WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Monday abandoned his dire warnings and dark predictions about his newly elected successor and urged Americans to give President-elect Donald Trump time to rise to the daunting responsibilities of the office, breaking sharply from his Democratic allies who have quickly condemned Trump’s first major decisions.
In his first extended remarks on the election that pounded his party and his legacy, Obama sought to reassure an anxious world and nation about his successor’s commitments to alliances, at times appearing almost sanguine about a future Trump administration.
Although he would not explicitly say Trump was qualified for the office, he said he believed the first-time officeholder would do his best to unite the nation, calling him pragmatic. He refused to wade into a political firestorm over Trump’s decision to name a far-right conservative media mogul as a top adviser. And he expressed hope that the weight of the presidency will force Trump to overcome his shortcomings.
“He has won. He’s going to be the next president, and regardless of what experience or assumptions he brought to the office, this office has a way of waking you up,” Obama said.
As he prepared to embark on a three-nation trip abroad, Obama went so far as to vouch for Trump and his foreign policies. Although Trump campaigned as a harsh critic of NATO, Obama said Trump sounded a different note when they met in the Oval Office last week.
Obama said the Republican “expressed a great interest in maintaining our core strategic relationships,” including “strong and robust NATO” partnerships.