Obama: 'Sometimes I wonder whether I was 10 or 20 years too early'

Obama on Trump election
(Image credit: Getty Images)

President Trump's election reportedly made former President Obama second guess everything.

A new book by Benjamin Rhodes, one of Obama's longtime advisers, paints a portrait of a troubled Obama who struggled to understand the meaning of his successor's victory. Shortly after the 2016 election, Obama wondered whether his administration had "pushed too far," The New York Times reports.

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Obama also worried about speaking out too much about potential Russian interference in the upcoming election for fear that Trump would claim it as evidence that the system was rigged in favor of Hillary Clinton, the book describes. After Trump won the election, Obama told aides that they were all "about to find out just how resilient our institutions are, at home and around the world." Read more details from the book at The New York Times.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.