White House: Obama still thinks Trump 'unfit' for the presidency
By Louis Nelson
11/10/16 02:26 PM EST
President Barack Obama has taken a decidedly conciliatory tone in discussing the transition process between his administration and the incoming one of President-elect Donald Trump.
But White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Thursday that the president hasn’t changed his mind about the man who will be the next commander in chief.
Earnest was asked during his daily press briefing about the president’s campaign trail rhetoric, specifically his remarks that Trump is “temperamentally unfit” and “uniquely unqualified” to be president.
“Look, the president’s views haven’t changed. He stands by what he said on the campaign trail,” the press secretary replied. “He had an opportunity to make his argument. He made that argument vigorously. He made that argument in states all across the country. But the American people decided. The election is over. The president didn’t get to choose his successor, the American people did. And they have chosen President-elect Trump. And President Obama is determined to preside over a transition that gives the incoming president the opportunity to get a running start.”
Obama spent significant amounts of time on the campaign trail on behalf of Hillary Clinton, his former secretary of state, whose campaign banked on the president’s rising job approval numbers to build support and enthusiasm in swing states. That the president was so active in the race to decide his successor was somewhat of a break from recent history: Neither President George W. Bush nor President Bill Clinton spent much time campaigning for nominees John McCain or Al Gore in 2008 or 2000, respectively.
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http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/obama-josh-earnest-trump-231196
