President Obama speaks in Hampton

HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) - People piled into Phoebus High School in Hampton Friday afternoon to hear President Barack Obama speak. Of the 1500 people in attendance, 200 of them were overflow, according to officials at the event.

Watch the full Hampton speech here .

The president spoke for 35 minutes to the sold out crowd. His speech focused on the economy and job creation. President Obama repeatedly spoke to the middle class, promising tax breaks.

"I'm here to fight for you," he said. "I'm here to fight for the middle class. I'm here to fight for families who are working hard every single day."

President Obama told the crowd he wants to rebuild the economy from the middle out, while Republican candidate Mitt Romney wants to rebuild from the top down.

Photos: Candidates in Hampton Roads

The president noted his administration killed the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. He spoke briefly about defense cuts, and what he would do with the money saved.

"After a decade of war, I want to take half the money we're saving - because we're no longer fighting in Iraq and we're winding down in Afghanistan - take half of that and use it to pay down our deficit. Take the other half and use it to do some nation-building in the United States of America."

One woman at the event was there looking for a second chance for her son to meet President Barack Obama.

“I made sure I’d be the first one, baby,” Veronica Davis, who was first in line at 4 a.m., told WAVY.com. “I made sure I’d be first."

Davis and her 6-year-old son Cornell Burke saw the president speak in Hampton in 2008, but Burke fell short of formally meeting him.

"Nobody in the crowd would move out the way so he could shake his hand," Davis said. "So I had to lift him up above everyone’s head and I could hear President Obama telling me to put the baby back, put the baby back."

When Burke reached out his hand to President Obama Friday in Hampton, he got a very different reaction.

"[President Obama] gave him a little shake, but then he turned around, looked at him twice, rubbed his head and shook his hand real hard," said Davis, fighting back tears of joy.

After the Hampton appearance, President Obama drove to Langley Air Force Base and boarded Air Force One for a flight to Roanoke.

Earlier in the day, President Obama spoke to a crowd at Green Run H.S. in Virginia Beach.