Economy healed under Obama, but unhappy voters chose Trump

Job options had been dwindling for workers with only high school diplomas even before Obama took office, but the downturn and slow recovery magnified the pain of that trend.

Fueled in part by such challenges, voters chose to pass the presidency to Donald Trump, a Republican who had railed against a weak economy and promised to undo many of Obama's policies.

The gap between the economy's overall health and Americans' lingering anxieties cuts to the heart of Obama's legacy.

Building on measures taken by George W. Bush's administration, Obama pumped $412 billion into teetering banks, troubled financial firms and the struggling automakers General Motors and Chrysler.

Administration estimates initially suggested that the $836 billion stimulus — a mix of tax cuts, public investments and direct aid — would prevent unemployment from rising above 8 percent.

Even more polarizing was the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a major extension of the federal social safety net.

The combination of all these acts fueled a conservative backlash that would propel dozens of Republicans into Congress, costing Democrats control of the House in 2010 and bringing Obama's economic agenda to a halt.

The Obama team's efforts to boost growth through additional infrastructure spending and immigration reform were quashed by House Republicans.

Historians will remember President Obama for his rational, evidence-based approach," said Alan Krueger, a former economic adviser, "as opposed to the emotional, visceral style of the two presidents who will bookend his time in office.

Obama often spoke with restraint and governed through policy, rather than whipping up public outrage against firms linked to the financial crisis.