President Obama Calls for Unity and Peaceful Transition to Trump Presidency

In a special news report, President Barack Obama addressed the American public on November 9, 2016, in the wake of a very unexpected election result. With Vice-President Joe Biden at this side, the President joked that the one prediction he made before the election that came true was that the sun would come up today.

Obama acknowledged that it was no secret that he and President-elect Donald J. Trump had “some pretty significant differences,” but pointed out that a similar situation existed between himself and President George W. Bush. He praised the professional and gracious transition that he experienced with Bush’s staff, and said that he had instructed his staff to follow that example.

Obama said that although there was no doubt that the 2016 presidential election was a particularly contentious and divisive event, as Americans, we have to remember that we are all on the same team. “The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy,” he said, comparing it to an “intramural scrimmage,” noting that “We’re not Democrats first, we’re not Republicans first. We are Americans first. We’re patriots first. We all want what’s best for this country.” He said that is what he heard when he spoke with directly Trump at about 3:30 a.m. today and he was “heartened” by that because the country needs “a sense of unity, a sense of inclusion, a respect for our institutions, our way of life, rule of law and a respect for each other.”

He praised Secretary Hillary Clinton on her life as a public servant: “She was a great First Lady, she was an outstanding senator for the State of New York and she could not have been a better Secretary of State.” He expressed absolute confidence that the Clintons will continue to do great work on a global level.

Obama also had praise for his team for their remarkable work, “often without a lot of fanfare,” that contributed to leaving the next president with “a stronger and better country than the one that existed 8 years ago.” He also recognized the contributions of teachers, doctors, small businesses, parents and congregations in every state.

The President concluded with these remarks: “I’ve said before, I think of this job as being a relay runner. You take the baton, you run your best race and, hopefully by the time you hand it off, you’re a little further ahead– you’ve made a little progress. And I can say that we’ve done that and I want to make sure that handoff is well-executed because, ultimately, we’re all on the same team.”

ABC commentator, George Stephanopoulos, felt that the speech “might have been forced” although we didn’t see it that way. We saw a sincere call for unity and an end to the vitriol that has marred this election more often than not.