White House press secretary says Obama still thinks Donald Trump is unqualified to be president

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published 10 November 2016

Before Donald Trump won the White House, President Obama ravaged the president-elect on the campaign trail as he stumped for Hillary Clinton. Just the day before Election Day, Obama called Trump "temperamentally unfit" and "unqualified to be America's chief executive." And though Obama spoke graciously after Trump won the presidency Wednesday and claimed to have had an "excellent" conversation with Trump on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest admitted Thursday during a press briefing that Obama still has the same views he had just a few days ago. "The president's views haven't changed," Earnest said. "He stands by what he said on the campaign trail."

What has changed, Earnest said, is that the American people have now voted Trump into office. "He had an opportunity to make his argument. He made his argument vigorously," Earnest said of Obama. But now, the "election is over" and Obama must fulfill his duty to ensure a smooth transition of power. "Our goal is to make sure that the incoming president-elect can hit the ground running," Earnest said.