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| Obama at press conference will not say if Trump is qualified to be president – live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 9.32pm GMT | |
| 21:32 | |
| Iran nuclear deal question. What would you counsel Trump? And on Syria. | |
| Obama: | |
| “Iran is an example of the gap in the rhetoric... and the reality. There was a really robust debate about the merits of the Iran deal before it was completed... it was a serious debate. Ultimately we were able to persuade members of Congress... the main argument against it was that Iran ... would cheat. We know have over a year of evidence that they have abided by the agreement... | |
| “Keep in mind this is not just an agreement between us and the Iranians, this is the P5+1, some of our closest allies... | |
| Nothing on Syria. | |
| Oh wait he has to double back after press persistence. | |
| “Syria is a much more messy situation” than Libya, Obama says. “We have made every effort to try to bring about a political resolution. John Kerry has spent an infinite amount of time trying to negotiate with Russians and Iranians... the situation is obviously different” (from Libya). “We’re going to have to continue to try to pursue a political solution.” | |
| “I recognized that that has not worked,” Obama says of his Syria policy. “It is something that I continue to think about every day,” looking for “Some formular for suffering to end. .. if you have a Syrian military that is committed to killing its people indiscriminately... and it is supported by Russia... and Iran actively supporting that regime, and we are supporting what has to be our No.1 national security priority... that the situation is not the same as it was in Libya...I continue to believe that that was the right thing to do.” | |
| 9.21pm GMT | |
| 21:21 | |
| Obama says the presidency magnifies personal foibles. “I can’t keep track of paper... so pretty quickly after I’m getting stacks of briefing books... I say to myself I’ve got to figure out a system... and I’ve got to find some people who can help me... that seems trivial but...” it’s not. | |
| “There are going to be certain elements of his temperament that will not serve him well unless he recognizes them and corrects them.” | |
| 9.19pm GMT | |
| 21:19 | |
| Obama on Trump: 'I don't think he is ideological' | |
| Question: did anything about Trump surprise you? Does anything concern you?“We had a very cordial conversation. That didn’t surprise me... because he is obviously a gregarious person. He is somebody who likes to mix it up and to have a vigorous debate. What’s clear was that he is able to tap into yes the anxieties but also the enthusiasm of his voters in a way that was impressive. And I said so to him. Because to the extent that there were a lot of those who missed the Trump phenomenon... that connection that he was able to make.. that was impervious to events that might have sunk another candidate, that’s powerful stuff. | |
| Trump, says Obama, has “Fewer set, hard and fast policy prescriptions ... I don’t think he is ideological. I think ultimately he is pragmatic in that way, and that can serve him well..” | |
| “Do I have concerns? Absolutely. Of course I have concerns... The federal government and our democracy is not a speedboat, it is an ocean liner. ... It took a lot of hard work... even in our first two years... I advised him.. before he commits to certain courses of action, he’s really dug in and thought through... where we have a difference... and that’s the affordable care act... obviously this has been the holy grail for republicans.. now that has been taken as an article of faith, that this is terrible... but now that Republicans are in charge they’ve got to take a look... we’ve got 20m people who have insurance who didn’t have it before... health care costs have generally gone up at a comparatively slower rate... people who have health insurance are benefitting in ways they might not be aware of ... free mammograms... it’s one thing to characterize this thing as not working... what happens to those 20m people who have health insurance? Are you gonna just kick them off? ... are you gonna repeal the provision that ensures that... you’re not discriminated against because you’ve got a preexisting condition? That’s really popular?” | |
| Obama also mentions kids staying on parents’ health insurance till age 26. That’s popular too. | |
| If they can come up with something better, Obama says, “I’ll be the first one to say that’s great. Congratulations. If on the other hand, whatever they’re proposing results in millions of people losing coverage... then we’re going to have a problem.” | |
| 9.10pm GMT | |
| 21:10 | |
| Trump tells Putin he wants 'strong and enduring relationship' | |
| The Trump transition team says Trump spoke with Putin who congratulated Trump. Trump ‘is very much looking forward to having a strong and enduring relationship with Russia’: | |
| President-elect Donald J. Trump today spoke with President Vladimir Putin, who called to offer his congratulations on winning a historic election. During the call, the two leaders discussed a range of issues including the threats and challenges facing the United States and Russia, strategic economic issues and the historical U.S.-Russia relationship that dates back over 200 years. | |
| President-elect Trump noted to President Putin that he is very much looking forward to having a strong and enduring relationship with Russia and the people of Russia. | |
| 9.07pm GMT | |
| 21:07 | |
| Obama says presidency will wake Trump up to reality 'pretty quick' | |
| Question: You said Trump was unfit. Now how do you feel? Qualified? And what do you say to people concerned about Trump and supporters hostile to minorities -- especially Steve Bannon, a proponent of alt-right/ white nationalism? | |
| “It would not be appropriate for me to comment on every appointment that the president-elect starts making... the people have spoken. Donald Trump will be the next president. The 45th president of the US. And it will be up to him to appoint a team to ... serve him well and reflect his policies. | |
| “That’s how democracy works. That’s how this system operates. When I won there were a number of people who didn’t like me, annd didn’t like what I stood for... | |
| “It takes a while for people to reconcile themselves with that new reality.. | |
| “Hopefully it’s a reminder that elections matter, and voting counts... we ended up having 43% of the country not voting who were eligible to vote... given that president Trump is now trying to balance what he said in the campaign with working with those who disagreed with him... I think it’s important to us to let him make his decisions... I think the American people will judge over the next couple of years whether they like what they see... | |
| “My role is to make sure that when I hand off this White House, that it is in the best possible shape, and that I’ve been as helpful as I can to him in going forward... and my advice to the president-elect when we had our discussions is that campaigning is different from governing. I think he recognizes that. I think he’s sincere in wanting to be a successful president... I think he’s going to try as best he can to make sure that he delivers not only for the people that voted for him but for the people at large.... | |
| “It’s only been six days. I think it’s important for him... to be able for him to distinguish what he was campaigning on and what is practical, what he can achieve... | |
| “I did say to him, as I’ve said publicly, that because of the nature of the campaigns, and the bitterness and the ferocity of the campaigns, that it’s really important to try to send some signals of unity, and to try to reach out to minority groups and women and others that were concerned about the tenor of the campaign. And I think that that’s something that he will want to do. But that’s all happening real fast, he’s got commitments to supporters... it’s a little too early to start making judgments on that.” | |
| On qualifications: | |
| Obama: “He mobilized a big chunk of the country... regardless of what experience or assumptions he brought to the office, this office has a way of waking you up. Those aspects of his positions or predispositions that don’t match up with reality he will find shaken up pretty quick, because reality has a way of asserting itself. Some of his gifts that allowed him to execute one of the biggest upsets in history, hopefully he’ll be able to put those to use...” | |
| 8.57pm GMT | 8.57pm GMT |
| 20:57 | 20:57 |
| Question: what’s the presidential learning curve like? | Question: what’s the presidential learning curve like? |
| Obama: “About a week ago I started feeling pretty good.” Ha. “The learning curve always continues. This is a remarkable job... It is a constant flow of information and challenges and issues... that is truer now than it has ever been” because of information flow and the connectivity of the world. He says 50 years ago Syria might be unheard of in the USA. Or a southeast Asia financial crisis might not impact US markets.” | Obama: “About a week ago I started feeling pretty good.” Ha. “The learning curve always continues. This is a remarkable job... It is a constant flow of information and challenges and issues... that is truer now than it has ever been” because of information flow and the connectivity of the world. He says 50 years ago Syria might be unheard of in the USA. Or a southeast Asia financial crisis might not impact US markets.” |
| “During the Bay of Pigs crisis, JFK had about two weeks before anyone reported on it. Imagine that.” | “During the Bay of Pigs crisis, JFK had about two weeks before anyone reported on it. Imagine that.” |
| In talking with Trump, Obama says, he pointed out that “how you staff, particularly your chief of staff, national security adviser, White House council – a process and a system... understanding that the president is going to be the ultimate decision-maker, that’s got to be set up right away... | In talking with Trump, Obama says, he pointed out that “how you staff, particularly your chief of staff, national security adviser, White House council – a process and a system... understanding that the president is going to be the ultimate decision-maker, that’s got to be set up right away... |
| “As a consequence of that team, I’ve been able to make good decisions. And if you don’t have that around you, you’ll get swamped..” | “As a consequence of that team, I’ve been able to make good decisions. And if you don’t have that around you, you’ll get swamped..” |
| They talked about the fact that “I’d been encouraged by his statements on election night about unity... the reset that can happen after an election, all those things are important... I think it’s important to give him the room and the space... I emphasized to him that look in an election like this... gestures matters, and how he reaches out to groups that may not have supported him, how he signals his interest in their concerns, those are the kinds of things that can actually set a tone... | They talked about the fact that “I’d been encouraged by his statements on election night about unity... the reset that can happen after an election, all those things are important... I think it’s important to give him the room and the space... I emphasized to him that look in an election like this... gestures matters, and how he reaches out to groups that may not have supported him, how he signals his interest in their concerns, those are the kinds of things that can actually set a tone... |
| On his personal entry in the job, | On his personal entry in the job, |
| “I didn’t really have time to worry about being at ease because we were losing about 800,000 jobs a month.. it’s hard to find an analogous situation... | “I didn’t really have time to worry about being at ease because we were losing about 800,000 jobs a month.. it’s hard to find an analogous situation... |
| “I was too busy to worry about how acclimated I was feeling... in this situation... obviously there are people out there who are feeling deeply disaffected... [but] the unemployment rate is as low as it’s been in eight, nine years... the stock market is hovering around its all-time high... we have challenges internationally... [but] significant progress in Iraq and Mosul is now increasingly being retaken by Iraqi security forces supported by us...gas is two bucks a gallon... | “I was too busy to worry about how acclimated I was feeling... in this situation... obviously there are people out there who are feeling deeply disaffected... [but] the unemployment rate is as low as it’s been in eight, nine years... the stock market is hovering around its all-time high... we have challenges internationally... [but] significant progress in Iraq and Mosul is now increasingly being retaken by Iraqi security forces supported by us...gas is two bucks a gallon... |
| “He will have time and space to make judicious decisions.... they’ve got time to consider what exactly they want to achieve.” | “He will have time and space to make judicious decisions.... they’ve got time to consider what exactly they want to achieve.” |
| 8.49pm GMT | 8.49pm GMT |
| 20:49 | 20:49 |
| Obama says Democrats must 'show up everywhere' to win | Obama says Democrats must 'show up everywhere' to win |
| On the Democrats: “Should not waver on our core beliefs and principles... an economy that works for everybody... America is inclusive not exclusive... dignity.. of every child...” without discrimination. | On the Democrats: “Should not waver on our core beliefs and principles... an economy that works for everybody... America is inclusive not exclusive... dignity.. of every child...” without discrimination. |
| “There are going to be a core set of values that shouldn’t be up for debate,” Obama says. “But how we organize politically is probably something we should spend some time thinking about... | “There are going to be a core set of values that shouldn’t be up for debate,” Obama says. “But how we organize politically is probably something we should spend some time thinking about... |
| “Good ideas don’t matter if people don’t hear them.. given population distribution across the country, we have to compete everywhere, we have to show up everywhere, we have to work at a grassroots level. I won Iowa... because I spent 87 days going to every small town and VFW fish fry county fair... there’s some counties maybe I won that people didn’t expect because people had a chance to see you... | “Good ideas don’t matter if people don’t hear them.. given population distribution across the country, we have to compete everywhere, we have to show up everywhere, we have to work at a grassroots level. I won Iowa... because I spent 87 days going to every small town and VFW fish fry county fair... there’s some counties maybe I won that people didn’t expect because people had a chance to see you... |
| “The challenge for a national party is how do you dig in there and create those kinds of structures so that people have a sense of what it is that you have to stand for.” | “The challenge for a national party is how do you dig in there and create those kinds of structures so that people have a sense of what it is that you have to stand for.” |
| Can’t do it with a national press strategy especially given “splintering of the press,” Obama says. State and local parties, school board races, state rep races and city council races... “I’m optimistic that that will happen,” Obama says. | Can’t do it with a national press strategy especially given “splintering of the press,” Obama says. State and local parties, school board races, state rep races and city council races... “I’m optimistic that that will happen,” Obama says. |
| He reminds the press of 2005 Democratic setbacks. He says he’s optimistic. | He reminds the press of 2005 Democratic setbacks. He says he’s optimistic. |
| 8.44pm GMT | 8.44pm GMT |
| 20:44 | 20:44 |
| Obama says Trump committed to Nato | Obama says Trump committed to Nato |
| Question: What will you tell world leaders about Trump? And the Democratic party – where now?Obama: “One of the great things about the United States is that when it comes to world affairs the president obviously is the leader of the executive branch... but the influence and the work that we have is the result not just of the president... countless interaction of the military... diplomats... intelligence officers... development workers... | Question: What will you tell world leaders about Trump? And the Democratic party – where now?Obama: “One of the great things about the United States is that when it comes to world affairs the president obviously is the leader of the executive branch... but the influence and the work that we have is the result not just of the president... countless interaction of the military... diplomats... intelligence officers... development workers... |
| “There’s enormous continuity beneath the day-to-day news...that will continue.” | “There’s enormous continuity beneath the day-to-day news...that will continue.” |
| “In my conversation with the president-elect, he expressed a great interest in maintaining our core relationships...” | “In my conversation with the president-elect, he expressed a great interest in maintaining our core relationships...” |
| That includes Nato, Obama says. | That includes Nato, Obama says. |
| “There is no weakening in resolve when it comes to America’s commitment to maintaining a strong and robust Nato relationship.” | “There is no weakening in resolve when it comes to America’s commitment to maintaining a strong and robust Nato relationship.” |
| 8.41pm GMT | 8.41pm GMT |
| 20:41 | 20:41 |
| Obama offers condolences to Gwen Ifill’s family, the journalist whose death from cancer at age 61 was just announced. | Obama offers condolences to Gwen Ifill’s family, the journalist whose death from cancer at age 61 was just announced. |
| “Gwen was a friend of ours, she was an extraordinary journalist,” Obama begins, and goes on to read a lengthy warm and admiring statement paying tribute to Ifill. | “Gwen was a friend of ours, she was an extraordinary journalist,” Obama begins, and goes on to read a lengthy warm and admiring statement paying tribute to Ifill. |
| 8.40pm GMT | 8.40pm GMT |
| 20:40 | 20:40 |
| Here’s Obama. He’s talking about his upcoming trip to Peru, Greece and Germany. | Here’s Obama. He’s talking about his upcoming trip to Peru, Greece and Germany. |
| “I wanted to see if I could clear out some of the underbrush” of questions before the overseas trip, he says. | “I wanted to see if I could clear out some of the underbrush” of questions before the overseas trip, he says. |
| “My team stands ready to accelerate in the next steps that are required to ensure a smooth transition, and we are going to be staying in touch as we travel,” Obama says. While not prescribed explicitly in the constitution, Obama says, “It is one of those norms that are vital to a functioning democracy, similar to those norms of... tolerance...reason...facts.” | “My team stands ready to accelerate in the next steps that are required to ensure a smooth transition, and we are going to be staying in touch as we travel,” Obama says. While not prescribed explicitly in the constitution, Obama says, “It is one of those norms that are vital to a functioning democracy, similar to those norms of... tolerance...reason...facts.” |
| Obama says “as long as I’m president” those norms will be respected. That’s not very long at all now. | Obama says “as long as I’m president” those norms will be respected. That’s not very long at all now. |
| A not-so-subtle dig at Trump. | A not-so-subtle dig at Trump. |
| 8.06pm GMT | 8.06pm GMT |
| 20:06 | 20:06 |
| Obama to speak | Obama to speak |
| We’re expecting to hear from the president shortly, in Obama’s first press conference since Donald Trump’s election as the next US president. | We’re expecting to hear from the president shortly, in Obama’s first press conference since Donald Trump’s election as the next US president. |
| Here’s a live video stream: | Here’s a live video stream: |
| 8.01pm GMT | 8.01pm GMT |
| 20:01 | 20:01 |
| Transcript of first lady Michelle Obama’s speech at a homeless veterans’ organization: | Transcript of first lady Michelle Obama’s speech at a homeless veterans’ organization: |
| MRS. OBAMA: “Thank you all so much.” (Applause.) “You all, please, please. Thanks so much. Welcome.” | MRS. OBAMA: “Thank you all so much.” (Applause.) “You all, please, please. Thanks so much. Welcome.” |
| AUDIENCE MEMBER: “Run for President!” (Laughter.) | AUDIENCE MEMBER: “Run for President!” (Laughter.) |
| MRS. OBAMA: “Be quiet back there.” (Laughter.) | MRS. OBAMA: “Be quiet back there.” (Laughter.) |