“If you’re not serious about the job, you probably won’t be there very long,” the president said. “He will see fairly quickly, the demands and responsibilities of a U.S. president are not ones that you can treat casually. That in a big, complex, diverse country, the only way you can be successful is by listening, reaching out and working with a wide variety of people.”

“It is my hope that that is what will happen,” he added.