November 09, 2016, 07:23 am
Obama invites Trump to White House on Thursday
By Mark Hensch
President Obama phoned President-elect Donald Trump early Wednesday and invited him to the White House on Thursday.
“The president invited the president-elect to meet with him at the White House on Thursday, Nov. 10, to update him on the transition planning his team has been working on for nearly a year,” the White House press secretary’s office said in a statement Wednesday.
“Ensuring a smooth transition of power is one of the top priorities the president identified at the beginning of the year and a meeting with the president-elect is the next step."
The White House said Obama will also discuss the election results with Americans Wednesday, detailing steps the nation can make to “come together after this hard-fought election season.”
Obama additionally phoned Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, praising her for the “strong campaign” she fought against Trump.
Trump shocked the world Tuesday by defeating Clinton, who led him by about 3 points in the national polling averages as Election Day dawned.
Obama repeatedly campaigned on Clinton’s behalf in the 2016 race’s waning days, arguing she ranked among the most qualified presidential contenders in history.
Trump countered by presenting himself as a change agent who would reverse many of the policies Clinton and Obama favored.
The billionaire’s victory is a stinging blow to Obama, who insisted Trump’s rhetoric and temperament made him “uniquely unqualified” to be his successor.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/305155-obama-invites-trump-to-wh-thursday
