Trump

Phone call from Obama

In between meetings with health care CEOs, presidential historians and longtime friends, Trump took a call from sitting President Barack Obama, who was on vacation in Hawaii. The two men had spoken on the phone periodically since Trump was elected, but their relationship was beginning to fray after Trump tweeted about "roadblocks" to a successful transition.

Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016

At the time, aides to both men called the December 28 conversation cordial. "We had a very, very good talk," Trump would say later. "I actually thought we covered a lot of territory."

Russia did not come up, aides say now, despite the widespread recognition that Obama was preparing to slap new sanctions on Moscow for the election meddling. Obama — who fired Flynn as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014 — had warned Trump about his incoming national security adviser about six weeks earlier in the Oval Office.

By this point, aides now say, Obama advisers were being extraordinarily careful about what they were sharing with Team Trump. The skepticism was rooted in the fact that Trump had not only brushed off the President's warning about Flynn, aides say, but he and his advisers were openly downplaying and outright dismissing the fact that Russia had interfered in the election.

Hours later, Obama signed the package of sanctions on Russia, which wouldn't be made public until the next day.