Vouching for Trump, Obama says US will maintain alliances

As Trump was wrapping up the GOP nomination, he suggested that it was time to renegotiate the United States’ long-standing agreement with European nations. The European Union agreed to a new defense plan Monday, which aims to make countries less reliant on the U.S. The new plan will make it possible to send rapid response forces overseas for the first time.

He also reiterated his call for term limits in Congress, promised to phase out the influence of lobbyists in Washington, doubted he would be taking many vacations and said he would reject the $400,000-a-year salary the president is due. “I think hes honest in wanting to be a successful President and moving this country forward”, Obama said.

He said Mr Trump will have more “time and space” than he had to make “judicious decisions”. He has said he prefers to keep adversaries guessing.

I want to give Mr. Trump a chance, as most Americans do, but the protesters have a valid point to make. Obama said he was “encouraged” by the wide-ranging conversation the pair had, adding that it’s important “we call come together” to face the challenges America faces. “Now the president has the unenviable task of explaining”.

President Obama had hoped to be handing the reins to a fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, yet is now preparing the way for President-elect Trump, a man for whom he has harbored personal and political animosity, and who has pledged to tear up his legacy as quickly as possible. Likewise, Obama says it might be harder for the new administration to unwind some of his Clean Energy measures.

For months, Obama lent credence to those concerns as he urged Americans to reject Trump. However, he did offer up a candid take on how the office will change him.

After his meetings and press conferences in Greece, President Obama will be heading to Germany to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In Peru he will see Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Pacific leaders at an economic summit.

President Obama also used the occasion to underline the continuing importance to the U.S. of its global partnerships, particularly within North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. He denied Sunday that he had recommended Japan or South Korea arm themselves with nuclear weapons, though he said so in a forum in March during a discussion of how to counter North Korea’s efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. “And what’s clear is that he was able to tap into yes the anxieties but also the enthusiasm of voters in a way that was impressive and I said so to him”.

President Barack Obama says finding a way to alleviate the suffering in Syria is something he thinks about every day, calling it a “messy situation”. But in a public capacity as president – as communicator-in-chief – he has been nothing short of a beacon of integrity, an example we can all be proud to hold up to our children for years to come.

“For us to pull out would then require us to start sanctioning those other countries in Europe or China or Russian Federation, that were still abiding by the deal, because from their perspective, Iran had done what it was supposed to do”, he said.