SALT LAKE CITY — Former President Barack Obama says he tried to build a culture centered around problem-solving and not personal gain while in the White House.

He said on Wednesday it was an effective strategy for any organization that also prevents “big scandals and indictments.”

Obama’s comments drew applause from a crowd of about 9,000 people at a business conference in Salt Lake City.

Obama didn’t mention President Donald Trump and wasn’t asked about him during a question-and-answer session.

But he made several comments that seemed to allude to the state of the country and the Trump administration.

Obama says he felt confident in difficult decisions he had to make because he surrounded himself with smart people who didn’t always agree with him, and based choices on “facts and reason and logic.”

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