Jarrett: Trump's victory felt like 'a punch to the stomach'

Senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett said Wednesday that President-elect Donald Trump’s surprise victory on Election Day was “like a punch to the stomach” and “soul-crushing,” but that the mood inside the White House has improved since then.

Jarrett, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama and a member of his administration from day one, said he and other White House officials were left somewhat shell-shocked by Trump’s win. But following the president’s lead, she and other administration have sought to follow the lead of former President George W. Bush’s team in facilitating a smooth White House transition to the opposing party.


“Obviously we were surprised by the outcome of the election. It kind of was like a, I’m not sure what the right analogy would be, but like a punch in the stomach, let’s say. Soul-crushing might be another description,” Jarrett said. “But that’s the democracy that we have: the people get to decide and the elections matter and we have to get about the business of doing our job.”

“He sets the tone and he’s upbeat. He’s excited about what we’ve accomplished,” she continued, speaking of the president. “And so I think the mood is a lot better today than it was the day after the election, that’s for sure.”

President Obama campaigned hard for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, his former secretary of state, and spent significant time on the campaign trail attacking Trump. The president-elect, too, built much of his campaign upon attacking Obama and his signature policies and legislation.

The two men have come together in the month since the election, meeting just days after Trump’s victory inside the Oval Office for 90 minutes and speaking multiple times on the phone since then. Wednesday morning, Trump said he has grown to like Obama as a person that the two have “tremendous chemistry.”

The Manhattan billionaire confirmed that he has sought Obama’s advice and counsel, including on candidates for appointment-level positions. In at least one case so far, Trump said he has appointed someone who Obama approved of. He told NBC’s “Today” that “I do like him. I love getting his ideas.”

Jarrett said she was unsurprised that Trump has warmed to the man he spent months railing against in stump speeches and interviews.

“I understand why he likes him. I guess I wish he’d gotten to know him sooner and had spent some time with him. And I also think it reflects on President Obama’s attitude, which is he’s being very open and available and accessible,” Jarrett said. “Look, we’ve learned a lot in eight years and campaigns are different than governing and to the degree that President Obama can convey some of what he’s learned and give the president-elect a little bit more detail into why we’ve done the things that we’ve done, than inures to the benefit of the country.”

“So I’m glad that the president-elect likes President Obama. I think that’s a good sign.”