After their first face-to-face meeting, President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump pledged to work together, with the sitting president saying he wants to make Trump and his family "feel welcome as we prepare to make this transition."
Obama and Trump met in the Oval Office for an hour-and-a-half, and the president told reporters they had a "wide-ranging" conversation about domestic and foreign policy issues. Trump said he looked forward to working with Obama in the future and would seek his counsel.
"Mr. President, it was a great honor being with you, and I look forward being with you many, many more times," Trump said with Obama sitting by his side.
The private White House meeting had the potential to be awkward after the two men sniped at each other throughout the bitter presidential campaign: Trump, a central figure in the so-called "birther" movement, spent years railing against Obama and challenging the legitimacy of his 2008 election. Obama, who campaigned heartily for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, repeatedly slammed Trump as unfit for office.
The men have had virtually no personal contact. They were in the same room at the 2011 White House Correspondents' Association dinner — the night Obama pilloried Trump in a scathing comedy routine.
As Obama huddled with Trump for their closed-door meeting, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough strolled along the South Lawn with Trump's son-in-law and confidant, Jared Kushner.
Obama had congratulated the president-elect in a statement in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, pledging to do his part in a cordial handover — just as President George W. Bush did for him eight years ago.
"It is not secret that the president-elect and I have some pretty significant differences," Obama said. "The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy."
Trump has threatened to undo much of Obama's policies and programs. At stake is the president's legacy on health care initiatives, immigration, a global climate change pact and a nuclear deal with Iran.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Wednesday that Obama is hoping to impart to Trump the benefits of his policies.
"There is a tradition, particularly with regard to executive agreements, of successive presidents preserving some element of continuity," Earnest said. "I don't know whether or not that will fly in this case."
A White House official told NBC News that the president wants to ensure a "seamless transition" and let Trump know that White House staff remains committed to a new administration.
Obama will touch on the responsibilities of the office and how they differ from what happens in a campaign, the official added.
Trump on Thursday was joined at the White House by wife, Melania, who was meeting in the residence with first lady Michelle Obama.
Vice President Joe Biden will also visit Vice President-elect Mike Pence later Thursday afternoon.
Trump departed for Washington in his Trump-branded airliner out of New York's LaGuardia Airport, where water cannons sprayed the jet in a ceremonial sendoff.
His swearing in would take place Jan. 20. But the next several weeks could prove tumultuous following a contentious election that has sparked street protests throughout the country. On Wednesday night, thousands in Chicago, New York and cities in California held signs and chanted, "Not my president," in reference to Trump.
Witchy opinion :
I was never a Trump supporter, but I'm very glad the meeting went well. There were lot's of immature and naive comments all over the Internet hoping that Trump would stick it to Obama or Obama would whine to Trump. Not going to happen. Like or hate Obama or Trump, they both seem to respect the peaceful transition of power and I hope it stays that way. And the ironic thing is that if Trump did stick it to Obama like some of his supporters wanted, that would only reinforce the belief that he isn't right for the job.
No comments:
Post a Comment