President Barack Obama is acknowledging that Donald Trump will be the country’s next president.
“It is no secret that the president-elect and I have some pretty significant differences,” Obama said in the Rose Garden on Wednesday. But he reminded the press and staffers that he had many disagreements with former President George W. Bush in 2008.
He cited Bush’s polite and helpful transfer of power as a model for how he would treat Trump.
“We are now all rooting for a success at uniting and leading the country,” he said. “A peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.”
Obama also praised Hillary Clinton, noting that “I could not be prouder of her,” citing her years of public service as First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State.
He alluded to Clinton’s future with the Clinton foundation, allowing her to “continue to do great work for people.”
Obama noted positively that Trump’s acceptance speech gave him optimism that he was sending the right signals to the American people.
“We all want what’s best for this country,” he said. “That’s what I heard in Mr. Trump’s remarks last night, that’s what I heard when I spoke to him. directly, and I was heartened by that,” he said.
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