President Obama On Trump: ‘I Don’t Think He’s Ideological’

United States President Barack Obama participates in a Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) town hall at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. August 3, 2016. Credit: Chris Kleponis / Pool via CNP - NO WIRE... United States President Barack Obama participates in a Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) town hall at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. August 3, 2016. Credit: Chris Kleponis / Pool via CNP - NO WIRE SERVICE - Photo by: Chris Kleponis/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images MORE LESS
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President Barack Obama told reporters Monday that he believes President-elect Donald Trump is coming to the White House with a more flexible outlook on policy than his predecessors.

“He is coming to this office with fewer set hard-and-fast policy prescriptions than a lot of other presidents might be arriving with,” Obama said. “I don’t think he is idealogical. I think ultimately he is pragmatic in that way. And that can serve him well as long as he’s got good people around him and he has a clear sense of direction.”

During the campaign Trump made building a border wall, deporting millions of immigrants and blocking Muslims from entering the U.S. key parts of his message. However, now that he has been elected, Trump seems to be softening on some of his positions. That change, Obama said may be a reflection of the fact that Trump is not tied to a specific policy prescription.

Of course, the open question of what Trump could do next was still unnerving for the President.

“Do I have concerns? Absolutely. Of course, I have concerns. He and I differ on a whole bunch of issues,” Obama said.

What Obama did emphasize was that the government is designed to halt radical change.

“But the federal government and our democracy is not a speedboat, it’s an ocean liner,” Obama said. “As I discovered when I came into office. It took a lot of really hard work for us to make significant policy changes, even in our first two years when we had larger majorities than Mr. Trump will enjoy when he comes into office.”

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Notable Replies

  1. Trump: I am open minded. I might think about appointing Obama to SCOTUS. He seems smart.

  2. President Obama is a diplomat who’s not going to dis even a blatant dummy. Unlike the dummy who never held back from saying disgusting things about the man he never respected but should’ve.

  3. What’s the line on Trump jettisoning one or more of his platform statements?

    I’m asking for a friend

  4. Avatar for tena tena says:

    I wish Obama would just stop. Just stop.

    I’m not real happy with him right now anyway and this ain’t helping. Instead of this bullshit he should figure out some way to avoid handing us over to this completely unfit person. That would be honoring the oath of office he took.

    Good people around Trump.

    Just stop, Obama.

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