White House: Obama still thinks Trump 'unfit' for the presidency

President Barack Obama has taken a decidedly conciliatory tone in discussing the transition process between his administration and the incoming one of President-elect Donald Trump.

But White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Thursday that the president hasn’t changed his mind about the man who will be the next commander in chief.


Earnest was asked during his daily press briefing about the president’s campaign trail rhetoric, specifically his remarks that Trump is “temperamentally unfit” and “uniquely unqualified” to be president.

“Look, the president’s views haven’t changed. He stands by what he said on the campaign trail,” the press secretary replied. “He had an opportunity to make his argument. He made that argument vigorously. He made that argument in states all across the country. But the American people decided. The election is over. The president didn’t get to choose his successor, the American people did. And they have chosen President-elect Trump. And President Obama is determined to preside over a transition that gives the incoming president the opportunity to get a running start.”

Obama spent significant amounts of time on the campaign trail on behalf of Hillary Clinton, his former secretary of state, whose campaign banked on the president’s rising job approval numbers to build support and enthusiasm in swing states. That the president was so active in the race to decide his successor was somewhat of a break from recent history: Neither President George W. Bush nor President Bill Clinton spent much time campaigning for nominees John McCain or Al Gore in 2008 or 2000, respectively.

Earnest said the roughly 90-minute White House meeting between Obama and Trump touched on both foreign and domestic policy issues, but was focused for a significant portion on “discussing the importance of properly staffing up and organizing a White House operation.” The press secretary said Obama was encouraged by Trump’s apparent dedication to a smooth transition process and that their shared goal to that end made the conversation “at least a little less awkward than some might have expected.”

“The American people chose someone else and he’s committed to working with that person, the person he did not support, to ensure a smooth and effective transition,” Earnest said. “There is a long tradition in our democracy of presidents effectively doing that. Because they have a responsibility to put their own political views aside and perform the functions of the presidency. And one of those functions is to ensure a peaceful, smooth and effective transition.”