four to estimate the endpoint changes. U-3 measures the unemployed share of the labor force; it does not alone describe employment or labor-force participation.
Archived data edition v1 · Full comparison coverage: 1977–2024. This overview selects only Obama I and Obama II.
The GDP topic article separately offers a September 30, 2026 edition and compound annualized growth. Its vintage and calculation differ from the April 9 GDP inputs and arithmetic averages retained here.
02 / DIPLOMACY & SECURITY
Mérida continued a program begun under George W. Bush; its delivered equipment and training did not establish reduced violence. Cuba’s restored relations and flights did not establish a democratic transition. The Iran agreement’s implementation and later U.S. withdrawal require separate dates. These selected cases use different historical windows, not equal-duration totals of diplomatic success.
2009–2010 · inherited program
Equipment and training delivered · outcome measures incomplete
Inherited and historical context. The initiative began under George W. Bush in October 2007, with initial funding law in June 2008. Obama continued implementation and revised the goals with Mexico in 2009. This is the July 2010 oversight snapshot.
Underlying source review: . Historical scope retained.
Read the full case, follow-up and cost qualifications2014–2016 · 2017 follow-up
Relations restored · rules effective · flights resumed
Inherited and historical context. Obama-era normalization through October 2016, with a 2018 GAO retrospective confirming the 2016 aviation outcome and a 2017 change in travel policy. This is not a description of current Cuba sanctions.
Underlying source review: . Historical scope retained.
Read the full case, follow-up and cost qualifications2015–2016; U.S. withdrawal in 2018
Implementation verified (2016) · U.S. withdrawal (2018)
Inherited and historical context. A multilateral agreement and verification process involving Iran, six negotiating powers, the IAEA, the U.N. Security Council, and Congress. Historically implemented; United States ceased participation in 2018. No claim is made that the 2016 restrictions remain implemented in October 2026; later Iranian compliance and 2025–2026 developments are not verified by this 2018 source.
Underlying source review: . Historical scope retained.
Read the full case, follow-up and cost qualifications03 / SELECTED POLICY MILESTONES
The policy archive records three different milestones: signing New START, concluding TPP negotiations and adopting the Paris Agreement. Their status labels retain the historical stage. They do not establish current treaty status, U.S. implementation of TPP or achievement of climate targets.
/ Treaty signed
Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a treaty addressing strategic offensive arms. The White House published the treaty and its protocol.
This entry records the 2010 signature. It is a historical milestone, not a statement about the treaty’s current status or later compliance.
Underlying record reviewed September 28, 2026.
/ Negotiations concluded
The White House announced that twelve countries had concluded negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a proposed regional trade agreement.
Concluded negotiations are distinct from signature, ratification, and entry into force. This milestone is not presented as an agreement that entered into force for the United States.
Underlying record reviewed September 28, 2026.
/ Agreement adopted
The White House described adoption of the Paris Agreement, including national climate targets and a recurring process for strengthening ambition.
Adoption is a diplomatic milestone. It does not demonstrate achievement of climate targets or describe current U.S. participation in the agreement.
Underlying record reviewed September 28, 2026.
04 / TWO SELECTED PROMISE TESTS
Both assessments retain their own definition of completion and historical checkpoint. The two selected records are not a representative sample of Obama’s campaign promises and cannot establish an overall fulfillment percentage.
Completed / AS OF September 20, 2011
Completion criterion. Legal repeal must take effect, not merely be signed.
Recorded outcome. The repeal law was signed in December 2010 and formally took effect on September 20, 2011.
Not fulfilled as defined / AS OF January 17, 2017
Completion criterion. Close the detention facility; reducing its population is not closure.
Recorded outcome. The White House acknowledged that closure would not be achieved before Obama left office. It reported 45 detainees on January 17, while citing congressional obstacles.
The promise collection retains its September 29, 2026 source-review date. Official pledge records may restate an earlier campaign commitment; their dates are distinct from the original campaign and from the outcome checkpoint. Read all selected promises.
05 / SOURCES & COVERAGE LIMITS
This is a selected reading across existing collections, not a complete biography or a comprehensive audit of Obama’s presidency. It does not cover every domestic policy, military operation, diplomatic case or campaign commitment. The number of included records measures coverage, not success.
The economic section retains its frozen v1 inputs. Policy milestones retain their original reviews; the diplomatic cases retain their October 6, 2026 reviews and dated follow-up; promise assessments retain their original checkpoints. Historical sources do not establish current sanctions, treaty participation or compliance. This article does not claim to reverify every cited source on October 26.
Operation-wide war records separately cover operations spanning administrations; they should not be assigned wholly to Obama. The presidential comparison guide explains how to read these subjects together, and the methodology sets out their different measures and boundaries.
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Official oversight report · Published July 21, 2010 · Reviewed October 6, 2026
Read: Relevant report pages: 1, 1 footnote 2, 6, 8 Table 1, 11, 23
President Barack Obama; official Compilation of Presidential Documents published by Office of the Federal Register/NARA and GPO
Presidential directive · Published October 14, 2016 · Reviewed October 6, 2026
Read: I. Introduction; III. Progress Toward United States-Cuba Normalization; IV. Strategic Landscape; V. Policy Priorities, 3. Expanded Commerce; V. Policy Priorities, 5. Respect for Universal Human Rights, Fundamental Freedoms, and Democratic Values
U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC); Federal Register published by Office of the Federal Register/NARA and GPO
Official regulation · Published January 16, 2015 · Reviewed October 6, 2026
Read: Summary; Dates; Supplementary Information, Travel to Cuba for authorized purposes
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
Official oversight report · Published July 12, 2018 · Reviewed October 6, 2026
Read: p. 1
Congressional Research Service (CRS), Library of Congress
official government retrospective research · Published July 20, 2018 · Reviewed October 6, 2026
Read: Summary ; Major Nuclear Provisions / Enrichment Program ; Summary; evaluative criticisms attributed to officials, no independent malign-activity outcome claimed ; Sanctions Relief and Reimposition; explicit year
Economic source links appear with the table; policy and promise sources appear beside each record. Editorial synthesis by POTUS RECORD · Report a correction with the page and official source.