"You have to be careful because anything you say can move markets or start wars," President Barack Obama said. | Getty Obama on presidency: 'Anything you say can move markets or start wars'

President Barack Obama warned against the dangers that lie in the power of the presidency during a wide-ranging TV interview Friday.

In a thinly veiled comment aimed at the incoming administration, Obama told NBC's Lester Holt that, "You have to be careful because anything you say can move markets or start wars."


The outgoing president also discussed at length the various highs and lows of his presidency, naming the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting as his lowest point in office.

"My worst day as president was hearing that 20 six-year-olds had been shot in the most brutal way," he said.

The president also spoke of the challenges of lifting up his party while in office.

"I had trouble transferring my personal popularity or support to the broader cause of the Democratic Party," he said. "And I think that's a legitimate criticism.

Obama, the first African-American president, also elaborated on how his journey didn't spell the end of racial challenges facing the country.

"I think any talk of the post-racial America before my election was never realistic," he said. "I think that talk was not only naive but it created some problems down the road."

Obama, however, said he remained optimistic about the changes he made while in office, and that even though the country was seemingly moving in an opposing direction, "his spirit was unchanged."

"You get the baton and hopefully you've either advanced a lead or closed the gap when you pass the baton to the next person," he said.