Washington D.C. (United States), Nov. 11 : White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest asserted that President Obama is filled with renewed confidence in the commitment of the President-elect Donald Trump to engage in an effective, smooth transition after meeting him at the White House.
"We are committed to doing what is required on our part to make sure that that happens. And the President was pleased to hear a similar commitment expressed by the President-elect," said Earnest while responding to a question.
On the reassurances that the President got from Trump about his plans to pursue what he discussed during the campaign about trying to incarcerate Hillary Clinton, he said , " The President found reassuring the kind of tone that the President-elect conveyed in his election night remarks.
These were remarks that the President-elect delivered not just to his supporters in the ballroom, but to the citizens of the country that were tuned into this historic election, but also to people around the world.
And given the intensity of scrutiny of his remarks, it's notable that he chose that kind of tone." "I think we saw a similar tone just in the Oval Office 30 minutes ago, where he was indicating his commitment to working closely with the outgoing administration to ensure a smooth, effective transition.
That doesn't mean they don't agree on all the issues. They obviously have deep disagreements. But what they do agree on is a commitment to a smooth and effective transition, and that's a good thing for the country," he added.
When asked about what excellent meant during the meeting, Earnest said, "I think when you consider the profound differences between the two gentlemen, when you consider the fact that they have never met before in person, and when you consider the high priority that the President places on a smooth and effective transition, I think that qualifies as excellent." "The President had allotted more time on his schedule for that meeting than just 10 to 15 minutes.
But they did end up spending about 90 minutes, talking about a range of issues and I think that would be an indication of a pretty robust, valuable meeting," said Earnest while responding to a question about Trump mentioning the meeting was supposed to only last 10 to 15 minutes and it took much longer than that.
On the expectations of the President, the White House Press Secretary said, "I think the President's expectation is that the incoming President will set his own priorities and pursue them accordingly.
And again, our goal is to provide him the kind of advice that would give the President-elect and his team the opportunity to succeed in uniting and leading the country.
That's what he has indicated that he has made his priority, and we certainly are prepared to do everything we can over the next 71 days to support him in that effort.".
Source: ANI
