Obama: I Will Criticize Trump if ‘Necessary or Helpful’

In a Sunday press conference in Lima, Peru, President Barack Obama said he may not follow former President George W. Bush’s lead to not publicly criticize his successor.

Instead, Obama left the opportunity to speak out on President-elect Donald Trump if he deems it “necessary or helpful.”

“I want to be respectful of the office and give the president-elect an opportunity to put forward his platform and his arguments without somebody popping off in every instance,” Obama said.

“As an American citizen who cares deeply about our country, if there are issues that have less to do with the specifics of some legislative proposal but go to core questions about our values and our ideals, and if I think that it is necessary or helpful for me to defend those ideals, I’ll examine it when it comes.”

(h/t RCP Video)

Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent

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