US President Barack Obama delivers his farewell address in Chicago, Illinois, US, January 10, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

CHICAGO - With a final shout of his campaign mantra "Yes We Can," President Barack Obama on Tuesday urged Americans to stand up for US values and reject discrimination as the country transitions to the presidency of Republican Donald Trump.

In an emotional speech in which he thanked his family and declared his time as president the honor of his life, Obama gently prodded the public to embrace his vision of progress while repudiating some of the policies that Trump promoted during his campaign for the White House.

"So just as we, as citizens, must remain vigilant against external aggression, we must guard against a weakening of the values that make us who we are," Obama told a crowd of 18,000 in his hometown of Chicago, where he celebrated his historic 2008 election as the first black US president.

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, proposed that the United States temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country, build a wall on the border with Mexico, upend a global deal to fight climate change and dismantle Obama's healthcare reform law.