US President Barack Obama and his successor, Donald Trump, have met at the White House, a day after the billionaire businessman was declared the winner of the country’s election.
Obama called Thursday’s 90-minute meeting in the Oval Office “excellent”, while Trump said he looked forward to receiving the outgoing president’s “counsel.”
“We now are going to want to do everything we can to help you succeed because if you succeed, the country succeeds,” Obama told Trump.
The two men, who have been harshly critical of each other for years, were meeting for the first time, Trump said.
“I have great respect [for him]” he said. “The meeting could have, as far as I’m concerned, gone a lot longer.
“We disscussed a lot of different situations, some wonderful and some difficulties,” he said.
Trump said he looked forward “to dealing with the president in the future, including counsel”.
Throughout the election campaign, Obama had blasted Trump as unfit to serve as commander-in-chief.
Trump, on the other hand, spent years challenging the legitimacy of Obama’s presidency, falsely suggesting that he may have been born outside the US.
But at least publicly, the two men appeared to put aside their animosity. As the meeting concluded and journalists scrambled out of the Oval Office, Obama smiled at his successor and explained the unfolding scene.
“Here’s a good rule: Don’t answer the questions when they [reporters] just start yelling,” Obama jokingly said.
If Trump makes good on his campaign promises, he will wipe away much of what Obama has done during his eight years in office. The president-elect, who will govern with Congress fully under Republican control, has vowed to repeal Obama’s signature healthcare law and dismantle the nuclear accord with Iran.
First lady Michelle Obama also met privately in the White House residence with Trump’s wife, Melania, while Vice President Joe Biden prepared to see Vice President-elect Mike Pence later on Thursday.
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The anticipated show of civility at the White House contrasted with post-election scenes of rallies across a politically divided country, as thousands of people took to the streets in several US cities on Wednesday to protest against Trump’s surprise victory.
Demonstrators in several US cities vented against the election’s winner, chanting “Not my president,” burning a papier-mache Trump head, beating a Trump pinata and carrying signs that said “Impeach Trump.”
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Trump traveled to Washington from New York on his private jet, breaking with protocol by not bringing journalists in his motorcade or on his plane to document his historic visit to the White House.
Trump was harshly critical of the media during his campaign and for a time banned news organisations from his events.
Also on Trump’s schedule were meetings with House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky to discuss the GOP legislative agenda.
Source: Al Jazeera
