English subtitles for clip: File:11-9-16- White House Press Briefing.webm

1
00:00:00,967 --> 00:00:03,267
Mr. Earnest: Good
afternoon, everybody.

2
00:00:03,269 --> 00:00:05,939
It's been a while since
we've met in this venue, so

3
00:00:05,939 --> 00:00:07,479
it's nice to get
together again.

4
00:00:10,009 --> 00:00:11,209
I think this briefing
is going to go a little

5
00:00:11,211 --> 00:00:12,851
different than we all
anticipated it would 24

6
00:00:12,846 --> 00:00:15,216
hours ago, but I'll
certainly do my best to

7
00:00:15,215 --> 00:00:18,015
answer the many questions
you may have in the

8
00:00:18,017 --> 00:00:19,017
aftermath of the election.

9
00:00:19,018 --> 00:00:22,058
Let me just say a couple of
things at the top -- three

10
00:00:22,055 --> 00:00:23,325
things, I should say.

11
00:00:23,323 --> 00:00:28,693
The first is I think the
President and the tone and

12
00:00:28,695 --> 00:00:32,795
the priorities that he
exhibited in the Rose Garden

13
00:00:32,799 --> 00:00:38,009
are indicative of the
approach that the White

14
00:00:38,004 --> 00:00:41,674
House staff is taking to
ensuring a smooth transition

15
00:00:41,674 --> 00:00:45,214
and working to ensure
the success of the

16
00:00:45,211 --> 00:00:49,151
President-elect in leading
and uniting the country.

17
00:00:49,149 --> 00:00:51,589
The second thing is the
results of the election are

18
00:00:51,584 --> 00:00:55,954
not even 12 hours old, and I
think it is far too early --

19
00:00:55,955 --> 00:01:00,965
at least for me -- to
discern exactly what message

20
00:01:05,331 --> 00:01:09,131
the voters were trying
to send last night.

21
00:01:09,135 --> 00:01:11,705
There certainly is a lot of
speculation about what that

22
00:01:11,704 --> 00:01:13,304
may have been.

23
00:01:13,306 --> 00:01:15,276
Most of that speculation
emanates from people who

24
00:01:15,275 --> 00:01:17,315
predicted a very different
result last night.

25
00:01:17,310 --> 00:01:21,610
So that's the essence of
punditry -- nothing

26
00:01:21,614 --> 00:01:22,854
wrong with that.

27
00:01:22,849 --> 00:01:25,989
But it is why I think it's
going to require more than

28
00:01:25,985 --> 00:01:29,855
12 hours of consideration
and investigation to get to

29
00:01:29,856 --> 00:01:33,226
the bottom of what was
actually motivating so many

30
00:01:33,226 --> 00:01:38,936
people who cast votes
at the polls yesterday.

31
00:01:38,932 --> 00:01:41,672
The last thing is there are
a lot of question that are,

32
00:01:41,668 --> 00:01:44,938
of course, raised about what
impact the outcome of the

33
00:01:44,938 --> 00:01:48,508
election will have on
the policies that this

34
00:01:48,508 --> 00:01:50,508
administration has
prioritized over the

35
00:01:50,510 --> 00:01:51,510
last eight years.

36
00:01:51,511 --> 00:01:57,621
And I think it's going to be
a difficult -- again, less

37
00:01:57,617 --> 00:01:59,957
than 12 hours after the
outcome of the election is

38
00:01:59,953 --> 00:02:04,023
known it's difficult to
offer a lot of precision in

39
00:02:04,023 --> 00:02:07,123
answering those questions
today, but certainly in the

40
00:02:07,126 --> 00:02:09,126
weeks and months ahead,
over the course of this

41
00:02:09,128 --> 00:02:11,128
transition, we may get some
greater insight into that.

42
00:02:13,333 --> 00:02:18,303
But so with those two
cautions at the top, let me

43
00:02:22,909 --> 00:02:24,509
do my best to answer
your questions today.

44
00:02:24,511 --> 00:02:27,811
Darlene, do you
want to go first?

45
00:02:27,814 --> 00:02:29,314
The Press: In all the
campaigning that we've seen

46
00:02:29,315 --> 00:02:31,685
the President do for Hillary
Clinton over the last couple

47
00:02:31,684 --> 00:02:35,084
of months, he talked a lot
about her being the one to

48
00:02:35,088 --> 00:02:38,888
carry on -- to continue the
progress that he achieved.

49
00:02:38,892 --> 00:02:41,692
And she often talked about
being the one wanting to

50
00:02:41,694 --> 00:02:43,934
continue that progress.

51
00:02:43,930 --> 00:02:47,800
Despite what you said at the
top, does the President feel

52
00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:52,340
in any way that the results
of last night were some sort

53
00:02:52,338 --> 00:02:55,108
of a rejection of Hillary,
but not only a rejection of

54
00:02:55,108 --> 00:02:57,978
her but also of him, since
the two of them were so

55
00:02:57,977 --> 00:03:02,177
closely bound together
during the campaign?

56
00:03:02,181 --> 00:03:03,781
Mr. Earnest: I think that's
an entirely fair question to

57
00:03:03,783 --> 00:03:05,783
ask, and I think it's an
important

58
00:03:05,785 --> 00:03:07,255
question to answer.

59
00:03:07,253 --> 00:03:09,253
I don't know that anybody
has the direct answer to

60
00:03:09,255 --> 00:03:11,255
that question now because
there are

61
00:03:11,257 --> 00:03:12,257
some relevant facts.

62
00:03:12,258 --> 00:03:14,758
The first is that Secretary
Clinton won

63
00:03:14,761 --> 00:03:16,461
the popular vote.

64
00:03:16,462 --> 00:03:20,362
Now, winning the popular
vote is not what gets you

65
00:03:20,366 --> 00:03:21,366
the keys to the Oval Office.

66
00:03:21,367 --> 00:03:23,367
You got to win the
electoral vote.

67
00:03:23,369 --> 00:03:25,369
And I think everybody -- I
know that everybody knew the

68
00:03:25,371 --> 00:03:27,571
rules going into
the contest.

69
00:03:27,574 --> 00:03:32,884
But it does underscore
the depth of support and

70
00:03:32,879 --> 00:03:36,219
enthusiasm for her message
and for her campaign.

71
00:03:36,215 --> 00:03:41,225
And that is a testament
to her leadership and her

72
00:03:44,090 --> 00:03:49,060
ability to build support
for a national campaign.

73
00:03:51,764 --> 00:03:56,134
The other thing that happens
to be true is there are a

74
00:03:56,135 --> 00:04:00,905
lot of people -- again, the
math requires this -- who

75
00:04:00,907 --> 00:04:03,977
voted for Barack Obama in
2008, who voted for his

76
00:04:03,977 --> 00:04:06,417
reelection in 2012, and
voted for

77
00:04:06,412 --> 00:04:08,412
Donald Trump in 2016.

78
00:04:10,750 --> 00:04:16,460
And I think it's -- I don't
have an explanation for

79
00:04:16,456 --> 00:04:19,556
that, to put it bluntly.

80
00:04:19,559 --> 00:04:24,569
But I think certainly all of
your networks and all of you

81
00:04:26,933 --> 00:04:29,573
are going to spend some time
pondering that question,

82
00:04:29,569 --> 00:04:31,869
spend some time looking at
the returns, looking at the

83
00:04:31,871 --> 00:04:34,541
exit polls, and maybe even
spending some time in some

84
00:04:34,540 --> 00:04:41,710
of those communities across
the country where Mr. Trump

85
00:04:41,714 --> 00:04:45,054
-- President-elect Trump
enjoyed such strong support

86
00:04:45,051 --> 00:04:50,461
-- support that exceeded the
expectations of everybody --

87
00:04:50,456 --> 00:04:51,926
apparently, even exceeded
the expectations of

88
00:04:51,924 --> 00:04:54,664
the Trump campaign.

89
00:04:54,661 --> 00:04:59,461
So that's a worthy question,
but I'm not going to pretend

90
00:04:59,465 --> 00:05:03,535
I have a real direct
answer for you.

91
00:05:03,536 --> 00:05:06,706
But it's one that's worthy
of careful consideration.

92
00:05:06,706 --> 00:05:09,576
The Press: Another thing
that we heard him say while

93
00:05:09,575 --> 00:05:11,945
out on the campaign trail
is that progress was on the

94
00:05:11,944 --> 00:05:14,944
ballot and that if Hillary
wasn't elected all of that

95
00:05:15,248 --> 00:05:16,448
progress would go out the
window, down the

96
00:05:17,583 --> 00:05:18,423
drain, would be lost.

97
00:05:20,019 --> 00:05:22,359
What does the outcome last
night do for the legacy the

98
00:05:22,855 --> 00:05:26,995
President wants to leave
behind -- from Obamacare to

99
00:05:26,993 --> 00:05:29,563
the Iran nuclear deal, to
putting a third Supreme

100
00:05:29,562 --> 00:05:31,002
Court justice -- a justice
on the

101
00:05:30,997 --> 00:05:33,897
Supreme Court, and more?

102
00:05:33,900 --> 00:05:36,500
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
Darlene, just with the

103
00:05:36,502 --> 00:05:40,272
caution that we're 12 hours
-- less than 12 hours away

104
00:05:40,273 --> 00:05:47,183
from this election being
decided, there are some

105
00:05:47,180 --> 00:05:50,250
things that we knew to be
true before the results

106
00:05:50,249 --> 00:05:52,349
started being tallied.

107
00:05:52,351 --> 00:05:56,191
And one of those things was
that the next President --

108
00:05:56,189 --> 00:05:59,489
whether it was Secretary
Clinton or Mr. Trump -- was

109
00:05:59,492 --> 00:06:02,062
going to have some difficult
challenges and some

110
00:06:02,061 --> 00:06:06,931
difficult questions to
answer with regard to a

111
00:06:06,933 --> 00:06:09,773
range of policies.

112
00:06:09,769 --> 00:06:12,039
We know that our economy is
facing some pretty intense

113
00:06:12,038 --> 00:06:15,178
headwinds from overseas.

114
00:06:15,174 --> 00:06:19,144
What's the kind of approach
that the next President will

115
00:06:19,145 --> 00:06:23,085
take to ensuring that our
economy can strengthen and

116
00:06:23,082 --> 00:06:31,192
navigate those headwinds
in a way that benefits the

117
00:06:31,190 --> 00:06:33,790
American middle class and
not just those at the top?

118
00:06:33,793 --> 00:06:35,633
That's a difficult challenge
that any President would

119
00:06:35,628 --> 00:06:37,428
have to face, and certainly
President-elect Trump will

120
00:06:37,430 --> 00:06:40,400
have to determine the best
path for confronting that.

121
00:06:40,399 --> 00:06:44,869
Either President would
inherit a country that has

122
00:06:44,871 --> 00:06:49,781
some deep and passionate
political differences.

123
00:06:49,776 --> 00:06:53,176
And what will
President-elect Trump do to

124
00:06:53,179 --> 00:06:56,149
unite the country?

125
00:06:56,149 --> 00:06:57,079
It won't be easy.

126
00:06:57,083 --> 00:07:12,963
We know that's for sure.

127
00:07:12,965 --> 00:07:14,965
We do know that he can count
on the support of President

128
00:07:14,967 --> 00:07:16,967
Obama and Secretary Clinton,
both who in the last couple

129
00:07:16,969 --> 00:07:18,969
of hours have pledged their
support to him as

130
00:07:18,971 --> 00:07:19,971
he works to do that.

131
00:07:19,972 --> 00:07:21,972
Either President -- either
Secretary Clinton or

132
00:07:21,974 --> 00:07:23,974
Mr. Trump -- would have
faced a deeply divided

133
00:07:23,976 --> 00:07:25,976
Congress that appears
totally dysfunctional, or at

134
00:07:25,978 --> 00:07:27,978
least it has appeared
totally dysfunctional in

135
00:07:27,980 --> 00:07:28,980
the last two years.

136
00:07:28,981 --> 00:07:30,981
And it's difficult to know
-- it's difficult to see how

137
00:07:30,983 --> 00:07:31,983
that's going to change.

138
00:07:31,984 --> 00:07:35,354
And they'll have to navigate
-- President-elect Trump and

139
00:07:35,354 --> 00:07:37,354
his team will have to figure
out how

140
00:07:37,356 --> 00:07:40,696
to navigate that situation.

141
00:07:40,693 --> 00:07:43,693
And it won't be
easy, either.

142
00:07:43,696 --> 00:07:47,496
So I guess the point is,
it's too early to tell

143
00:07:47,500 --> 00:07:49,500
exactly what the
impact will be.

144
00:07:49,502 --> 00:07:53,202
There will be an impact,
but we knew there would be,

145
00:07:53,206 --> 00:07:55,206
regardless of the
outcome of the race.

146
00:07:55,208 --> 00:07:58,408
And there certainly were
some priorities where

147
00:07:58,411 --> 00:08:01,151
Secretary Clinton didn't
agree with President Obama,

148
00:08:01,147 --> 00:08:05,857
and in a different scenario,
she would be -- you'd be

149
00:08:05,852 --> 00:08:08,052
asking me the same question
about some of those

150
00:08:08,054 --> 00:08:09,154
policy priorities, too.

151
00:08:09,155 --> 00:08:14,165
And what's true is that the
President-elect has some

152
00:08:19,365 --> 00:08:22,265
difficult questions to
answer and some big

153
00:08:22,268 --> 00:08:23,808
challenges to tackle.

154
00:08:23,803 --> 00:08:27,303
And it's why it's so
important for there to be a

155
00:08:27,306 --> 00:08:31,046
smooth and effective,
efficient transition from

156
00:08:31,043 --> 00:08:33,783
President Obama's presidency
to the Trump presidency,

157
00:08:33,779 --> 00:08:39,089
because as Americans, we're
rooting for the success of

158
00:08:39,085 --> 00:08:43,655
our President in leading
and uniting the country.

159
00:08:43,656 --> 00:08:45,026
The Press: Are there any
more details that you can

160
00:08:45,024 --> 00:08:47,394
share about the phone call
between the President

161
00:08:47,393 --> 00:08:49,333
and President-elect?

162
00:08:49,328 --> 00:08:50,798
Can you say how
long they spoke?

163
00:08:50,796 --> 00:08:53,336
Did they get into any issues
of any substance, or was it

164
00:08:53,332 --> 00:08:56,702
purely just, congratulations
on your victory?

165
00:08:56,702 --> 00:08:57,602
Mr. Earnest: My
understanding is it was not

166
00:08:57,603 --> 00:08:59,443
a lengthy call.

167
00:08:59,438 --> 00:09:04,208
It did take place very,
very late last night.

168
00:09:04,210 --> 00:09:06,650
And based on the fact that
there was a discussion about

169
00:09:06,646 --> 00:09:10,386
meeting in person on
Thursday, the specifics of

170
00:09:10,383 --> 00:09:12,623
any sort of policy
discussions will

171
00:09:12,618 --> 00:09:14,288
be left until then.

172
00:09:14,287 --> 00:09:16,327
The Press: Was not lengthy
-- less than a minute?

173
00:09:16,322 --> 00:09:17,252
A couple minutes?

174
00:09:17,256 --> 00:09:18,426
Mr. Earnest: I don't know
with a lot of precision

175
00:09:18,424 --> 00:09:19,594
exactly what the timing was.

176
00:09:19,592 --> 00:09:22,132
If there are more details
about that that we can

177
00:09:22,128 --> 00:09:24,768
provide, we'll do so. Jeff.

178
00:09:24,764 --> 00:09:27,934
The Press: Josh, on the
policy differences, is there

179
00:09:27,934 --> 00:09:30,874
anything that the White
House or your administration

180
00:09:30,870 --> 00:09:36,410
will do in closing months
to shore up priorities on

181
00:09:36,409 --> 00:09:40,179
policy areas like the
Affordable Care Act, climate

182
00:09:40,179 --> 00:09:43,979
change, the Iran deal -- all
of which now-President-elect

183
00:09:43,983 --> 00:09:47,883
Trump called into question
during his campaign?

184
00:09:47,887 --> 00:09:50,557
Mr. Earnest: Well, let
me start by saying that

185
00:09:50,556 --> 00:09:51,956
President Obama will remain
in office and will be the

186
00:09:51,958 --> 00:09:53,928
President of the United
States until January 20th.

187
00:09:53,926 --> 00:09:58,096
And we will pursue policies
accordingly, including the

188
00:09:58,097 --> 00:10:02,297
kinds of priorities that
you have just enumerated.

189
00:10:02,301 --> 00:10:06,501
What's also true is that
the President-elect, in the

190
00:10:06,505 --> 00:10:12,145
context of a smooth and
effective transition, will

191
00:10:12,144 --> 00:10:17,154
have an opportunity to
get briefed by members of

192
00:10:17,149 --> 00:10:19,719
President Obama's team and
actually have a conversation

193
00:10:19,719 --> 00:10:21,859
with President Obama
himself about some

194
00:10:21,854 --> 00:10:22,854
of these priorities.

195
00:10:22,855 --> 00:10:29,325
And I'm not going to speak
for him or predict exactly

196
00:10:29,328 --> 00:10:31,328
what sort of policy
decisions he's going to make

197
00:10:34,734 --> 00:10:37,174
-- and he was pretty
explicit on the campaign

198
00:10:37,169 --> 00:10:42,609
trail -- but part of a
smooth transition is

199
00:10:42,608 --> 00:10:47,178
ensuring that they have the
latest available information

200
00:10:47,179 --> 00:10:49,649
about the status
of these policies.

201
00:10:49,648 --> 00:10:51,948
And that's something that
our administration is

202
00:10:51,951 --> 00:10:54,791
committed to providing.

203
00:10:54,787 --> 00:10:56,257
The Press: Aside from
providing that information,

204
00:10:56,255 --> 00:11:00,155
is there anything that your
administration will do to

205
00:11:00,159 --> 00:11:04,399
sort of put up a firewall
to maintain some of these

206
00:11:04,397 --> 00:11:07,797
programs in place against
what will probably be

207
00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:11,870
efforts to repeal, in
Obamacare's case, or to

208
00:11:11,871 --> 00:11:15,171
slow-walk on climate change,
or to rip up the Iran deal?

209
00:11:15,174 --> 00:11:18,374
Mr. Earnest: Jeff, our
position on all those issues

210
00:11:18,377 --> 00:11:20,417
is well known and something
that we've reviewed

211
00:11:20,413 --> 00:11:21,783
in here at some length.

212
00:11:21,781 --> 00:11:24,451
I'll spare you most of that.

213
00:11:24,450 --> 00:11:28,850
But I think the way that I'd
respond to that is there's

214
00:11:28,854 --> 00:11:32,754
no specific thing that I
have in mind that we're

215
00:11:32,758 --> 00:11:35,098
going to do differently now.

216
00:11:35,094 --> 00:11:39,804
Our plan all along was
to ensure the successful

217
00:11:39,799 --> 00:11:43,439
implementation of those and
other priorities, and we're

218
00:11:43,436 --> 00:11:47,106
going to be committed to
doing everything we can to

219
00:11:47,106 --> 00:11:49,306
ensure the success of those
policies between

220
00:11:49,608 --> 00:11:51,908
now and January 20th.

221
00:11:51,911 --> 00:11:55,951
So the easiest example is
the Affordable Care Act.

222
00:11:55,948 --> 00:11:58,088
This administration is going
to continue to make a strong

223
00:11:58,084 --> 00:12:03,154
case that people should go
to HealthCare.gov, consider

224
00:12:03,155 --> 00:12:05,495
the options that are
available to them, and sign

225
00:12:05,491 --> 00:12:07,891
up for health care, and the
vast majority of people who

226
00:12:07,893 --> 00:12:10,363
do will be able to purchase
health insurance for

227
00:12:10,362 --> 00:12:11,932
$75 a month or less.

228
00:12:14,033 --> 00:12:18,843
That is a policy priority
that benefits the

229
00:12:18,838 --> 00:12:21,008
American people enormously.

230
00:12:21,006 --> 00:12:23,606
Since the Affordable Care
Act went into effect, 20

231
00:12:23,609 --> 00:12:26,549
million Americans got
access to health care.

232
00:12:26,545 --> 00:12:29,215
And we want to make sure
that as many Americans as

233
00:12:29,215 --> 00:12:31,685
possible understand the
opportunity

234
00:12:31,684 --> 00:12:32,554
that's available to them.

235
00:12:37,089 --> 00:12:40,489
The President-elect, when he
enters office, will have his

236
00:12:40,493 --> 00:12:46,303
own opportunity to set the
course of health care policy

237
00:12:46,298 --> 00:12:49,038
in this country in a
way that he sees fit.

238
00:12:49,034 --> 00:12:52,634
It's going to require some
cooperation with Congress,

239
00:12:52,638 --> 00:12:54,538
and that won't be easy.

240
00:12:54,540 --> 00:12:59,380
But there's a lot at stake,
and Republicans in the

241
00:12:59,378 --> 00:13:02,478
Congress have voted 50 times
to repeal the Affordable

242
00:13:02,481 --> 00:13:04,481
Care Act, and each time they
did that, they were voting

243
00:13:04,483 --> 00:13:07,083
to take health care away
from 22 million Americans.

244
00:13:07,086 --> 00:13:11,956
They were voting to strip
critically important

245
00:13:11,957 --> 00:13:14,027
consumer protections from
people that prevent them

246
00:13:14,026 --> 00:13:15,996
from being discriminated
against because they have a

247
00:13:15,995 --> 00:13:17,995
preexisting condition, or
paying more for their health

248
00:13:17,997 --> 00:13:19,997
insurance just because
they're a woman.

249
00:13:19,999 --> 00:13:21,999
Those are the kinds of
protections that don't just

250
00:13:22,001 --> 00:13:24,001
benefit the 20 million
Americans who got health

251
00:13:24,003 --> 00:13:26,003
care since the Affordable
Care Act went into effect,

252
00:13:26,005 --> 00:13:30,605
but the 100 million or 150
million Americans that get

253
00:13:30,609 --> 00:13:33,049
access to health care
through their employer.

254
00:13:33,045 --> 00:13:37,685
So these are the kinds of
decisions that the incoming

255
00:13:37,683 --> 00:13:40,683
administration and the
incoming Congress will be

256
00:13:40,686 --> 00:13:43,456
challenged to make.

257
00:13:43,455 --> 00:13:45,825
The Press: How do you
reassure foreign allies,

258
00:13:45,824 --> 00:13:48,464
particularly on issues like
the climate change deal, the

259
00:13:48,460 --> 00:13:54,570
Paris agreement, or the Iran
deal, that these things will

260
00:13:54,567 --> 00:13:57,237
continue when the person
who is succeeding President

261
00:13:57,236 --> 00:13:59,936
Obama said they wouldn't?

262
00:13:59,939 --> 00:14:01,539
Mr. Earnest: Well, Jeff,
there are a couple things.

263
00:14:01,540 --> 00:14:03,740
The first is, obviously,
this administration will be

264
00:14:03,742 --> 00:14:05,742
committed to implementing
those policies through

265
00:14:05,744 --> 00:14:08,814
January 20th and we will
live up to the commitments

266
00:14:08,814 --> 00:14:12,714
that we have made in each
of those areas as we do so.

267
00:14:12,718 --> 00:14:15,718
Second, there is a
tradition, particularly with

268
00:14:15,721 --> 00:14:20,021
regard to executive
agreements, of successive

269
00:14:20,025 --> 00:14:22,465
Presidents preserving some
element of continuity.

270
00:14:24,463 --> 00:14:27,063
I don't know whether or not
that will fly in this case.

271
00:14:27,066 --> 00:14:30,466
But as a part of this
effective, smooth

272
00:14:30,469 --> 00:14:34,369
transition, President Obama
will have an opportunity to

273
00:14:34,373 --> 00:14:36,743
talk to President-elect
Trump about some of these

274
00:14:36,742 --> 00:14:38,742
policies and about some of
the benefits of some

275
00:14:38,744 --> 00:14:40,384
of these policies.

276
00:14:40,379 --> 00:14:42,379
The President-elect's team
will have an opportunity to

277
00:14:42,381 --> 00:14:45,851
get briefed by the national
security experts here in the

278
00:14:45,851 --> 00:14:47,851
Obama administration that
have been working on

279
00:14:47,853 --> 00:14:49,393
implementing these policies.

280
00:14:49,388 --> 00:14:53,258
But, ultimately, the
President-elect will be the

281
00:14:53,259 --> 00:14:58,799
person that is responsible
for setting the path of

282
00:14:58,797 --> 00:15:00,797
foreign policy for the
United States for

283
00:15:00,799 --> 00:15:01,799
the next four years.

284
00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:06,070
And presumably, some of that
strategy that he will pursue

285
00:15:06,071 --> 00:15:10,041
will involve reassuring the
allies that enhance the

286
00:15:10,042 --> 00:15:12,582
national security of
the United States.

287
00:15:12,578 --> 00:15:17,818
That certainly was part of
President Obama's -- the

288
00:15:17,816 --> 00:15:22,926
foreign policy path that
President Obama charted, and

289
00:15:22,921 --> 00:15:25,261
previous Presidents
have as well.

290
00:15:25,257 --> 00:15:26,157
But obviously
President-elect Trump will

291
00:15:26,158 --> 00:15:27,258
have to make that decision
for himself once he enters

292
00:15:27,259 --> 00:15:29,759
the Oval Office on the

293
00:15:29,762 --> 00:15:34,002
afternoon of January 20th. April.

294
00:15:33,999 --> 00:15:37,199
The Press: Josh, I want to
go back to the firewall and

295
00:15:37,202 --> 00:15:40,302
ACA, and his
conversation tomorrow.

296
00:15:40,306 --> 00:15:42,706
Is this a tomorrow
conversation?

297
00:15:42,708 --> 00:15:43,508
Is this a conversation
that's going to continue

298
00:15:43,809 --> 00:15:47,509
when it comes to ACA, a
legacy piece

299
00:15:47,513 --> 00:15:48,313
for this President?

300
00:15:48,314 --> 00:15:51,054
And what would that
conversation look like that

301
00:15:51,050 --> 00:15:54,720
the President would offer to
Donald Trump about ACA and

302
00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,920
its viability -- tweaking
but not getting rid of it?

303
00:15:57,923 --> 00:15:59,593
Mr. Earnest: Well, April,
the thing I can for sure

304
00:15:59,591 --> 00:16:01,631
tell you is the President's
top priority is not his

305
00:16:01,627 --> 00:16:03,467
legacy but the 20 million
Americans who have health

306
00:16:03,462 --> 00:16:05,862
insurance -- or who got
their health insurance since

307
00:16:05,864 --> 00:16:08,504
the Affordable Care
Act went into effect.

308
00:16:08,500 --> 00:16:11,100
He is quite concerned about
stripping protections from

309
00:16:11,103 --> 00:16:15,843
the more than 100 million
Americans who benefit from

310
00:16:15,841 --> 00:16:17,841
protections that prevent
insurance companies from

311
00:16:17,843 --> 00:16:21,143
discriminating against them
because of a preexisting

312
00:16:21,146 --> 00:16:26,156
condition, or imposing
lifetime caps that certainly

313
00:16:26,151 --> 00:16:29,521
put young people with an

314
00:16:29,521 --> 00:16:31,621
illness at pretty great risk.

315
00:16:31,623 --> 00:16:34,063
Those are the kinds of
consumer protections that

316
00:16:34,059 --> 00:16:36,429
are part and parcel of the
Affordable Care Act, and

317
00:16:36,428 --> 00:16:40,468
tearing them away would
negatively

318
00:16:40,466 --> 00:16:42,366
affect a lot of people.

319
00:16:42,368 --> 00:16:44,168
And that's something that
Republicans will have to

320
00:16:44,169 --> 00:16:47,239
consider moving forward.

321
00:16:47,239 --> 00:16:49,079
In terms of these kinds of
conversations, the way that

322
00:16:49,074 --> 00:16:53,684
the transition is structured
is that there are transition

323
00:16:53,679 --> 00:16:55,349
teams that have been
designated across the

324
00:16:55,347 --> 00:16:58,947
agencies at the
federal government.

325
00:16:58,951 --> 00:17:01,851
And the President-elect's
transition team has

326
00:17:01,854 --> 00:17:07,764
designated teams to work
with those individual agency

327
00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:10,130
teams to ensure a
smooth transition.

328
00:17:10,129 --> 00:17:14,869
So there will be a venue for
staff-level conversations to

329
00:17:14,867 --> 00:17:18,107
take place -- high-level,
staff-level conversations.

330
00:17:18,103 --> 00:17:21,443
But I wouldn't predict at
this point whether or not

331
00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:22,940
this will come up in the
conversation between

332
00:17:22,941 --> 00:17:25,211
President Obama and
President-elect Trump, but

333
00:17:25,210 --> 00:17:26,850
if this is something that
President-elect Trump is

334
00:17:26,845 --> 00:17:28,485
interested in talking about,
I'm confident that President

335
00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:31,780
Obama won't hesitate to
spend some time doing so.

336
00:17:31,784 --> 00:17:32,614
The Press: And
la question.

337
00:17:32,618 --> 00:17:37,058
On the issue of unifying the
nation after what this White

338
00:17:37,055 --> 00:17:42,425
House calls a hard-fought
election cycle, many are

339
00:17:42,428 --> 00:17:45,598
looking at -- many
people, be it Democrat or

340
00:17:45,597 --> 00:17:48,467
Republican, black or white
-- they're looking at what's

341
00:17:48,467 --> 00:17:51,007
going to come in
the next four years.

342
00:17:51,003 --> 00:17:55,073
A Supreme Court that's
going to lean to the right.

343
00:17:55,073 --> 00:17:57,873
The House and Senate
majority Republican and the

344
00:17:57,876 --> 00:18:02,886
White House a
Republican President.

345
00:18:02,881 --> 00:18:03,951
I talked to someone
this morning -- a black

346
00:18:03,949 --> 00:18:06,749
Republican, Christopher
Darden, a former O.J.

347
00:18:06,752 --> 00:18:09,552
Simpson prosecutor -- who
said this is going to create

348
00:18:09,555 --> 00:18:12,955
a new type of activism
in this nation.

349
00:18:12,958 --> 00:18:17,298
How do you marry the thought
of this new activism and the

350
00:18:17,296 --> 00:18:20,336
unification that the
President has talked about

351
00:18:20,332 --> 00:18:21,932
at the same time?

352
00:18:21,934 --> 00:18:24,104
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
the President in some ways

353
00:18:24,102 --> 00:18:26,102
addressed this in his
remarks in the Rose Garden

354
00:18:26,104 --> 00:18:30,344
about encouraging young
people who were engaged in

355
00:18:30,342 --> 00:18:33,242
the political process in
this election for

356
00:18:33,245 --> 00:18:35,645
the very first time.

357
00:18:35,647 --> 00:18:40,717
And the President made an
effort to encourage young

358
00:18:40,719 --> 00:18:42,659
people who got engaged
in the process not to be

359
00:18:42,654 --> 00:18:44,154
discouraged by the outcome.

360
00:18:46,592 --> 00:18:49,332
Everybody is discouraged
when the candidate they're

361
00:18:49,328 --> 00:18:50,298
supporting loses
an election.

362
00:18:53,565 --> 00:18:55,335
But the genius and
brilliance of our democracy

363
00:18:58,570 --> 00:19:02,010
is that when the election
is over, we recognize that

364
00:19:02,007 --> 00:19:03,507
we're Americans and patriots
before

365
00:19:03,509 --> 00:19:07,279
we're Democrats and Republicans.

366
00:19:07,279 --> 00:19:09,249
And that is certainly a
principle that President

367
00:19:09,248 --> 00:19:14,888
Obama and Secretary Clinton
have forcefully advocated in

368
00:19:14,887 --> 00:19:17,487
the last 90 minutes or so.

369
00:19:17,489 --> 00:19:23,229
And I think that's part of
the reason that so many

370
00:19:23,228 --> 00:19:25,828
people are proud of the
campaign that Secretary

371
00:19:25,831 --> 00:19:28,871
Clinton ran, proud of the
progress that has been made

372
00:19:28,867 --> 00:19:29,767
in this country under

373
00:19:29,768 --> 00:19:31,538
President Obama's leadership.

374
00:19:31,537 --> 00:19:34,077
And, frankly, it's why so
many young people were and

375
00:19:34,072 --> 00:19:37,112
have been inspired over the
course of President Obama's

376
00:19:37,109 --> 00:19:39,509
career in public life, but
also in the context of

377
00:19:39,511 --> 00:19:43,051
Secretary Clinton's campaign
for the presidency.

378
00:19:43,048 --> 00:19:47,518
So if the outcome of this
election encourages more

379
00:19:47,519 --> 00:19:51,619
people to be engaged in the
important but difficult work

380
00:19:51,623 --> 00:19:53,823
of governing this country,
that would be

381
00:19:53,825 --> 00:19:55,495
a really good thing.

382
00:19:55,494 --> 00:19:59,534
And I say that regardless of
whether or not that young

383
00:19:59,531 --> 00:20:03,271
person who is mobilized
to act is a

384
00:20:03,268 --> 00:20:04,708
Democrat or Republican.

385
00:20:04,703 --> 00:20:06,503
The President believes that
our democracy benefits from

386
00:20:06,505 --> 00:20:08,505
more people being engaged
and more people being

387
00:20:08,507 --> 00:20:10,247
involved in the debate,
regardless of which

388
00:20:10,242 --> 00:20:12,512
candidate they support.

389
00:20:12,511 --> 00:20:15,181
Our democracy is
strengthened when more

390
00:20:15,180 --> 00:20:18,180
voices and more perspectives
and more views are

391
00:20:18,183 --> 00:20:20,653
incorporated into the
process

392
00:20:20,652 --> 00:20:21,522
of governing this country.

393
00:20:23,855 --> 00:20:27,995
And the risk, really, --and
this is what the President

394
00:20:27,993 --> 00:20:30,463
was sort of warning against
-- is people being so

395
00:20:30,462 --> 00:20:31,632
discouraged that they choose
to

396
00:20:31,630 --> 00:20:35,100
withdraw from that debate.

397
00:20:35,100 --> 00:20:36,870
The President is surely
hopeful that

398
00:20:36,868 --> 00:20:38,708
that won't happen.

399
00:20:38,704 --> 00:20:39,774
The Press: And
one last piece.

400
00:20:39,771 --> 00:20:42,111
The President was at the
microphone in the Rose

401
00:20:42,107 --> 00:20:45,347
Garden, he seemed
hopeful, optimistic.

402
00:20:45,344 --> 00:20:47,314
But really, behind the
scenes, what

403
00:20:47,312 --> 00:20:48,952
is his mood today?

404
00:20:48,947 --> 00:20:50,447
Mr. Earnest: I've had an
opportunity to spend a

405
00:20:50,449 --> 00:20:53,619
little time with him this
morning, and the mood that

406
00:20:53,619 --> 00:20:58,929
was on display in the Rose
Garden is the mood that he

407
00:20:58,924 --> 00:21:02,494
was showing in
private as well.

408
00:21:02,494 --> 00:21:05,494
Look, I'm not trying to
convince you that he's not

409
00:21:05,497 --> 00:21:08,337
disappointed by the outcome.

410
00:21:08,333 --> 00:21:12,333
Everybody around here is
disappointed by the outcome,

411
00:21:12,337 --> 00:21:17,207
but just as determined to
continue their service to

412
00:21:17,209 --> 00:21:18,609
the American people.

413
00:21:18,610 --> 00:21:21,950
And that service demands
that they focus on their

414
00:21:21,947 --> 00:21:24,817
institutional responsibility
to ensure a smooth

415
00:21:24,816 --> 00:21:28,686
transition to the
next President.

416
00:21:28,687 --> 00:21:30,257
The President doesn't get to
choose his successor; the

417
00:21:30,255 --> 00:21:32,995
American people do.

418
00:21:32,991 --> 00:21:38,761
And his responsibility to
the American people and his

419
00:21:38,764 --> 00:21:42,504
responsibility to this
democracy supersedes his own

420
00:21:42,501 --> 00:21:45,771
personal views, even on
really important issues.

421
00:21:48,306 --> 00:21:51,146
And that's why the President
has given clear direction to

422
00:21:51,143 --> 00:21:53,743
his team -- and these are
directions that he actually

423
00:21:53,745 --> 00:21:56,615
gave at the beginning of
this year -- to ensure that

424
00:21:56,615 --> 00:21:59,685
regardless of the outcome,
that his team, that this

425
00:21:59,685 --> 00:22:05,755
White House was prepared to
give the next

426
00:22:05,757 --> 00:22:06,827
President a running start.

427
00:22:09,327 --> 00:22:14,737
And President Obama is
rooting for President-elect

428
00:22:14,733 --> 00:22:19,903
Trump's success in uniting
and leading the country.

429
00:22:19,905 --> 00:22:24,205
It doesn't mean that he
agrees with everything that

430
00:22:24,209 --> 00:22:26,549
President-elect Trump
has promised to pursue.

431
00:22:26,545 --> 00:22:30,115
In fact, as he noted in the
Rose Garden, and rather

432
00:22:30,115 --> 00:22:32,655
colorfully across the
country at campaign events

433
00:22:32,651 --> 00:22:36,851
over the last few weeks,
he's deeply concerned about

434
00:22:36,855 --> 00:22:39,855
some of the priorities that
Mr. Trump laid out in the

435
00:22:39,858 --> 00:22:41,798
context of the campaign.

436
00:22:41,793 --> 00:22:44,063
But the demands of our
democracy apply to

437
00:22:44,062 --> 00:22:45,162
everybody, including the
President of

438
00:22:45,163 --> 00:22:46,503
the United States.

439
00:22:46,498 --> 00:22:49,098
And our democracy's success
depends on a smooth

440
00:22:49,101 --> 00:22:52,041
transition of power, and
that's a responsibility that

441
00:22:52,037 --> 00:22:53,637
President Obama and
everybody here at the White

442
00:22:53,638 --> 00:22:57,438
House takes quite seriously. Isaac.

443
00:22:57,442 --> 00:22:58,912
The Press: The President,
campaigning against Donald

444
00:22:58,910 --> 00:23:01,650
Trump, spoke often about the
existential threat that he

445
00:23:01,646 --> 00:23:04,546
thought that a Trump
presidency would pose.

446
00:23:04,549 --> 00:23:06,449
Is he concerned for the
future of the country and

447
00:23:06,451 --> 00:23:08,391
the future of the world,
given that Donald Trump has

448
00:23:08,386 --> 00:23:10,286
been elected President?

449
00:23:10,288 --> 00:23:14,758
Mr. Earnest: Well, Isaac,
the President had used

450
00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:20,200
forceful language in helping
people understand exactly

451
00:23:20,198 --> 00:23:22,238
why he was so passionate in
his

452
00:23:22,234 --> 00:23:23,304
support for Secretary Clinton.

453
00:23:25,637 --> 00:23:31,007
And those are authentic
views that haven't changed.

454
00:23:31,009 --> 00:23:32,379
That's not just rhetoric.

455
00:23:32,377 --> 00:23:35,117
Those aren't just slogans.

456
00:23:35,113 --> 00:23:39,883
Those represent the
President's actual views and

457
00:23:39,885 --> 00:23:46,425
preferences about the
direction that he'd like to

458
00:23:46,858 --> 00:23:51,328
see the country go.

459
00:23:51,329 --> 00:23:56,339
But that's not what the
American people voted for.

460
00:23:56,334 --> 00:23:58,074
The Press: Does he believe
that nuclear war is more of

461
00:23:58,069 --> 00:24:00,209
a possibility now?

462
00:24:00,205 --> 00:24:03,175
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
I'm not going to speculate

463
00:24:03,175 --> 00:24:06,215
on what sort of actions
President-elect Trump may

464
00:24:06,211 --> 00:24:08,681
choose to prioritize
or pursue.

465
00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:11,120
Obviously, he and his team
are going to spend the next

466
00:24:11,116 --> 00:24:17,286
73 days or so preparing
themselves to lead the

467
00:24:17,289 --> 00:24:20,129
greatest country
in the world.

468
00:24:20,125 --> 00:24:27,795
And part of what makes this
country so extraordinary and

469
00:24:28,166 --> 00:24:35,136
so exceptional is that
the United States has the

470
00:24:35,507 --> 00:24:38,247
greatest fighting force that
the world has ever known.

471
00:24:38,243 --> 00:24:40,583
And that's not just
a testament to our

472
00:24:40,579 --> 00:24:44,719
technological superiority;
it's a testament to the

473
00:24:45,250 --> 00:24:53,490
brave and selfless Americans
who are prepared to put

474
00:24:53,491 --> 00:24:56,231
their lives on the line to
fight for this country.

475
00:24:56,228 --> 00:24:58,598
That's what makes our
military so great.

476
00:24:58,597 --> 00:25:02,367
We've also got a federal
workforce, people who

477
00:25:02,367 --> 00:25:05,337
dedicate their lives to
serving the public, that

478
00:25:05,337 --> 00:25:09,377
ensure that our air and
water is clean, that ensure

479
00:25:09,374 --> 00:25:11,744
that even the youngest
Americans can get access to

480
00:25:11,743 --> 00:25:14,783
a quality education, that
are working hard to make

481
00:25:14,779 --> 00:25:18,049
sure that the American
people who don't have access

482
00:25:18,049 --> 00:25:20,789
to health care
can purchase it.

483
00:25:20,785 --> 00:25:26,425
These are talented,
committed Americans who,

484
00:25:26,424 --> 00:25:31,064
after working to ensure the
success of President Obama,

485
00:25:31,062 --> 00:25:34,832
will be just as passionate
about ensuring the success

486
00:25:34,833 --> 00:25:35,863
of President Trump.

487
00:25:35,867 --> 00:25:37,967
They don't do that because
either President necessarily

488
00:25:37,969 --> 00:25:41,239
reflects their personal
political views; they pursue

489
00:25:41,239 --> 00:25:43,579
that work because they care
deeply about serving this

490
00:25:43,575 --> 00:25:45,045
country, and they care
deeply about the

491
00:25:45,043 --> 00:25:47,213
success of this country.

492
00:25:47,212 --> 00:25:51,922
And, in some ways, I think
that's something that most

493
00:25:51,917 --> 00:25:54,587
people -- that's difficult
to appreciate until you've

494
00:25:54,586 --> 00:25:56,786
had the opportunity to spend
some time working in the

495
00:25:56,788 --> 00:25:59,558
federal government, and you
see the people around you

496
00:25:59,557 --> 00:26:08,667
who don't get a lot of
public glory, they don't get

497
00:26:09,167 --> 00:26:15,777
particularly large
paychecks, but they feel a

498
00:26:16,141 --> 00:26:18,541
calling to serve.

499
00:26:18,543 --> 00:26:23,813
And President Obama
often describes the U.S.

500
00:26:23,815 --> 00:26:30,255
government as the largest
and most impactful

501
00:26:31,189 --> 00:26:33,589
organization in the world.

502
00:26:33,591 --> 00:26:40,001
And that is the organization
that President-elect Trump

503
00:26:39,998 --> 00:26:41,568
will lead for the
next four years.

504
00:26:41,566 --> 00:26:43,636
The Press: Josh, not 48
hours ago, the President, in

505
00:26:43,635 --> 00:26:46,635
Philadelphia, warned of
giving Donald

506
00:26:46,638 --> 00:26:48,538
Trump the nuclear codes.

507
00:26:48,540 --> 00:26:50,680
Is he concerned that
Donald Trump now, as

508
00:26:50,675 --> 00:26:53,975
President-elect, will be
getting the nuclear codes?

509
00:26:53,979 --> 00:26:55,749
Mr. Earnest: Isaac, what I
can tell you is that the

510
00:26:56,147 --> 00:26:57,787
election is over and
it's been decided.

511
00:26:57,782 --> 00:26:59,552
The American people
have decided.

512
00:26:59,551 --> 00:27:01,291
President Obama doesn't get
to choose his successor; the

513
00:27:01,286 --> 00:27:03,686
American people do that.

514
00:27:03,688 --> 00:27:07,728
And they've chosen somebody
that President Obama

515
00:27:07,726 --> 00:27:11,326
disagrees with on a wide
range of issues, and those

516
00:27:11,329 --> 00:27:13,329
disagreements in most
cases aren't just minor

517
00:27:13,331 --> 00:27:17,631
disagreements, but rather
profound disagreements.

518
00:27:17,635 --> 00:27:22,445
But that does not in any way
detract from the President's

519
00:27:27,045 --> 00:27:32,015
determination to execute
a smooth and effective

520
00:27:36,254 --> 00:27:38,794
transition of power.

521
00:27:38,790 --> 00:27:40,590
That's what or
democracy demands.

522
00:27:40,592 --> 00:27:43,592
The success of our
democracy depends on it.

523
00:27:43,595 --> 00:27:48,265
And the President is
certainly determined to live

524
00:27:48,266 --> 00:27:51,166
up to the very high standard
that was set by President

525
00:27:51,169 --> 00:27:52,709
Bush eight years ago.

526
00:27:52,704 --> 00:27:53,474
The Press: One last one.

527
00:27:53,471 --> 00:27:55,371
Is the President still doing
the foreign trip

528
00:27:55,373 --> 00:27:56,673
that was scheduled?

529
00:27:56,674 --> 00:27:57,374
Mr. Earnest: Yes.

530
00:27:57,375 --> 00:28:00,145
I do not anticipate any
changes to the President's

531
00:28:00,145 --> 00:28:02,685
foreign travel next week. Jordan.

532
00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:04,150
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

533
00:28:04,149 --> 00:28:08,089
Donald Trump, during the
campaign, pledged to jail

534
00:28:08,086 --> 00:28:11,456
Hillary Clinton, if she was
elected, over the federal

535
00:28:11,456 --> 00:28:13,996
investigations
that were underway.

536
00:28:13,992 --> 00:28:16,792
Some legal experts have said
that President Obama could

537
00:28:16,795 --> 00:28:18,265
close off that opportunity
if he

538
00:28:18,263 --> 00:28:20,303
pardons Hillary Clinton.

539
00:28:20,298 --> 00:28:21,668
Is that something that the
President

540
00:28:21,666 --> 00:28:23,236
is considering doing?

541
00:28:23,234 --> 00:28:26,474
Mr. Earnest: Well, Jordan,
as you know, the President

542
00:28:26,471 --> 00:28:32,411
has offered clemency to
a substantial number of

543
00:28:32,410 --> 00:28:39,920
Americans who were
previously serving time in

544
00:28:39,918 --> 00:28:44,828
federal prisons, and we
didn't talk in advance about

545
00:28:44,823 --> 00:28:47,293
the President's plans to
offer clemency to any of

546
00:28:47,292 --> 00:28:48,962
those individuals.

547
00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:51,500
And it's because we don't
talk about the President's

548
00:28:51,496 --> 00:28:54,566
thinking, particularly with
respect to any specific

549
00:28:54,566 --> 00:28:59,536
cases that may apply to
pardons or commutations.

550
00:29:04,042 --> 00:29:06,212
What I would direct your
attention to, though, is the

551
00:29:09,180 --> 00:29:13,150
President's observation that
he made in the Rose Garden

552
00:29:15,787 --> 00:29:20,627
about the tone that
President-elect Trump

553
00:29:24,262 --> 00:29:27,802
displayed in his
remarks last night.

554
00:29:27,799 --> 00:29:32,539
And that tone is consistent
with the longstanding

555
00:29:32,537 --> 00:29:37,807
traditions of our democracy.

556
00:29:37,809 --> 00:29:40,709
And the President expressed
hope that that kind of

557
00:29:40,712 --> 00:29:44,082
tone would continue.

558
00:29:44,082 --> 00:29:47,852
That's relevant because
we've got a long tradition

559
00:29:47,852 --> 00:29:54,262
in this country of not -- of
people in power not using

560
00:29:54,259 --> 00:29:58,929
the criminal justice system
to exact political revenge.

561
00:29:58,930 --> 00:30:03,940
In fact, we go to great
lengths to insulate our

562
00:30:03,935 --> 00:30:07,235
criminal justice system
from partisan politics.

563
00:30:07,238 --> 00:30:11,908
And that commitment has
served our country very well

564
00:30:11,910 --> 00:30:15,280
for more than two centuries,
and the President is hopeful

565
00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:16,280
that it will continue.

566
00:30:16,281 --> 00:30:18,281
The Press: Is he confident
that it will

567
00:30:18,283 --> 00:30:20,123
continue, or just hopeful?

568
00:30:20,118 --> 00:30:21,718
Did he have a chance to talk
about those issues with

569
00:30:21,719 --> 00:30:22,889
President-elect Trump?

570
00:30:22,887 --> 00:30:25,387
Mr. Earnest: I'm not going
to speculate about any --

571
00:30:25,390 --> 00:30:27,530
about steps that
President-elect Trump may

572
00:30:27,525 --> 00:30:29,865
choose to take.

573
00:30:29,861 --> 00:30:33,201
But the President expressed
some optimism about the tone

574
00:30:33,198 --> 00:30:36,238
that President-elect Trump
used when the eyes of the

575
00:30:36,234 --> 00:30:40,004
world were on him, when he
spoke last night as the

576
00:30:40,004 --> 00:30:42,874
President-elect for
the very first time.

577
00:30:42,874 --> 00:30:44,874
That was a momentous
occasion, and his

578
00:30:44,876 --> 00:30:45,876
tone was notable.

579
00:30:45,877 --> 00:30:51,287
And hopefully it will
continue in a way that is

580
00:30:51,282 --> 00:30:54,982
consistent with the kind of
longstanding traditions and

581
00:30:54,986 --> 00:30:59,326
laws that have served a
variety of Presidents in

582
00:30:59,324 --> 00:30:59,954
both parties very

583
00:30:59,958 --> 00:31:04,128
well for 240 years. Chris.

584
00:31:04,128 --> 00:31:04,898
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

585
00:31:04,896 --> 00:31:08,066
So, understanding that the
President would not look

586
00:31:08,066 --> 00:31:11,506
kindly on any kind of
pursuit of prosecution

587
00:31:11,502 --> 00:31:13,802
against Hillary Clinton,
would you expect or is it

588
00:31:13,805 --> 00:31:17,145
possible that he would ask
for assurances from Donald

589
00:31:17,141 --> 00:31:19,081
Trump that that was
not going to happen?

590
00:31:19,077 --> 00:31:22,117
Mr. Earnest: Well, I don't
have anything to preview in

591
00:31:22,113 --> 00:31:23,553
terms of their conversation.

592
00:31:23,548 --> 00:31:25,548
We'll try and get you
a readout after that

593
00:31:25,550 --> 00:31:27,890
conversation occurs
tomorrow, but I don't have

594
00:31:27,885 --> 00:31:28,555
any preview to
offer at this point.

595
00:31:28,553 --> 00:31:30,023
The Press: Other than sort
of the nuts and bolts of a

596
00:31:30,021 --> 00:31:31,761
transition, can you give us
any insights into what the

597
00:31:31,756 --> 00:31:34,696
President's priorities
are tomorrow?

598
00:31:34,692 --> 00:31:35,732
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
the President's priorities

599
00:31:35,727 --> 00:31:39,567
tomorrow are to sit down
with the President-elect and

600
00:31:39,564 --> 00:31:42,504
make clear that this
administration's top

601
00:31:42,500 --> 00:31:45,600
priority for the next 73
days will be ensuring that

602
00:31:45,603 --> 00:31:49,543
the next President can get
off to a running start.

603
00:31:49,540 --> 00:31:52,340
Look, this is not new.

604
00:31:52,343 --> 00:31:55,383
This is actually the third
time in a row that a

605
00:31:55,380 --> 00:32:01,350
two-term President will be
succeeded by a President for

606
00:32:01,352 --> 00:32:06,462
the other party who ran
vowing to roll back key

607
00:32:06,457 --> 00:32:09,257
aspects of the incumbent
President's agenda.

608
00:32:09,260 --> 00:32:13,560
So in 2000, you had
then-Governor George W.

609
00:32:13,564 --> 00:32:17,774
Bush vowing to roll back
the agenda of incumbent

610
00:32:17,769 --> 00:32:19,099
President Clinton.

611
00:32:19,103 --> 00:32:22,643
Fast-forward eight years,
you had then-Senator Barack

612
00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:26,740
Obama running for President,
successfully, vowing to roll

613
00:32:26,744 --> 00:32:32,184
back aspects of then-President Bush's agenda.

614
00:32:32,183 --> 00:32:36,123
And here we are, eight years
later, facing a situation

615
00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:40,630
where the American people
have elected a Republican --

616
00:32:40,625 --> 00:32:42,995
President-elect Trump -- who
ran on a platform of vowing

617
00:32:42,994 --> 00:32:46,794
to roll back key aspects of
President Obama's agenda.

618
00:32:46,798 --> 00:32:49,138
But in each case,
despite those vigorous

619
00:32:49,133 --> 00:32:51,633
disagreements, there was a
commitment to the peaceful

620
00:32:51,636 --> 00:32:55,176
transfer of power that
served the American people

621
00:32:55,173 --> 00:32:57,073
and our democracy very well.

622
00:32:57,075 --> 00:32:58,575
And President Obama
continues to be committed

623
00:32:58,576 --> 00:32:59,476
to that principle.

624
00:32:59,477 --> 00:33:01,047
The Press: There does s to
be a commitment, though,

625
00:33:01,045 --> 00:33:02,945
both on Donald Trump and
many of his Republican

626
00:33:02,947 --> 00:33:08,657
supporters' side to get rid
of the immigration reform

627
00:33:08,653 --> 00:33:10,953
that the President has put
in the place, to get rid of

628
00:33:10,955 --> 00:33:15,525
the ACA, to go after the
climate change agreement.

629
00:33:15,526 --> 00:33:18,696
So I know you said that
you're going to pursue those

630
00:33:18,696 --> 00:33:24,036
policies accordingly, but
was anything done in advance

631
00:33:24,035 --> 00:33:26,235
with the possibility,
knowing that Donald Trump

632
00:33:26,237 --> 00:33:28,807
could be elected President
-- were people looking at

633
00:33:28,806 --> 00:33:33,816
what could be done at all
to, from your perspective,

634
00:33:33,811 --> 00:33:36,811
safeguard these things, move
forward on these things, try

635
00:33:36,814 --> 00:33:39,514
to prevent, for example, the
ACA from being repealed?

636
00:33:39,517 --> 00:33:42,857
Mr. Earnest: At each stage,
since each of these policies

637
00:33:42,854 --> 00:33:44,924
was pursued, this
administration has worked

638
00:33:44,922 --> 00:33:48,492
diligently to implement
them as effectively and

639
00:33:48,493 --> 00:33:50,493
successfully as possible
with an eye

640
00:33:50,495 --> 00:33:51,725
toward the long term.

641
00:33:51,729 --> 00:33:56,299
None of these policies that
we've been pursuing were

642
00:33:56,300 --> 00:33:58,770
considered a stop-gap
measure or

643
00:33:58,770 --> 00:34:01,970
somehow temporary in nature.

644
00:34:01,973 --> 00:34:03,973
The President pursued these
policies because of the

645
00:34:03,975 --> 00:34:05,975
long-term benefits they have
for the American people.

646
00:34:05,977 --> 00:34:09,117
And consistent with that
view, we have worked very

647
00:34:09,113 --> 00:34:13,853
hard to implement them so
that they'll be durable.

648
00:34:13,851 --> 00:34:17,721
And look, when it comes
to the ACA, the ACA has

649
00:34:17,722 --> 00:34:20,262
withstood some significant
challenges from

650
00:34:20,258 --> 00:34:21,628
Republicans in the past.

651
00:34:21,626 --> 00:34:23,626
We've had two
Supreme Court cases.

652
00:34:23,628 --> 00:34:25,168
We've had 50 repeal votes.

653
00:34:25,163 --> 00:34:28,003
And in the face of all of
that, the Affordable Care

654
00:34:27,999 --> 00:34:32,339
Act is still limiting the
growth on health care costs,

655
00:34:32,336 --> 00:34:34,806
expanding access to health
care coverage, providing

656
00:34:34,806 --> 00:34:38,206
consumer protections that
guarantee some peace of mind

657
00:34:38,209 --> 00:34:41,049
for millions of Americans.

658
00:34:41,045 --> 00:34:45,115
Is it at risk again because
the President-elect is

659
00:34:45,116 --> 00:34:47,216
vowing to repeal it?

660
00:34:47,218 --> 00:34:48,218
Yeah, it is again.

661
00:34:48,219 --> 00:34:50,819
But we've withstood some
difficult challenges.

662
00:34:50,822 --> 00:34:53,622
That law has withstood
some difficult challenges.

663
00:34:53,624 --> 00:34:55,624
And we'll see what
the future holds.

664
00:34:55,626 --> 00:34:58,166
A lot of that will be up to
the President-elect, but I

665
00:34:58,162 --> 00:35:01,702
think what we have found is
that much of that will also

666
00:35:01,699 --> 00:35:04,639
require some kind of
cooperation from Congress.

667
00:35:04,635 --> 00:35:09,275
And Republicans did hold
onto majorities in both the

668
00:35:09,273 --> 00:35:15,283
House and the Senate, but
they don't have 60 votes in

669
00:35:15,279 --> 00:35:19,689
the Senate, so it's going to
require some bipartisanship

670
00:35:19,684 --> 00:35:22,484
in the Senate to advance
some of this legislation.

671
00:35:22,487 --> 00:35:28,497
And the House of
Representatives over the

672
00:35:28,493 --> 00:35:30,533
last couple of years has not
exactly been the

673
00:35:33,998 --> 00:35:38,838
model of organization.

674
00:35:38,836 --> 00:35:41,536
That's an unruly place.

675
00:35:41,539 --> 00:35:44,639
And even people -- even
members on the Republican

676
00:35:44,642 --> 00:35:49,212
side of the aisle have some
deeply held and divergent

677
00:35:49,213 --> 00:35:51,453
views about the kinds of
policies

678
00:35:51,449 --> 00:35:52,649
they should be pursuing.

679
00:35:52,650 --> 00:35:56,550
So this is not
going to be easy.

680
00:35:56,554 --> 00:36:02,494
But the bottom line is,
everybody here at the White

681
00:36:02,493 --> 00:36:07,063
House is rooting for the
success of President-elect

682
00:36:07,064 --> 00:36:09,804
Trump in his effort to
unite and lead the country.

683
00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:10,900
The Press: And if I could
just ask you finally on that

684
00:36:10,902 --> 00:36:12,272
point, that obviously
there's a lot of

685
00:36:12,270 --> 00:36:13,910
emotion involved here.

686
00:36:13,905 --> 00:36:16,075
There's a lot of people who
worked on Hillary Clinton's

687
00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:19,410
campaign who are very
well-known, and worked

688
00:36:19,410 --> 00:36:21,480
side-by-side here in the
White House with

689
00:36:21,479 --> 00:36:23,519
the folks here.

690
00:36:23,514 --> 00:36:25,954
I think they believed, as
the President does, that his

691
00:36:25,950 --> 00:36:27,620
legacy was at stake here.

692
00:36:27,618 --> 00:36:29,988
Can you give us a little
insight into who the

693
00:36:29,987 --> 00:36:32,227
President spoke
to this morning?

694
00:36:32,223 --> 00:36:34,293
Did he talk to the
staff in general?

695
00:36:34,292 --> 00:36:35,932
Did he talk to small
groups of people?

696
00:36:35,927 --> 00:36:38,727
And what was his overall
message besides what we

697
00:36:38,729 --> 00:36:41,799
heard in the Rose
Garden today?

698
00:36:41,799 --> 00:36:43,569
Mr. Earnest: The President
has on a number of occasions

699
00:36:43,568 --> 00:36:46,908
now had an opportunity to
address small

700
00:36:46,904 --> 00:36:48,904
groups of the staff.

701
00:36:48,906 --> 00:36:51,446
And the message that he's
delivered to them in private

702
00:36:51,442 --> 00:36:54,042
is entirely consistent
with the message that he

703
00:36:54,045 --> 00:36:56,385
delivered in the Rose
Garden, with some special

704
00:36:56,380 --> 00:36:58,220
emphasis on the need for
young

705
00:36:58,215 --> 00:37:00,255
people to remain engaged.

706
00:37:00,251 --> 00:37:01,651
Christi, you spent enough
time around this White House

707
00:37:01,652 --> 00:37:04,692
now to know that a lot of
the people who have spent

708
00:37:04,689 --> 00:37:08,859
the last two or three years
here working at this White

709
00:37:08,859 --> 00:37:11,829
House are pretty young,
and they've got -- if they

710
00:37:11,829 --> 00:37:15,169
choose to pursue it -- a
bright future in politics.

711
00:37:15,166 --> 00:37:18,066
And President Obama wanted
to deliver to them a very

712
00:37:18,069 --> 00:37:22,339
personal message that they
should not be discouraged,

713
00:37:22,340 --> 00:37:27,710
that it's easy to sit back
and by cynical, but, as you

714
00:37:27,712 --> 00:37:31,252
heard him say so many times
on the campaign trail, he's

715
00:37:31,248 --> 00:37:33,518
going to choose hope, and
he's hoping they'll choose

716
00:37:33,517 --> 00:37:38,127
hope, as well, even in the
aftermath of

717
00:37:38,122 --> 00:37:43,232
a disappointing outcome.

718
00:37:43,227 --> 00:37:45,567
Even as I've been talking to
my staff today, the other

719
00:37:45,563 --> 00:37:50,703
observation that I have made
is that I've heard people

720
00:37:50,701 --> 00:37:55,511
often say that adversity
builds character.

721
00:37:55,506 --> 00:37:57,476
I'm not sure that's true.

722
00:37:57,475 --> 00:38:00,275
I think adversity
reveals character.

723
00:38:00,277 --> 00:38:03,617
And I think we've seen the
kind of character that

724
00:38:03,614 --> 00:38:07,384
Secretary Clinton and
Senator Kaine and President

725
00:38:07,385 --> 00:38:10,125
Obama are made of.

726
00:38:10,121 --> 00:38:15,491
And their example serves as
an inspiration to me about

727
00:38:15,493 --> 00:38:18,193
the kind of character that I
hope, even in this difficult

728
00:38:18,195 --> 00:38:21,195
time, that I can show.

729
00:38:21,198 --> 00:38:23,198
And I know I'm not the only
staffer here at the White

730
00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:25,800
House who feels that way. Kevin.

731
00:38:25,803 --> 00:38:27,343
The Press: Can I ask you
about Merrick Garland?

732
00:38:27,338 --> 00:38:29,908
Now that there won't be sort
of the lame duck that I

733
00:38:29,907 --> 00:38:32,647
think many people predicted,
what happens to his

734
00:38:32,643 --> 00:38:33,913
potential nomination?

735
00:38:33,911 --> 00:38:36,811
Has the President reached
out to him at all?

736
00:38:36,814 --> 00:38:39,184
Mr. Earnest: I don't know
that President Obama has had

737
00:38:39,183 --> 00:38:42,353
an opportunity to speak with
Chief Judge Garland today.

738
00:38:42,353 --> 00:38:44,093
The truth is our view of
this

739
00:38:44,088 --> 00:38:46,288
situation has not changed.

740
00:38:46,290 --> 00:38:50,960
It's deeply discouraging how
unfairly he has been treated

741
00:38:50,961 --> 00:38:53,401
by Republicans in the United
States Senate who abdicated

742
00:38:53,397 --> 00:38:56,197
their basic responsibility
to give him a hearing and

743
00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:57,100
a timely vote.

744
00:39:00,838 --> 00:39:04,638
So we'll have to see what
happens moving forward.

745
00:39:04,642 --> 00:39:07,042
But I can tell you that the
intensity of the case that

746
00:39:07,044 --> 00:39:11,314
we will make in support of
a candidate that has more

747
00:39:11,315 --> 00:39:13,615
experience on the federal
bench than any other Supreme

748
00:39:13,617 --> 00:39:16,117
Court nominee in history, in
support of a candidate that

749
00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:19,890
even Republicans acknowledge
is somebody with a brilliant

750
00:39:19,890 --> 00:39:23,430
legal mind and somebody
who represents the kind of

751
00:39:23,427 --> 00:39:28,837
consensus nominee that
Republicans claimed they

752
00:39:28,833 --> 00:39:30,733
were hoping that President
Obama would appoint.

753
00:39:33,704 --> 00:39:36,274
So the outcome of this
election certainly doesn't

754
00:39:36,273 --> 00:39:41,013
change the case that we will
make about the necessity of

755
00:39:41,011 --> 00:39:44,981
the Congress considering his
nomination, even though he's

756
00:39:44,982 --> 00:39:46,982
been waiting more
than 200 days now.

757
00:39:46,984 --> 00:39:48,984
The Press: Let me ask you,
though, about the

758
00:39:48,986 --> 00:39:49,986
outcome of the election.

759
00:39:49,987 --> 00:39:52,227
I know it's been less than
24 hours, but as a guy who

760
00:39:52,223 --> 00:39:55,663
lived in Missouri, went to
school in Texas, worked in

761
00:39:55,659 --> 00:39:57,899
Florida, you've been around
parts of the country -- that

762
00:39:57,895 --> 00:40:00,735
obviously the Trump message
resonated with the

763
00:40:00,731 --> 00:40:02,171
majority of the voters.

764
00:40:02,166 --> 00:40:06,436
What happened last night
as best can you tell?

765
00:40:06,437 --> 00:40:10,107
And did you have to practice
saying "President-elect

766
00:40:10,107 --> 00:40:11,377
Trump" --
President-elect Trump?

767
00:40:11,375 --> 00:40:12,715
Did you practice that?

768
00:40:12,710 --> 00:40:14,150
Mr. Earnest: Well, you may
be able to tell it doesn't

769
00:40:14,145 --> 00:40:15,615
come naturally.

770
00:40:15,613 --> 00:40:16,243
The Press: No, it does not.

771
00:40:16,247 --> 00:40:17,947
(Laughter.)

772
00:40:17,948 --> 00:40:19,948
Mr. Earnest: But it's what the job requires, it's what our

773
00:40:19,950 --> 00:40:21,550
democracy requires, and it's what the American

774
00:40:21,552 --> 00:40:27,692
people expect. So I undertook the necessary

775
00:40:27,691 --> 00:40:29,361
preparation to try to deliver it as smoothly as I

776
00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:40,000
possibly could and with as much respect as

777
00:40:40,004 --> 00:40:40,904
I possibly could. Look, in terms of the

778
00:40:40,905 --> 00:40:42,175
results across the country,

779
00:40:42,173 --> 00:40:44,473
it's really hard to say.

780
00:40:44,475 --> 00:40:45,305
The Press: But you've
been in those places.

781
00:40:45,309 --> 00:40:46,579
Mr. Earnest: Yes.

782
00:40:46,577 --> 00:40:48,047
The Press: You kind of have
a -- you understand what the

783
00:40:48,045 --> 00:40:49,045
Missouri voter is like.

784
00:40:49,046 --> 00:40:51,486
You know what the
Texas voter is like.

785
00:40:51,482 --> 00:40:53,952
You know what the
Floridian is really like.

786
00:40:53,951 --> 00:40:56,021
And I'm just trying to
figure out -- and again,

787
00:40:56,020 --> 00:40:59,260
granted, brevity of time
won't give us sort of a full

788
00:40:59,256 --> 00:41:02,356
picture -- but can you
understand why that message

789
00:41:02,359 --> 00:41:04,529
seemed to resonate
with them at all?

790
00:41:04,528 --> 00:41:07,628
Mr. Earnest: Well, look, let
me give you one example of a

791
00:41:07,631 --> 00:41:10,471
race that I followed closely
in Missouri, in my home

792
00:41:10,467 --> 00:41:14,167
state of Missouri -- a
fellow Kansas Citian by the

793
00:41:14,171 --> 00:41:17,271
name of Jason Kander ran for
the United States Senate.

794
00:41:17,274 --> 00:41:19,474
He was a Democratic
candidate.

795
00:41:19,476 --> 00:41:22,446
He had already won statewide
in the state of Missouri

796
00:41:22,446 --> 00:41:27,186
previously when he served as
Secretary of State, and he

797
00:41:27,184 --> 00:41:30,424
was widely praised for

798
00:41:30,421 --> 00:41:35,091
running a smart, tough campaign.

799
00:41:35,092 --> 00:41:40,102
And he was dogged, tireless
in going door-to-door and

800
00:41:43,467 --> 00:41:47,737
making a case to people
that, frankly, he

801
00:41:47,738 --> 00:41:50,608
anticipated and a lot of
people anticipated would get

802
00:41:50,608 --> 00:41:56,348
the support of a lot of
Missouri voters who weren't

803
00:41:56,347 --> 00:41:59,547
traditionally
Democratic voters.

804
00:41:59,550 --> 00:42:03,020
And the thing that's hard to
square about this election

805
00:42:03,020 --> 00:42:05,460
is -- I think the easy thing
to say would be that Donald

806
00:42:05,456 --> 00:42:11,326
Trump performed so well in
Missouri because voters in

807
00:42:11,328 --> 00:42:13,968
Missouri were pretty unhappy
with what's going on in

808
00:42:13,964 --> 00:42:14,964
Washington, D.C.

809
00:42:14,965 --> 00:42:16,935
They're dissatisfied with the dysfunction.

810
00:42:16,934 --> 00:42:23,004
They're not seeing the
kind of results from their

811
00:42:23,007 --> 00:42:26,107
elected representatives in
Washington, D.C. that they

812
00:42:26,110 --> 00:42:28,110
would like to see, and
they're sending a message by

813
00:42:28,112 --> 00:42:30,912
choosing somebody like
President Trump to enter the

814
00:42:30,915 --> 00:42:34,785
White House and shake things
up and make some changes.

815
00:42:34,785 --> 00:42:38,385
But at the same time, a
majority of Missouri voters

816
00:42:38,389 --> 00:42:43,399
also support Senator Blunt,
who is somebody who is the

817
00:42:45,396 --> 00:42:48,296
-- spent a lot of time in
Washington and spent time

818
00:42:48,299 --> 00:42:49,469
representing the people
of Missouri in the United

819
00:42:49,466 --> 00:42:53,936
States House of
Representatives, and has

820
00:42:53,938 --> 00:42:56,238
done the same thing in
the United States Senate.

821
00:42:56,240 --> 00:42:58,580
So that would be -- it would
appear that there's a bit of

822
00:42:58,575 --> 00:42:59,575
a mixed message there.

823
00:42:59,576 --> 00:43:04,616
And I think part of the
optimism around Mr. Kander's

824
00:43:04,615 --> 00:43:08,755
campaign was around the idea
that he could benefit from

825
00:43:08,752 --> 00:43:15,162
the same kind of
anti-incumbent energy that

826
00:43:15,159 --> 00:43:19,399
was obviously propelling
Mr. Trump's campaign.

827
00:43:19,396 --> 00:43:21,966
But that's not the
way it turned out.

828
00:43:21,966 --> 00:43:25,966
It turned out that people
apparently -- I haven't

829
00:43:25,970 --> 00:43:28,470
looked carefully at the
results, but it certainly

830
00:43:28,472 --> 00:43:31,442
looks like you had a
situation where people were

831
00:43:31,442 --> 00:43:34,312
motivated by their party
identification and the party

832
00:43:34,311 --> 00:43:36,981
identification of the
candidates more so than they

833
00:43:36,981 --> 00:43:41,991
were this sort of outsider,
anti-establishment energy.

834
00:43:46,190 --> 00:43:49,260
So I think in some ways
that is a pretty good

835
00:43:49,259 --> 00:43:55,229
illustration of the
complexity of discerning the

836
00:43:55,232 --> 00:43:58,472
motivation of voters
across the country.

837
00:43:58,469 --> 00:44:02,839
But, listen, voters sent an
important message, and it's

838
00:44:02,840 --> 00:44:05,340
important for people who are
going to serve in the next

839
00:44:05,342 --> 00:44:07,482
administration and people
who are going to serve in

840
00:44:07,478 --> 00:44:09,618
the next Congress, both in
the House and the Senate, to

841
00:44:09,613 --> 00:44:11,613
spend some time thinking
about what that message was,

842
00:44:11,615 --> 00:44:14,315
because it was
a forceful one.

843
00:44:17,454 --> 00:44:19,424
And the American people
are going to be expecting

844
00:44:19,423 --> 00:44:23,163
results, and what those
results are is something

845
00:44:23,160 --> 00:44:25,400
that representatives in both
parties are going to have to

846
00:44:25,396 --> 00:44:28,636
spend some time
thinking about. Margaret.

847
00:44:28,632 --> 00:44:31,002
The Press: Josh,
President campaigned so

848
00:44:31,001 --> 00:44:34,971
vigorously for Hillary
Clinton on the trail,

849
00:44:34,972 --> 00:44:36,942
working this so hard.

850
00:44:36,940 --> 00:44:39,440
I know you can't read
sentiment this early on,

851
00:44:39,443 --> 00:44:43,113
truly, and discern what the
message was, but can you at

852
00:44:43,113 --> 00:44:46,383
least say why you think the
White House's own internal

853
00:44:46,383 --> 00:44:50,853
predictions and
readings were so wrong?

854
00:44:50,854 --> 00:44:54,124
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
it's not just our read of

855
00:44:54,124 --> 00:44:56,364
this that was wrong.

856
00:44:56,360 --> 00:44:59,130
Just about every public
poll that we saw was wrong.

857
00:44:59,129 --> 00:45:00,669
You guys will check me on
this because you guys follow

858
00:45:00,664 --> 00:45:02,464
this a little bit more
closely than I did -- I'm

859
00:45:02,466 --> 00:45:07,336
not aware that any candidate
campaigned in Wisconsin.

860
00:45:07,337 --> 00:45:11,337
And I think that's a clear
indication that everybody,

861
00:45:11,341 --> 00:45:13,641
including both candidates,
expected Secretary Clinton

862
00:45:13,644 --> 00:45:15,244
to win Wisconsin.

863
00:45:15,245 --> 00:45:16,745
And she didn't.

864
00:45:16,747 --> 00:45:23,087
And it's not close enough
that anybody is calling for

865
00:45:23,087 --> 00:45:24,957
a recount.

866
00:45:24,955 --> 00:45:30,765
So it is clear that nobody
got the outcome that they

867
00:45:30,761 --> 00:45:32,761
expected last night.

868
00:45:34,398 --> 00:45:39,268
Now, does that mean that the
polling industry has now

869
00:45:39,269 --> 00:45:42,969
been officially disrupted,
or that political

870
00:45:42,973 --> 00:45:44,973
consultants are going to
have to change the way they

871
00:45:44,975 --> 00:45:47,215
do business? Maybe.

872
00:45:47,211 --> 00:45:49,681
And that would be something
interesting for them to

873
00:45:49,680 --> 00:45:51,680
consider over the
next couple of years.

874
00:45:51,682 --> 00:45:55,182
But I think it's just hard
to tell exactly what the

875
00:45:55,185 --> 00:45:59,795
message was -- what the
message from voters is.

876
00:45:59,790 --> 00:46:02,190
As I mentioned earlier,
there are a substantial

877
00:46:02,192 --> 00:46:06,862
number of voters that voted
for Barack Obama twice and

878
00:46:06,864 --> 00:46:09,264
then voted for Donald
Trump yesterday.

879
00:46:09,266 --> 00:46:15,406
And given the vigorous
opposition that

880
00:46:15,405 --> 00:46:18,175
President-elect Trump
professed to have for the

881
00:46:18,175 --> 00:46:22,345
Obama agenda, it raises a
lot of questions about why

882
00:46:22,346 --> 00:46:24,246
those voters supported him.

883
00:46:24,248 --> 00:46:28,048
And the answer to that
is not obvious to me.

884
00:46:28,051 --> 00:46:29,191
Maybe it is to
somebody else.

885
00:46:29,186 --> 00:46:35,696
And I suspect that political
analysts and academics and

886
00:46:35,692 --> 00:46:40,862
political professionals are
going to spend days and

887
00:46:40,864 --> 00:46:44,204
weeks and months and maybe
even years digging into

888
00:46:44,201 --> 00:46:46,141
these results and trying
to get greater clarity to

889
00:46:46,136 --> 00:46:49,306
explain the outcome.

890
00:46:49,306 --> 00:46:52,406
The Press: Did this in some
way -- I mean, the President

891
00:46:52,409 --> 00:46:55,579
-- you talked about some of
the issues, but he used very

892
00:46:55,579 --> 00:46:58,819
stark terms, saying the very
future of the Republic in a

893
00:46:58,815 --> 00:47:00,815
way is hinged on this
election, that it's a

894
00:47:00,817 --> 00:47:06,087
defense of American values,
really laying the stakes in

895
00:47:06,089 --> 00:47:07,929
very stark terms.

896
00:47:07,925 --> 00:47:11,565
So does he still believe
that today, that the

897
00:47:11,562 --> 00:47:15,432
viability of the America he
believes this country

898
00:47:15,432 --> 00:47:17,702
is, is at stake?

899
00:47:17,701 --> 00:47:22,341
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
as I mentioned earlier, the

900
00:47:22,339 --> 00:47:24,379
argument that the President
was making on the campaign

901
00:47:24,374 --> 00:47:25,814
trail was an authentic one.

902
00:47:25,809 --> 00:47:26,809
It reflected his views.

903
00:47:26,810 --> 00:47:28,150
It wasn't just a slogan;
it wasn't just

904
00:47:28,145 --> 00:47:29,475
a bumper sticker.

905
00:47:29,479 --> 00:47:31,979
He was making an argument
that he deeply believes

906
00:47:31,982 --> 00:47:35,252
about the direction that
he'd like to

907
00:47:35,252 --> 00:47:36,352
see the country go.

908
00:47:36,353 --> 00:47:37,623
The Press: But he doesn't
believe democracy

909
00:47:37,621 --> 00:47:38,591
is at risk?

910
00:47:38,589 --> 00:47:42,029
I mean, the future of the
Republic -- he said that

911
00:47:42,025 --> 00:47:44,125
repeatedly in North
Carolina and elsewhere.

912
00:47:44,127 --> 00:47:48,667
Mr. Earnest: The President
made a forceful argument and

913
00:47:48,665 --> 00:47:49,935
he stands by that argument.

914
00:47:49,933 --> 00:47:51,173
But the time for making
that argument is past.

915
00:47:51,969 --> 00:47:53,569
The American people
rendered their judgment.

916
00:47:53,570 --> 00:47:55,440
And President Obama doesn't
get to choose his successor;

917
00:47:55,439 --> 00:47:56,739
the American people do.

918
00:47:56,740 --> 00:47:57,910
And they did.

919
00:47:57,908 --> 00:47:59,138
And they didn't choose the
person that

920
00:47:59,142 --> 00:48:01,182
President Obama supported.

921
00:48:01,178 --> 00:48:02,278
And so now the
responsibility that

922
00:48:02,279 --> 00:48:07,949
President Obama has is
to turn his attention to

923
00:48:07,951 --> 00:48:12,491
prioritizing a smooth
transition of his successor

924
00:48:12,489 --> 00:48:16,729
and ensuring a peaceful
transition of power.

925
00:48:16,727 --> 00:48:19,667
But, frankly, the
President's aspirations are

926
00:48:19,663 --> 00:48:21,463
higher than just a peaceful
transition of power.

927
00:48:21,465 --> 00:48:22,965
He wants to make sure that
we've got an effective

928
00:48:22,966 --> 00:48:24,306
transition that gives
the next President the

929
00:48:24,301 --> 00:48:26,641
opportunity to get
a running start.

930
00:48:26,637 --> 00:48:30,837
Because now that the
election is over, it's a

931
00:48:30,841 --> 00:48:36,711
good time to remember that
we're Americans first and

932
00:48:36,713 --> 00:48:43,453
all of us are rooting for
the success of President

933
00:48:43,453 --> 00:48:45,893
Trump as he assumes the
awesome responsibility of

934
00:48:45,889 --> 00:48:49,159
trying to unite and
lead this country.

935
00:48:49,159 --> 00:48:52,099
The Press: Can you tell us
any color around how this

936
00:48:52,095 --> 00:48:52,865
happened last night?

937
00:48:52,863 --> 00:48:57,403
Who informed the President,
how he spent his evening?

938
00:48:57,401 --> 00:48:59,841
Mr. Earnest: The President
was monitoring returns from

939
00:48:59,836 --> 00:49:04,446
the Residence last night.

940
00:49:04,441 --> 00:49:07,241
I don't have a lot of
details to share from there.

941
00:49:07,244 --> 00:49:09,444
Obviously he relied on staff
to help coordinate the calls

942
00:49:09,446 --> 00:49:11,616
that he placed last night
to Secretary Clinton and to

943
00:49:11,615 --> 00:49:15,015
President-elect
Trump respectively.

944
00:49:15,018 --> 00:49:17,018
And he stayed up late
in order to do that.

945
00:49:17,421 --> 00:49:19,221
He wasn't able to reach
President-elect Trump until

946
00:49:19,623 --> 00:49:23,063
after President-elect Trump
had delivered

947
00:49:23,060 --> 00:49:24,060
his remarks last night.

948
00:49:24,061 --> 00:49:28,461
So it was rather late.

949
00:49:28,465 --> 00:49:30,035
But obviously he had to work
through staff in order to

950
00:49:32,069 --> 00:49:34,209
make that happen.

951
00:49:34,204 --> 00:49:35,274
The Press: If the President
goes on this trip, as you

952
00:49:35,272 --> 00:49:39,442
said -- or you said that
schedule is not changing --

953
00:49:39,443 --> 00:49:44,043
how is he going to explain
to his allies what happened?

954
00:49:44,047 --> 00:49:46,547
I mean, the President, on
mostly all of his recent

955
00:49:46,550 --> 00:49:49,050
foreign trips, has basically
said he's confident that

956
00:49:49,052 --> 00:49:51,552
Hillary Clinton is going
to win, none of what just

957
00:49:51,555 --> 00:49:54,125
transpired was
going to happen.

958
00:49:54,124 --> 00:49:55,794
What is his message
going to be?

959
00:49:55,792 --> 00:49:58,592
And it would seem to be
redirecting what was going

960
00:49:58,595 --> 00:50:00,265
to be a farewell visit.

961
00:50:00,263 --> 00:50:04,003
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
the President spent a lot of

962
00:50:04,000 --> 00:50:08,170
time on his foreign travels
over the last 12 to 18

963
00:50:08,171 --> 00:50:11,171
months offering reassurance
to our partners and allies

964
00:50:11,174 --> 00:50:13,714
around the world about the
state of the political

965
00:50:13,710 --> 00:50:16,350
debate in this country and
the likely

966
00:50:16,346 --> 00:50:18,616
outcome of the election.

967
00:50:18,615 --> 00:50:22,015
And now that we have an
outcome of the election, I

968
00:50:22,018 --> 00:50:24,188
think the President
will continue to offer

969
00:50:24,187 --> 00:50:27,387
reassurance to our closest
allies and partners about

970
00:50:27,391 --> 00:50:30,591
the steadfast commitment of
the United States to the

971
00:50:30,594 --> 00:50:33,864
kinds of alliances and
partnerships that advance

972
00:50:33,864 --> 00:50:36,164
our interests and
keep our country safe.

973
00:50:36,166 --> 00:50:38,836
Many of our strongest
alliances are alliances that

974
00:50:38,835 --> 00:50:41,275
have been fortified by
Democratic

975
00:50:41,271 --> 00:50:43,741
and Republican Presidents.

976
00:50:43,740 --> 00:50:48,510
And President Obama
obviously invested a lot of

977
00:50:48,512 --> 00:50:52,082
his own time and attention
to prioritizing investments

978
00:50:52,082 --> 00:50:54,182
in many of those alliances,
particularly

979
00:50:54,184 --> 00:50:56,184
in the Asia Pacific.

980
00:50:56,186 --> 00:51:01,026
And President-elect Trump
will chart a foreign policy

981
00:51:01,024 --> 00:51:03,924
path that he believes is in
America's best interest.

982
00:51:06,563 --> 00:51:10,263
He will do so after getting
the benefit of briefings

983
00:51:10,267 --> 00:51:15,137
from President Obama and
from the national security

984
00:51:15,138 --> 00:51:17,478
experts in the Obama
administration that have

985
00:51:17,474 --> 00:51:18,674
been implementing that
policy

986
00:51:18,675 --> 00:51:20,015
and implementing that strategy.

987
00:51:20,010 --> 00:51:25,120
But I think the reassurance
that President Obama can

988
00:51:25,115 --> 00:51:29,585
offer to a lot of our allies
is that, traditionally, and

989
00:51:29,586 --> 00:51:32,756
for generations, in some
cases, our alliances have

990
00:51:32,756 --> 00:51:35,196
transcended individual
Presidents and individual

991
00:51:35,192 --> 00:51:37,832
political parties in
part because some of our

992
00:51:37,828 --> 00:51:40,268
alliances are rooted in the
deep cultural ties

993
00:51:40,263 --> 00:51:43,263
between our two countries.

994
00:51:43,266 --> 00:51:46,636
But ultimately, it's
going to be up to the

995
00:51:46,636 --> 00:51:51,246
President-elect to decide. Carol.

996
00:51:51,241 --> 00:51:52,881
The Press: I want to go back
to the President's rhetoric

997
00:51:52,876 --> 00:51:54,816
during the campaign.

998
00:51:54,811 --> 00:51:58,751
So you're saying that his
comments about Donald Trump

999
00:51:58,748 --> 00:52:01,418
being unfit to be President
of the United States and

1000
00:52:01,418 --> 00:52:03,718
shouldn't have the nuclear
codes, he's a genuine

1001
00:52:03,720 --> 00:52:06,620
national security threat to
the United States if he was

1002
00:52:06,623 --> 00:52:09,493
elected -- you're basically
saying the President still

1003
00:52:09,493 --> 00:52:12,793
agrees with all of that, but
the voters have spoken, so

1004
00:52:12,796 --> 00:52:17,396
the sun came up and
everybody should move on?

1005
00:52:17,400 --> 00:52:20,070
Mr. Earnest: Well, look, I
think what the President

1006
00:52:20,070 --> 00:52:23,010
said in the Rose Garden is
that our democracy demands

1007
00:52:23,006 --> 00:52:25,806
-- the success of our
democracy demands that the

1008
00:52:25,809 --> 00:52:29,909
President put aside his own
personal political views and

1009
00:52:29,913 --> 00:52:34,113
his own preferences as he
transitions out of office.

1010
00:52:34,117 --> 00:52:36,117
The President doesn't choose
his successor; the

1011
00:52:36,119 --> 00:52:37,189
American people do.

1012
00:52:37,187 --> 00:52:38,187
They have spoken.

1013
00:52:38,188 --> 00:52:41,188
The Press: A lot of people
took what he said very

1014
00:52:41,191 --> 00:52:46,201
seriously and therefore
voted for Hillary Clinton

1015
00:52:46,196 --> 00:52:49,096
based on some of these
things that he said.

1016
00:52:49,099 --> 00:52:51,869
And they're
nervous, anxious.

1017
00:52:51,868 --> 00:52:53,338
So what does he say to them?

1018
00:52:53,336 --> 00:52:56,136
Mr. Earnest: He says to them
that our -- the institutions

1019
00:52:56,139 --> 00:53:00,779
of our democracy have been
in place for 240 years, and

1020
00:53:00,777 --> 00:53:06,117
our democracy has been
buffeted by great challenge,

1021
00:53:06,116 --> 00:53:11,986
some of which originated
inside the United States,

1022
00:53:11,988 --> 00:53:15,528
some of those challenges
originated overseas.

1023
00:53:15,525 --> 00:53:17,995
But by relying on our
institutions and democratic

1024
00:53:17,994 --> 00:53:22,404
traditions, demonstrating a
faithful commitment to the

1025
00:53:22,399 --> 00:53:26,369
will of the American people,
our democracy hasn't just

1026
00:53:26,369 --> 00:53:28,709
survived, it's thrived.

1027
00:53:31,207 --> 00:53:37,077
And the President places
great faith in the American

1028
00:53:37,080 --> 00:53:40,450
people and in our
longstanding democratic

1029
00:53:40,450 --> 00:53:42,390
traditions and institutions.

1030
00:53:42,385 --> 00:53:45,525
He places great faith in the
people who make up those

1031
00:53:45,522 --> 00:53:49,122
institutions -- whether
that's the United States

1032
00:53:49,125 --> 00:53:51,695
military, our men and women
in law enforcement, the

1033
00:53:51,695 --> 00:53:55,335
millions of American
patriots that are civil

1034
00:53:55,332 --> 00:53:58,102
servants that serve in
our federal government.

1035
00:53:58,101 --> 00:54:01,141
He also places great
confidence in those

1036
00:54:01,137 --> 00:54:05,207
Americans who don't work in
government but are committed

1037
00:54:05,208 --> 00:54:08,748
to moving this
country forward.

1038
00:54:08,745 --> 00:54:10,385
And that was the reference
that he made in the Rose

1039
00:54:10,380 --> 00:54:15,020
Garden to teachers that are
responsible for educating

1040
00:54:15,018 --> 00:54:16,658
the next generation
of Americans.

1041
00:54:16,653 --> 00:54:18,053
They don't get a lot of
glory, they don't get big

1042
00:54:18,388 --> 00:54:20,928
paychecks, but they are
critical to the success of

1043
00:54:20,924 --> 00:54:23,424
our country and our
country's future strength.

1044
00:54:23,426 --> 00:54:28,036
The same would apply to

1045
00:54:28,031 --> 00:54:29,601
nurses all across the country.

1046
00:54:29,599 --> 00:54:33,969
They don't get the glory,
but they are doing the quiet

1047
00:54:33,970 --> 00:54:40,010
work of striving to
perfect our union.

1048
00:54:40,010 --> 00:54:41,510
The Press: At tomorrow's
meeting, do you know, is

1049
00:54:41,511 --> 00:54:43,511
Melania Trump also coming to
meet with the First

1050
00:54:43,513 --> 00:54:45,213
Lady, as is tradition?

1051
00:54:45,215 --> 00:54:48,715
And any sense of what time
this meeting will happen?

1052
00:54:48,718 --> 00:54:49,448
Mr. Earnest: Well, I'm not
aware of

1053
00:54:49,452 --> 00:54:50,522
Mrs. Trump's travel plans.

1054
00:54:50,520 --> 00:54:52,360
You'll have to
check with her team.

1055
00:54:52,355 --> 00:54:53,655
The Press: Any
sense of time?

1056
00:54:53,657 --> 00:54:55,257
Mr. Earnest: I don't have a
sense of time yet, but we'll

1057
00:54:55,258 --> 00:54:56,728
try and pin that down before
the end of the day today so

1058
00:54:56,726 --> 00:54:57,526
you guys can plan

1059
00:54:57,527 --> 00:54:59,497
your day tomorrow. Mark.

1060
00:54:59,496 --> 00:55:03,936
The Press: Josh, if the
President puts aside the

1061
00:55:03,933 --> 00:55:07,433
harsh criticism that he
leveled against Trump during

1062
00:55:07,437 --> 00:55:11,077
the campaign and welcomes
him tomorrow, doesn't that

1063
00:55:11,074 --> 00:55:15,274
put the meeting under an air
of insincerity, bearing in

1064
00:55:17,347 --> 00:55:21,747
mind what was said about him
-- what Carol mentioned, the

1065
00:55:21,751 --> 00:55:25,551
unfit and unqualified
to be President and

1066
00:55:25,555 --> 00:55:26,795
Commander-in-Chief?

1067
00:55:26,790 --> 00:55:28,690
Mr. Earnest: No
-- to be blunt.

1068
00:55:28,692 --> 00:55:33,532
The President is quite
sincere about fulfilling the

1069
00:55:33,530 --> 00:55:37,000
basic responsibility that he
has to the American people

1070
00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:40,900
and our democracy to ensure
a smooth transition to

1071
00:55:40,904 --> 00:55:43,544
the next presidency.

1072
00:55:43,540 --> 00:55:47,980
At the same time, Mark, the
President has no desire or

1073
00:55:47,977 --> 00:55:50,247
inclination to paper over
the deep differences that

1074
00:55:50,246 --> 00:55:52,116
the two of them have.

1075
00:55:52,115 --> 00:55:54,085
The President acknowledged
them in his remarks in the

1076
00:55:54,084 --> 00:55:55,614
Rose Garden.

1077
00:55:55,618 --> 00:56:02,328
And his expectation is that
President-elect Trump is

1078
00:56:02,325 --> 00:56:06,265
going to make the decisions
that are consistent with his

1079
00:56:06,262 --> 00:56:10,872
own policy views when he
becomes President of the

1080
00:56:10,867 --> 00:56:12,707
United States.

1081
00:56:12,702 --> 00:56:16,672
And there's a strong chance
that President Obama is

1082
00:56:16,673 --> 00:56:21,443
going to disagree with
at least some of those

1083
00:56:21,444 --> 00:56:24,544
decisions, but the success
of our democracy depends on

1084
00:56:24,547 --> 00:56:27,917
everybody -- every single
citizen -- including the

1085
00:56:27,917 --> 00:56:32,087
President of the United
States, setting aside their

1086
00:56:32,088 --> 00:56:34,258
partisan affiliation,
setting aside their

1087
00:56:34,257 --> 00:56:38,797
political preferences, and
rooting for the success of

1088
00:56:38,795 --> 00:56:43,065
the American President as
that person seeks to unite

1089
00:56:43,066 --> 00:56:46,236
the country and
move us forward.

1090
00:56:46,236 --> 00:56:51,706
So I'm not saying it's going
to be an easy meeting, but

1091
00:56:51,708 --> 00:56:55,448
the President is deeply
sincere about fulfilling

1092
00:56:55,445 --> 00:56:56,445
this responsibility.

1093
00:56:56,446 --> 00:57:00,116
And look, I think it was
also evident from hearing

1094
00:57:00,116 --> 00:57:06,756
the President talk about
this that President Obama

1095
00:57:06,756 --> 00:57:10,856
entered office at a
tumultuous time in our

1096
00:57:10,860 --> 00:57:12,360
nation's history.

1097
00:57:12,362 --> 00:57:14,832
We were in the depths of the
worst economic crisis since

1098
00:57:14,831 --> 00:57:17,601
the Great Depression.

1099
00:57:17,600 --> 00:57:24,270
And his ability to mobilize
an effective response that

1100
00:57:24,274 --> 00:57:29,284
has spawned a historically
strong recovery depended on

1101
00:57:32,415 --> 00:57:33,855
him getting a running start.

1102
00:57:33,850 --> 00:57:37,150
And that running start was
only possible because of the

1103
00:57:37,153 --> 00:57:40,693
commitment of President Bush
and his team to this same

1104
00:57:40,690 --> 00:57:42,930
principle of a smooth and
effective transition.

1105
00:57:42,926 --> 00:57:46,526
So President Obama has
experienced firsthand how a

1106
00:57:46,529 --> 00:57:51,169
President benefits from the
incumbent President devoting

1107
00:57:51,167 --> 00:57:54,067
the time and energy that's
necessary to help the

1108
00:57:54,070 --> 00:57:56,470
incoming President get
off to a running start.

1109
00:57:56,472 --> 00:58:02,082
And President Obama is
genuinely rooting for

1110
00:58:02,078 --> 00:58:04,078
President-elect Trump to
succeed in uniting the

1111
00:58:04,080 --> 00:58:07,620
country and helping this

1112
00:58:07,617 --> 00:58:09,117
country make additional progress.

1113
00:58:09,118 --> 00:58:14,088
And that's a
sincerely held view.

1114
00:58:14,090 --> 00:58:17,160
The Press: And despite what
you said at the start, might

1115
00:58:17,160 --> 00:58:21,930
you want to respond or
comment on what Speaker Ryan

1116
00:58:21,931 --> 00:58:27,271
said -- that the election
was a repudiation of the

1117
00:58:27,270 --> 00:58:30,910
liberal and progressive
policies of this President?

1118
00:58:30,907 --> 00:58:33,677
Mr. Earnest: I think there
will be plenty of time for

1119
00:58:33,676 --> 00:58:36,516
me to respond to statements
like that in the days ahead.

1120
00:58:36,512 --> 00:58:40,012
But in the spirit of today,
we'll set that aside.

1121
00:58:40,016 --> 00:58:42,056
But we can talk tomorrow.

1122
00:58:42,051 --> 00:58:42,891
I've got some thoughts.

1123
00:58:42,886 --> 00:58:44,256
Michelle.

1124
00:58:44,254 --> 00:58:45,424
The Press: What can you
say about how much of the

1125
00:58:45,421 --> 00:58:46,691
returns the
President watched?

1126
00:58:46,689 --> 00:58:47,929
How late was he up?

1127
00:58:47,924 --> 00:58:49,394
Was he up all night?

1128
00:58:49,392 --> 00:58:50,392
Who was he watching with?

1129
00:58:50,393 --> 00:58:53,033
Was he with his
family and staff?

1130
00:58:53,029 --> 00:58:54,829
And what can you say
about his reaction?

1131
00:58:54,831 --> 00:58:57,831
I mean, during the campaign,
you said that there was no

1132
00:58:57,834 --> 00:58:59,834
comparison between these
candidates, that there

1133
00:58:59,836 --> 00:59:01,276
really wasn't a choice.

1134
00:59:01,271 --> 00:59:03,511
But this is the
choice that was made.

1135
00:59:03,506 --> 00:59:06,906
I mean, surely he must have
been stunned at some point.

1136
00:59:06,910 --> 00:59:09,310
Mr. Earnest: President
Obama did stay up late.

1137
00:59:09,312 --> 00:59:12,252
It was not until after Mr.
Trump -- President-elect

1138
00:59:12,248 --> 00:59:14,788
Trump completed his remarks
last night that President

1139
00:59:14,784 --> 00:59:17,654
Obama was able to reach
him on the telephone.

1140
00:59:17,654 --> 00:59:20,954
So I know it was
at least 3:30 a.m.

1141
00:59:20,957 --> 00:59:21,957
or 4:00 a.m.

1142
00:59:21,958 --> 00:59:24,158
before President Obama
was able to turn in.

1143
00:59:24,160 --> 00:59:28,970
I suspect the same is
true of all of you.

1144
00:59:28,965 --> 00:59:32,235
So he's not looking
for any sympathy.

1145
00:59:32,235 --> 00:59:33,805
The Press: Was he
with staff and family?

1146
00:59:33,803 --> 00:59:35,343
Mr. Earnest: The President
was in the residence.

1147
00:59:35,338 --> 00:59:38,708
I don't know that there was
any staff that was

1148
00:59:38,708 --> 00:59:39,808
with him in person.

1149
00:59:39,809 --> 00:59:41,409
He obviously was in
communication with a number

1150
00:59:41,411 --> 00:59:43,251
of staff members last night.

1151
00:59:43,246 --> 00:59:46,886
And I don't know whether or
not members of his family

1152
00:59:46,883 --> 00:59:48,883
joined him as he was
watching the results.

1153
00:59:48,885 --> 00:59:52,055
The Press: Okay, and his
reaction to things going

1154
00:59:52,055 --> 00:59:53,055
the way they did?

1155
00:59:53,056 --> 00:59:55,056
Mr. Earnest: Listen, I think
you got a good sense of the

1156
00:59:55,058 --> 00:59:58,328
President's reaction in the
Rose Garden, which is the

1157
00:59:58,328 --> 01:00:00,798
candidate that he was
supporting didn't win and

1158
01:00:00,797 --> 01:00:05,037
that's disappointing -- to
him and to the 52 million

1159
01:00:05,034 --> 01:00:07,634
other people who voted
for Secretary Clinton.

1160
01:00:07,637 --> 01:00:09,637
The Press: So you're saying
that at no point in the

1161
01:00:09,639 --> 01:00:12,679
night was he surprised or
had any other reaction other

1162
01:00:12,675 --> 01:00:14,245
than an upbeat,
let's move forward?

1163
01:00:14,243 --> 01:00:17,343
Mr. Earnest: No, I don't
think anybody -- and when I

1164
01:00:17,347 --> 01:00:21,847
say I mean everybody got
an outcome that we weren't

1165
01:00:21,851 --> 01:00:24,121
expecting, that applies
to the President, too.

1166
01:00:24,120 --> 01:00:25,620
The Press: Can you describe
anything of his reaction

1167
01:00:25,621 --> 01:00:26,961
along those lines, though?

1168
01:00:26,956 --> 01:00:29,596
Because I think -- Mr.
Earnest: Look, it wasn't

1169
01:00:29,592 --> 01:00:31,132
a positive surprise
in his mind.

1170
01:00:31,127 --> 01:00:34,927
He obviously was forcefully
weighing in, in support of

1171
01:00:34,931 --> 01:00:36,161
Secretary Clinton.

1172
01:00:36,165 --> 01:00:38,365
And he felt strongly
about this race.

1173
01:00:38,368 --> 01:00:41,808
He made clear that there
was a clear choice.

1174
01:00:41,804 --> 01:00:46,914
But the President knew going
into last night that once

1175
01:00:46,909 --> 01:00:51,879
people started casting
ballots on Election Day, his

1176
01:00:51,881 --> 01:00:56,351
responsibility shifted from
advocating for his preferred

1177
01:00:56,352 --> 01:01:03,192
successor to planning for
a smooth transition with

1178
01:01:03,192 --> 01:01:07,532
whomever won the election.

1179
01:01:07,530 --> 01:01:11,500
So he was mindful from
the beginning of his

1180
01:01:11,501 --> 01:01:13,501
responsibilities to
the country and to our

1181
01:01:13,503 --> 01:01:15,673
democracy, in part because
of his own personal

1182
01:01:15,671 --> 01:01:17,671
experience of benefitting
from that kind of planning

1183
01:01:17,673 --> 01:01:20,143
that President Obama -- that
President

1184
01:01:20,143 --> 01:01:23,013
Bush initiated in 2008.

1185
01:01:23,012 --> 01:01:25,582
The Press: Do you know at
what point he started to

1186
01:01:25,581 --> 01:01:27,151
think, this is really going
in the opposite

1187
01:01:27,150 --> 01:01:28,580
direction than expected?

1188
01:01:28,584 --> 01:01:30,254
Mr. Earnest: I don't know at
which point

1189
01:01:30,253 --> 01:01:31,253
he reached that conclusion.

1190
01:01:31,254 --> 01:01:37,024
I think that eventuality
sort of dawned on everybody

1191
01:01:37,026 --> 01:01:41,936
at some point probably
relatively late in the

1192
01:01:41,931 --> 01:01:42,861
evening last night.

1193
01:01:42,865 --> 01:01:44,135
The Press: Okay.

1194
01:01:44,133 --> 01:01:46,703
And these comments have been
brought up a couple of times

1195
01:01:46,702 --> 01:01:49,602
now, but for both the
President and other members

1196
01:01:49,605 --> 01:01:53,045
of the administration to say
during this campaign that

1197
01:01:53,042 --> 01:01:56,082
the things that Donald Trump
was saying were danger --

1198
01:01:56,079 --> 01:01:59,849
were actually dangerous to
national security, and you

1199
01:01:59,849 --> 01:02:04,759
said just today that there
are real concerns -- so what

1200
01:02:04,754 --> 01:02:05,124
are at the top of the

1201
01:02:05,121 --> 01:02:06,891
President's concerns right now?

1202
01:02:06,889 --> 01:02:10,059
For somebody to transition
to someone that he actually

1203
01:02:10,059 --> 01:02:16,429
called unfit and dangerous
for national security?

1204
01:02:16,432 --> 01:02:17,702
Mr. Earnest: Michelle, that
is the rhetoric that you

1205
01:02:17,700 --> 01:02:20,700
heard from the President
on the campaign trail.

1206
01:02:20,703 --> 01:02:24,603
That rhetoric reflects
the President's views.

1207
01:02:24,607 --> 01:02:26,977
It certainly reflects his
own experience of having

1208
01:02:26,976 --> 01:02:28,576
served in this job.

1209
01:02:28,578 --> 01:02:32,848
And it reflects his own
unique perspective on who is

1210
01:02:32,849 --> 01:02:34,119
best qualified
to succeed him.

1211
01:02:34,117 --> 01:02:36,787
But the election is over.

1212
01:02:36,786 --> 01:02:38,656
The election has
been decided.

1213
01:02:38,654 --> 01:02:39,824
And we live in a democracy.

1214
01:02:39,822 --> 01:02:41,822
And that democracy means
that the President doesn't

1215
01:02:41,824 --> 01:02:44,424
choose his successor --
the American people do.

1216
01:02:44,427 --> 01:02:45,757
And they did.

1217
01:02:45,761 --> 01:02:48,401
And the President's
responsibility as the

1218
01:02:48,397 --> 01:02:52,437
outgoing President is
to ensure a smooth and

1219
01:02:52,435 --> 01:02:55,305
effective transition with
the President-elect.

1220
01:02:55,304 --> 01:02:59,444
And that is now the
President's top priority.

1221
01:02:59,442 --> 01:03:03,142
And that's one that
previous

1222
01:03:03,146 --> 01:03:04,446
Presidents have demonstrated.

1223
01:03:04,447 --> 01:03:07,217
It's served our country and
our citizens very well.

1224
01:03:07,216 --> 01:03:09,216
And the President's
expectation is that a

1225
01:03:09,218 --> 01:03:11,218
commitment to those
principles and a commitment

1226
01:03:11,220 --> 01:03:13,220
to an effective transition
will serve the country well

1227
01:03:13,222 --> 01:03:14,222
this time, too.

1228
01:03:14,223 --> 01:03:16,393
The Press: That's exactly
my question, though.

1229
01:03:16,392 --> 01:03:18,632
I mean, you said that the
time for argument is over.

1230
01:03:18,628 --> 01:03:19,358
Well, that's right.

1231
01:03:19,362 --> 01:03:20,902
This is now real.

1232
01:03:20,897 --> 01:03:23,437
So if we are to believe,
as you said we should, the

1233
01:03:23,432 --> 01:03:26,672
President's concerns that
this was a dangerous

1234
01:03:26,669 --> 01:03:29,739
situation, surely the
President must have some

1235
01:03:29,739 --> 01:03:31,609
real concerns right now.

1236
01:03:31,607 --> 01:03:36,077
And can you describe maybe
the parameters

1237
01:03:36,078 --> 01:03:36,678
of those concerns?

1238
01:03:36,679 --> 01:03:37,279
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen, I
want to be

1239
01:03:37,280 --> 01:03:38,280
real clear about this.

1240
01:03:38,281 --> 01:03:40,381
The election is over.

1241
01:03:40,383 --> 01:03:41,813
There are going to continue
to be debates in this

1242
01:03:41,817 --> 01:03:44,787
country about the
future of our country.

1243
01:03:44,787 --> 01:03:47,087
There are going to be tough
debates in Congress about

1244
01:03:47,089 --> 01:03:48,089
the future of our country.

1245
01:03:48,090 --> 01:03:50,090
There are going to be
tough debates inside the

1246
01:03:50,092 --> 01:03:52,592
Republican Party about the
future of our country.

1247
01:03:52,595 --> 01:03:55,035
There are going to be some
tough debates inside the

1248
01:03:55,031 --> 01:03:58,371
Democratic Party about the
future of our country.

1249
01:03:58,367 --> 01:03:59,537
So the election is over.

1250
01:03:59,535 --> 01:04:05,175
And you've seen Secretary
Clinton and Senator Kaine

1251
01:04:05,174 --> 01:04:09,514
offer up their
gracious concession.

1252
01:04:09,512 --> 01:04:14,422
And you heard President
Obama graciously commit to a

1253
01:04:14,417 --> 01:04:18,187
smooth transition, even with
a candidate that he did not

1254
01:04:18,187 --> 01:04:22,597
support -- in fact, one
that he vehemently opposed.

1255
01:04:22,592 --> 01:04:25,132
But that's what our
democracy demands, and that

1256
01:04:25,127 --> 01:04:29,837
is evidence of the
durability and strength of

1257
01:04:29,832 --> 01:04:32,672
our democracy.

1258
01:04:32,668 --> 01:04:36,108
And it will serve the
incoming President well.

1259
01:04:36,105 --> 01:04:38,075
It will serve the
incoming Congress well.

1260
01:04:38,074 --> 01:04:39,614
It will serve our allies and
partners

1261
01:04:39,609 --> 01:04:41,509
around the world well.

1262
01:04:41,510 --> 01:04:43,480
It will serve
our economy well.

1263
01:04:43,479 --> 01:04:45,179
And that's why the President
has made

1264
01:04:45,181 --> 01:04:47,051
this such a priority.

1265
01:04:47,049 --> 01:04:49,449
The Press: And our democracy
also demands that, at some

1266
01:04:49,885 --> 01:04:52,555
rare times, although most
recently in 2000, the winner

1267
01:04:52,555 --> 01:04:56,195
of the popular vote is
not always the President.

1268
01:04:56,192 --> 01:04:59,362
Does that make this
more painful for

1269
01:04:59,362 --> 01:05:01,502
the administration?

1270
01:05:01,497 --> 01:05:03,437
Mr. Earnest: Look, I can't
speak for everybody, but it

1271
01:05:03,432 --> 01:05:05,202
doesn't to me.

1272
01:05:05,201 --> 01:05:09,941
Everybody knows the rules
-- everybody knew what the

1273
01:05:09,939 --> 01:05:11,979
rules were.

1274
01:05:11,974 --> 01:05:15,444
And I think the outcome
of the popular vote is an

1275
01:05:16,912 --> 01:05:21,852
indication that Secretary
Clinton's historic campaign

1276
01:05:21,851 --> 01:05:27,021
succeeded in mobilizing tens
of millions of Americans

1277
01:05:27,023 --> 01:05:30,763
behind her vision
and her candidacy.

1278
01:05:30,760 --> 01:05:32,600
That is a credit to her.

1279
01:05:34,363 --> 01:05:36,363
President Obama I think
deserves a little credit for

1280
01:05:36,365 --> 01:05:38,365
that too, given how
aggressively he campaigned

1281
01:05:38,367 --> 01:05:44,237
for her and given the kind
of agenda

1282
01:05:44,240 --> 01:05:46,680
that he also laid out.

1283
01:05:46,676 --> 01:05:55,116
But no, everybody was aware
of the fact that the next

1284
01:05:55,685 --> 01:05:59,055
President is determined
based on a count in the

1285
01:05:59,055 --> 01:06:02,755
Electoral College, not a
count of the popular vote.

1286
01:06:02,758 --> 01:06:03,358
The Press: Okay.

1287
01:06:03,359 --> 01:06:05,129
And quickly, also during
the campaign, he said many

1288
01:06:05,127 --> 01:06:10,637
statements to the effect of
this is not who America is;

1289
01:06:10,633 --> 01:06:14,203
this is not what we stand
for; I believe in the

1290
01:06:14,203 --> 01:06:18,143
judgment and values of the
American people that they

1291
01:06:18,140 --> 01:06:21,840
will choose the candidate I
support; and that America is

1292
01:06:21,844 --> 01:06:24,044
not as divided
as people say.

1293
01:06:24,046 --> 01:06:26,516
Does he still believe those
things that he said then?

1294
01:06:26,515 --> 01:06:30,655
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
what is true is that the

1295
01:06:30,653 --> 01:06:34,223
President had an opportunity
to convey his very

1296
01:06:34,223 --> 01:06:36,223
well-known views about
the two candidates on the

1297
01:06:36,225 --> 01:06:38,425
campaign trail many, many
times over

1298
01:06:38,427 --> 01:06:40,427
the last several weeks.

1299
01:06:44,433 --> 01:06:47,003
But he knew all along
that what he was doing is

1300
01:06:47,002 --> 01:06:51,572
advocating to the American
people, trying to convince

1301
01:06:51,574 --> 01:06:53,574
them to support his
preferred candidate.

1302
01:06:55,945 --> 01:06:59,815
And some 52 million
of them did.

1303
01:06:59,815 --> 01:07:02,685
But not enough to win the
electoral vote, and that is

1304
01:07:02,685 --> 01:07:04,525
our system of democracy.

1305
01:07:04,520 --> 01:07:10,060
And it's not perfect, but
it's a system that has

1306
01:07:10,059 --> 01:07:11,059
served us very well.

1307
01:07:11,060 --> 01:07:13,060
The Press: But what I'm
saying is, has this changed

1308
01:07:13,062 --> 01:07:15,562
the President's view of who
we are and what America is?

1309
01:07:15,564 --> 01:07:17,564
If that's kind of the
tone that he was taking.

1310
01:07:17,566 --> 01:07:19,566
Mr. Earnest: No, I don't
want to leave

1311
01:07:19,568 --> 01:07:20,568
you with that impression.

1312
01:07:20,569 --> 01:07:22,569
Obviously, the President
disagrees with the outcome,

1313
01:07:22,571 --> 01:07:26,471
and his preferred
candidate didn't win.

1314
01:07:26,475 --> 01:07:31,515
But, look, what it says
about the voters and their

1315
01:07:31,514 --> 01:07:36,114
motivation and their
priorities -- again, I think

1316
01:07:36,118 --> 01:07:38,918
people are going to spend
weeks, months, if not years,

1317
01:07:38,921 --> 01:07:43,591
trying to discern
what this all means.

1318
01:07:43,592 --> 01:07:48,662
But at the most basic level,
what it means is that it

1319
01:07:48,664 --> 01:07:51,334
means Donald Trump is the
President-elect of the

1320
01:07:51,333 --> 01:07:55,803
United States, and the
responsibility of the

1321
01:07:55,805 --> 01:07:56,675
sitting President is to make
sure that President-elect

1322
01:07:56,672 --> 01:07:58,112
Trump can hit the ground
running when he enters

1323
01:07:58,107 --> 01:07:58,837
the Oval Office.

1324
01:07:58,841 --> 01:08:00,381
The Press: At one point he
told I think it was a group

1325
01:08:00,376 --> 01:08:02,546
of black lawmakers that he
would take it as a personal

1326
01:08:02,545 --> 01:08:06,215
insult if Hillary Clinton
was not elected and if great

1327
01:08:06,215 --> 01:08:07,455
numbers didn't turn out.

1328
01:08:07,450 --> 01:08:10,120
So does he take this
as a personal insult?

1329
01:08:10,119 --> 01:08:14,219
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
the feelings that the

1330
01:08:14,223 --> 01:08:16,423
President was conveying in
that speech to the CBC were

1331
01:08:16,425 --> 01:08:19,125
authentic and they
reflect his views.

1332
01:08:19,128 --> 01:08:24,138
But the election is over,
and the time for advocating

1333
01:08:27,770 --> 01:08:30,540
for a specific candidate
has come to an end.

1334
01:08:30,539 --> 01:08:33,209
And the time for planning
for a smooth, effective

1335
01:08:33,209 --> 01:08:36,409
transition for the
President-elect

1336
01:08:36,412 --> 01:08:37,582
is now well underway.

1337
01:08:37,580 --> 01:08:40,320
And that's a process that
President Obama is

1338
01:08:40,316 --> 01:08:41,816
deeply committed to.

1339
01:08:41,817 --> 01:08:43,417
Gardiner.

1340
01:08:43,419 --> 01:08:45,419
The Press: Josh, you've
emphasized the smooth

1341
01:08:45,421 --> 01:08:47,891
transition being important
and you keep pointing back

1342
01:08:47,890 --> 01:08:49,660
to the transition that
happened between George W.

1343
01:08:49,658 --> 01:08:51,558
Bush and Mr. Obama.

1344
01:08:51,560 --> 01:08:55,500
But as far as I know,
Mr. Bush never tried to

1345
01:08:55,498 --> 01:08:58,738
lobby President Obama
directly to maintain

1346
01:08:58,734 --> 01:09:00,034
some of his policies.

1347
01:09:00,035 --> 01:09:03,105
But you just told us that
the President will have the

1348
01:09:03,105 --> 01:09:06,245
opportunity to talk to the
President-elect Trump about

1349
01:09:06,242 --> 01:09:08,312
some of these policies.

1350
01:09:08,310 --> 01:09:12,010
Are you suggesting that
Mr. Obama is going to lobby

1351
01:09:12,014 --> 01:09:15,514
Mr. Trump directly to
maintain some of these

1352
01:09:15,518 --> 01:09:18,418
policies that Mr. Trump has
repeatedly excoriated on

1353
01:09:18,420 --> 01:09:19,990
the campaign trail?

1354
01:09:19,989 --> 01:09:23,659
And if that's not going to
happen, doesn't that mean

1355
01:09:23,659 --> 01:09:26,999
that the Iran deal, emission
limits, immigration edicts,

1356
01:09:26,996 --> 01:09:30,136
transgender bathrooms -- all
those things are sort of

1357
01:09:30,132 --> 01:09:34,402
gone on January 21st?

1358
01:09:34,403 --> 01:09:35,603
Mr. Earnest: There's a
lot there -- that's good.

1359
01:09:35,604 --> 01:09:36,674
The Press: Sorry.

1360
01:09:36,672 --> 01:09:37,972
Mr. Earnest: That's okay.

1361
01:09:37,973 --> 01:09:38,843
These are important
questions.

1362
01:09:38,841 --> 01:09:41,881
I think the first thing is,
I can't speak to the nature

1363
01:09:41,877 --> 01:09:45,477
of the conversations between
President Bush and then

1364
01:09:45,481 --> 01:09:48,551
President-elect Obama.

1365
01:09:48,551 --> 01:09:50,621
I don't know if President
Bush lobbied President Obama

1366
01:09:50,619 --> 01:09:53,189
on any issues or not.

1367
01:09:53,188 --> 01:09:55,488
I think what I would say in
terms of trying to help you

1368
01:09:55,491 --> 01:09:58,591
get a sense of the kinds of
conversations I'm trying to

1369
01:09:58,594 --> 01:10:02,264
describe, I wouldn't use the
word "lobby." I think what I

1370
01:10:02,264 --> 01:10:07,574
would do is I would
basically say the intent of

1371
01:10:07,570 --> 01:10:12,580
President Obama and his team
is to brief President-elect

1372
01:10:12,575 --> 01:10:14,915
Trump and his team on these policies.

1373
01:10:14,910 --> 01:10:18,450
The Press: (Inaudible.)

1374
01:10:18,447 --> 01:10:21,387
Mr. Earnest: Again, the point

1375
01:10:21,383 --> 01:10:24,783
that I'm trying to
make is this, is that --

1376
01:10:24,787 --> 01:10:27,557
and President Obama has
acknowledged this -- that

1377
01:10:27,556 --> 01:10:29,556
the view of certain
policies once you're inside

1378
01:10:29,558 --> 01:10:36,228
government gives you a
new appreciation for the

1379
01:10:36,231 --> 01:10:38,801
benefits of those policies.

1380
01:10:38,801 --> 01:10:42,141
Am I suggesting that
President Trump is going to

1381
01:10:42,137 --> 01:10:44,137
reverse himself on a whole
range of things that he's

1382
01:10:44,139 --> 01:10:46,139
been campaigning on for more
than a year and a half? No.

1383
01:10:46,141 --> 01:10:48,141
I'm not trying to make that
case, because I don't

1384
01:10:48,143 --> 01:10:49,143
think that's true.

1385
01:10:49,144 --> 01:10:54,154
But what President Obama is
hopeful of is -- well, what

1386
01:10:57,653 --> 01:10:59,693
President Obama is committed
to is an effective

1387
01:10:59,688 --> 01:11:03,088
transition that helps bring
President-elect Trump and

1388
01:11:03,092 --> 01:11:07,362
his team up to speed on
the current status of U.S.

1389
01:11:07,363 --> 01:11:09,363
policy, including
foreign policy.

1390
01:11:09,365 --> 01:11:12,635
And there is a long
tradition of Presidents,

1391
01:11:12,635 --> 01:11:16,205
even Presidents in different
parties, seeking to preserve

1392
01:11:16,205 --> 01:11:19,805
some measure of continuity,
particularly where those

1393
01:11:19,808 --> 01:11:22,548
interests align.

1394
01:11:22,544 --> 01:11:24,544
I wouldn't predict at this
point how

1395
01:11:24,546 --> 01:11:25,616
all that shakes out.

1396
01:11:25,614 --> 01:11:28,154
The one thing that I would
point out is that there are

1397
01:11:28,150 --> 01:11:33,160
certain situations where the
downside of unilaterally

1398
01:11:37,526 --> 01:11:39,526
withdrawing from some
of these international

1399
01:11:39,528 --> 01:11:42,628
agreements is significant.

1400
01:11:46,168 --> 01:11:48,938
So the consequences, for
example, with the Iran deal,

1401
01:11:48,937 --> 01:11:54,307
of pulling out, you do risk

1402
01:11:54,309 --> 01:11:59,819
the Iranians trying to break out.

1403
01:11:59,815 --> 01:12:01,885
At the same time,
there's also a U.N.

1404
01:12:01,884 --> 01:12:04,354
Security Council resolution
that applies to this

1405
01:12:04,353 --> 01:12:07,953
agreement -- that means that
this agreement is something

1406
01:12:07,956 --> 01:12:12,966
that's supported by our
allies, but also by Russia.

1407
01:12:18,200 --> 01:12:20,370
That, I think, could be a
pretty good indication of

1408
01:12:20,369 --> 01:12:27,109
how united the international
community

1409
01:12:27,109 --> 01:12:30,709
is behind this agreement.

1410
01:12:30,713 --> 01:12:34,783
And President-elect Trump
will have to decide what

1411
01:12:34,783 --> 01:12:37,883
impact a sort of unilateral
withdrawal would have on our

1412
01:12:37,886 --> 01:12:40,186
relationship with countries
around the world.

1413
01:12:40,189 --> 01:12:42,259
But, again, the American
people have trusted him

1414
01:12:42,257 --> 01:12:43,427
with the presidency.

1415
01:12:43,425 --> 01:12:45,595
He will determine the course
of our foreign policy and

1416
01:12:45,594 --> 01:12:48,194
our national security, and
he'll have to evaluate

1417
01:12:48,197 --> 01:12:49,197
all of those things.

1418
01:12:49,198 --> 01:12:55,768
My point is, is based on
the existence of that U.N.

1419
01:12:55,771 --> 01:12:57,811
Security Council resolution,
based on the potential

1420
01:12:57,806 --> 01:13:00,646
consequences of unilaterally
withdrawing from that

1421
01:13:00,642 --> 01:13:06,552
agreement, it's much more
complicated than saying

1422
01:13:06,548 --> 01:13:08,548
you're just going to
tear the agreement up.

1423
01:13:08,550 --> 01:13:11,350
It doesn't mean
he won't do it.

1424
01:13:11,353 --> 01:13:14,223
It just means that when
briefed on all of these

1425
01:13:14,223 --> 01:13:19,293
consequences, he'll have to
take a close look at what

1426
01:13:19,294 --> 01:13:20,564
policy he chooses to pursue.

1427
01:13:20,562 --> 01:13:23,132
The Press: But that assumes
an optimism that your

1428
01:13:23,132 --> 01:13:26,202
briefing can actually
change his mind.

1429
01:13:26,201 --> 01:13:28,371
And this is a man,
Mr. Trump, whom the

1430
01:13:28,370 --> 01:13:31,640
President has described for
months as someone who is

1431
01:13:31,640 --> 01:13:35,080
deliberately ignorant about
much of what goes on in the

1432
01:13:35,077 --> 01:13:37,417
federal government and
doesn't seem interested,

1433
01:13:37,412 --> 01:13:42,082
actually, in losing his
ignorance about many

1434
01:13:42,084 --> 01:13:42,954
of these issues.

1435
01:13:42,951 --> 01:13:48,061
So you're suggesting
a process here of the

1436
01:13:48,056 --> 01:13:50,726
President educating the
President-elect in a way

1437
01:13:50,726 --> 01:13:55,766
that will get him to change
his mind, but that defied

1438
01:13:55,764 --> 01:13:58,864
the description that the
President himself has given

1439
01:13:58,867 --> 01:14:01,267
of Mr. Trump as someone
who's willing to take

1440
01:14:01,270 --> 01:14:02,570
counsel and change his mind.

1441
01:14:02,571 --> 01:14:04,911
Mr. Earnest: Well, look, the
President acknowledged in

1442
01:14:04,907 --> 01:14:07,707
the Rose Garden that the
tone that President-elect

1443
01:14:07,709 --> 01:14:11,749
Trump displayed last night,
at a moment when the world

1444
01:14:11,747 --> 01:14:16,447
was watching, was markedly
different than the tone that

1445
01:14:16,451 --> 01:14:19,551
he typically adopted
on the campaign trail.

1446
01:14:19,555 --> 01:14:21,995
That's one small example.

1447
01:14:21,990 --> 01:14:23,990
Does that apply to
his policy positions?

1448
01:14:23,992 --> 01:14:24,992
Who knows?

1449
01:14:24,993 --> 01:14:27,793
But in the context of
ensuring an effective

1450
01:14:27,796 --> 01:14:30,136
transition, this
administration is going to

1451
01:14:30,132 --> 01:14:34,772
convey as much information
as possible about U.S.

1452
01:14:34,770 --> 01:14:38,510
policy and the benefits
of that policy, and the

1453
01:14:38,507 --> 01:14:43,647
consequences, positive and
negative, for our pursuit

1454
01:14:43,645 --> 01:14:46,015
of that policy.

1455
01:14:46,014 --> 01:14:48,384
And ultimately it will be up
to President-elect Trump to

1456
01:14:48,383 --> 01:14:50,053
weigh all that information.

1457
01:14:50,052 --> 01:14:54,422
Presumably, he'll rely on
the advice of experts and

1458
01:14:54,423 --> 01:14:56,423
advisors who have been
supportive of his campaign,

1459
01:14:56,425 --> 01:14:58,965
and maybe even some who
haven't been, to ultimately

1460
01:14:58,961 --> 01:15:01,661
make some of
these decisions.

1461
01:15:01,663 --> 01:15:04,003
But your example of the Iran
deal is a good one, because

1462
01:15:03,999 --> 01:15:08,669
there are significant and
wide-ranging consequences

1463
01:15:08,670 --> 01:15:13,680
that make it clear that it's
not just as simple as some

1464
01:15:18,847 --> 01:15:20,847
of the campaign rhetoric
might make it seem.

1465
01:15:20,849 --> 01:15:22,489
Does that change
his decision?

1466
01:15:22,484 --> 01:15:24,484
I have no idea.

1467
01:15:27,356 --> 01:15:29,696
And if he does, I guess I'll
be reading about

1468
01:15:29,691 --> 01:15:32,691
it in the newspaper. Christi.

1469
01:15:32,694 --> 01:15:35,534
The Press: So, then, earlier
when you said to Chris that

1470
01:15:35,530 --> 01:15:37,500
this is not going to be
easy, you weren't just

1471
01:15:37,499 --> 01:15:40,199
talking about dismantling
the Affordable Care Act, you

1472
01:15:40,202 --> 01:15:43,202
were talking about
the Obama legacy?

1473
01:15:43,205 --> 01:15:46,945
Mr. Earnest: I think when
I said -- at one point

1474
01:15:46,942 --> 01:15:48,942
earlier, I did say it won't
be easy, and I think I was

1475
01:15:48,944 --> 01:15:51,444
referring to the
meeting itself.

1476
01:15:51,446 --> 01:15:56,356
The Press: You were talking
about trying to repeal

1477
01:15:56,351 --> 01:15:58,591
Obamacare is not just
as easy as decree --

1478
01:15:58,587 --> 01:15:59,417
Mr. Earnest: I see.

1479
01:15:59,421 --> 01:16:01,661
So that's a
different example.

1480
01:16:01,657 --> 01:16:03,957
Obviously, there's a role
for Congress to weigh in

1481
01:16:03,959 --> 01:16:05,499
on all of this.

1482
01:16:05,494 --> 01:16:07,494
There's still a Republican
majority in both the House

1483
01:16:07,496 --> 01:16:09,496
and the Senate, which
presumably would make that

1484
01:16:09,498 --> 01:16:11,068
a little bit easier.

1485
01:16:11,066 --> 01:16:13,066
But there are filibuster
rules in the Senate that I

1486
01:16:13,068 --> 01:16:16,168
know that Leader McConnell
has previously expressed

1487
01:16:16,171 --> 01:16:18,441
some significant
passion for protecting.

1488
01:16:18,440 --> 01:16:22,680
We'll see if he retains that
passion moving forward.

1489
01:16:22,678 --> 01:16:25,278
But that certainly would
require

1490
01:16:25,280 --> 01:16:26,650
some bipartisan cooperation.

1491
01:16:26,648 --> 01:16:29,348
The same is true -- well,
there's a different

1492
01:16:29,351 --> 01:16:33,151
situation in the House,
which is that you all have

1493
01:16:33,155 --> 01:16:36,525
well chronicled the deep
divisions within the

1494
01:16:36,525 --> 01:16:40,895
Republican Party in the
House that make for a rather

1495
01:16:40,896 --> 01:16:41,696
unruly majority.

1496
01:16:41,697 --> 01:16:45,637
And it means that Speaker
Ryan I think, in some cases,

1497
01:16:45,634 --> 01:16:47,974
is going to have to look for
some Democratic

1498
01:16:47,970 --> 01:16:50,110
cooperation at least.

1499
01:16:50,105 --> 01:16:55,075
And again, when you're on
the campaign trail you say,

1500
01:16:57,212 --> 01:16:59,782
well, this is a law I
oppose, and I'm going to

1501
01:16:59,781 --> 01:17:01,281
tear it up when I get in.

1502
01:17:01,283 --> 01:17:03,983
But then you get into office
and you realize, well, I'm

1503
01:17:03,986 --> 01:17:05,986
going to need Congress's
cooperation, and it turns

1504
01:17:05,988 --> 01:17:07,988
out that we probably have to
work in bipartisan fashion

1505
01:17:07,990 --> 01:17:09,990
to get anything
done in the Senate.

1506
01:17:09,992 --> 01:17:12,592
Trying to organize the
Republican conference in the

1507
01:17:12,594 --> 01:17:15,234
House of Representatives
is kind of a mess.

1508
01:17:15,230 --> 01:17:17,370
All of a sudden it
gets a lot harder.

1509
01:17:17,366 --> 01:17:20,166
Does that change
the outcome?

1510
01:17:20,168 --> 01:17:21,168
I don't know.

1511
01:17:21,169 --> 01:17:22,639
We'll have to see.

1512
01:17:22,637 --> 01:17:24,737
My point is, is that these
are the kinds of the

1513
01:17:24,740 --> 01:17:29,080
difficult questions that
President-elect Trump will

1514
01:17:29,077 --> 01:17:31,077
inherit, particularly
when you consider the

1515
01:17:31,079 --> 01:17:33,719
consequences of that
decision, which include

1516
01:17:33,715 --> 01:17:37,085
stripping health care from
20 or 22 million Americans,

1517
01:17:37,085 --> 01:17:39,785
significantly increasing
the deficit, significantly

1518
01:17:39,788 --> 01:17:40,788
increasing health care
costs,

1519
01:17:40,789 --> 01:17:43,659
including for small businesses.

1520
01:17:43,658 --> 01:17:46,858
So there are real-world
consequence to deal with

1521
01:17:46,862 --> 01:17:50,832
that often, in the context
of campaign rhetoric,

1522
01:17:50,832 --> 01:17:51,832
aren't accounted for.

1523
01:17:51,833 --> 01:17:54,573
The Press: So what I'm
getting at is if people are

1524
01:17:54,569 --> 01:17:58,509
tempted now to say the Obama
legacy is toast, you would

1525
01:17:58,507 --> 01:18:02,607
contend with that -- based
on your analysis of the

1526
01:18:02,611 --> 01:18:03,911
Obamacare repeal and what
you just said to Gardiner

1527
01:18:03,912 --> 01:18:05,982
about the Iran deal?

1528
01:18:05,981 --> 01:18:08,621
Mr. Earnest: Well, again, I
think it is far too early to

1529
01:18:08,617 --> 01:18:13,087
tell exactly what kind of
decisions President-elect

1530
01:18:13,088 --> 01:18:19,628
Trump will make and what
impact they will have on the

1531
01:18:19,628 --> 01:18:23,768
priorities that President
Obama has

1532
01:18:23,765 --> 01:18:25,765
so proudly achieved.

1533
01:18:27,502 --> 01:18:31,502
It certainly is not as
positive a picture that I'd

1534
01:18:31,506 --> 01:18:33,276
be painting if Secretary
Clinton

1535
01:18:33,275 --> 01:18:34,405
had emerged victorious.

1536
01:18:34,409 --> 01:18:36,949
I'd feel a lot more
confident because of the

1537
01:18:36,945 --> 01:18:38,945
rhetoric that she used on
the campaign trail about her

1538
01:18:38,947 --> 01:18:41,347
commitment to pursuing many
of the priorities that

1539
01:18:41,349 --> 01:18:43,489
President Obama has
been focused on.

1540
01:18:43,485 --> 01:18:46,555
Mr. Trump ran on a
different platform.

1541
01:18:46,555 --> 01:18:49,125
And what President Trump
chooses to do with regard to

1542
01:18:49,124 --> 01:18:54,134
those policies as he makes
decisions is something that

1543
01:18:57,599 --> 01:19:01,139
you can't fully analyze
in the abstract.

1544
01:19:01,136 --> 01:19:04,336
We'll have to -- as his
presidency moves forward,

1545
01:19:04,339 --> 01:19:06,809
you all will have an
opportunity to evaluate what

1546
01:19:06,808 --> 01:19:11,448
impact his decisions have
had on the accomplishments

1547
01:19:11,446 --> 01:19:13,446
that President Obama and his
team are quite proud of.

1548
01:19:13,448 --> 01:19:16,248
The Press: So it's not as
positive as if Hillary

1549
01:19:16,251 --> 01:19:17,991
Clinton had been elected,
but not as bleak as the

1550
01:19:17,986 --> 01:19:20,186
President portrayed
it last week?

1551
01:19:20,188 --> 01:19:23,128
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
I think -- the President

1552
01:19:23,125 --> 01:19:25,125
stands by the rhetoric that
he used on the campaign

1553
01:19:25,127 --> 01:19:28,927
trail, but the President has
also, himself, in describing

1554
01:19:28,930 --> 01:19:32,130
his own campaigning and his
own governing, has noted

1555
01:19:32,134 --> 01:19:34,134
that there's a significant
difference

1556
01:19:34,136 --> 01:19:36,136
between the two things.

1557
01:19:36,138 --> 01:19:38,378
It doesn't mean that you
fold on your principles.

1558
01:19:38,373 --> 01:19:42,473
It doesn't mean that you're
necessarily over-promising.

1559
01:19:42,477 --> 01:19:44,917
It just means that they
are two different things.

1560
01:19:47,215 --> 01:19:50,785
And it's why there are all
these open questions that

1561
01:19:50,785 --> 01:19:53,755
only President-elect
Trump can answer.

1562
01:19:53,755 --> 01:19:57,325
And I don't know how many of
them he'll try to answer on

1563
01:19:57,325 --> 01:19:59,725
the first day, but you guys
will just have

1564
01:19:59,728 --> 01:20:01,128
to let me know.

1565
01:20:01,129 --> 01:20:01,799
The Press: Let
me ask you this.

1566
01:20:01,796 --> 01:20:04,096
You also said to Margaret
that when the President is

1567
01:20:04,099 --> 01:20:07,999
overseas he'll be trying to
reassure allies and partners

1568
01:20:08,003 --> 01:20:10,203
of the steadfast commitment.

1569
01:20:10,205 --> 01:20:12,045
I mean, that's in
question now, right?

1570
01:20:12,040 --> 01:20:14,680
How can he do that, exactly?

1571
01:20:14,676 --> 01:20:17,976
Mr. Earnest: Well, he
can do that based on the

1572
01:20:17,979 --> 01:20:20,779
longstanding tradition in
our democracy of Democratic

1573
01:20:20,782 --> 01:20:24,852
and Republican Presidents
reinforcing our

1574
01:20:24,853 --> 01:20:27,853
relationships around the
world that advance our

1575
01:20:27,856 --> 01:20:29,126
national interest.

1576
01:20:29,124 --> 01:20:31,324
There's a Democratic and
Republican tradition to

1577
01:20:31,326 --> 01:20:32,496
strengthening our alliance

1578
01:20:32,494 --> 01:20:33,764
with South Korea, for example.

1579
01:20:33,762 --> 01:20:38,062
And what we have found is
that our alliance with South

1580
01:20:38,066 --> 01:20:41,406
Korea supersedes any
individual presidency, it

1581
01:20:41,403 --> 01:20:45,273
supersedes any individual
political party, because

1582
01:20:45,273 --> 01:20:47,513
we've seen multiple
Presidents in both parties

1583
01:20:47,509 --> 01:20:51,709
seek to strengthen
that alliance.

1584
01:20:51,713 --> 01:20:55,553
So that would be, if you're
looking for a reason to be

1585
01:20:55,550 --> 01:20:58,120
hopeful about the future
of the U.S.-South Korea

1586
01:20:58,119 --> 01:21:01,359
alliance, that's what you
would draw from, is the long

1587
01:21:01,356 --> 01:21:04,056
history in this country of
Presidents in both parties

1588
01:21:04,059 --> 01:21:06,059
seeking to reinforce
that alliance.

1589
01:21:06,061 --> 01:21:07,061
Is that something that

1590
01:21:07,062 --> 01:21:08,392
President-elect Trump will do?

1591
01:21:08,396 --> 01:21:09,796
I don't know.

1592
01:21:09,798 --> 01:21:11,168
We'll all find out.

1593
01:21:11,166 --> 01:21:13,436
The Press: So the President
will be saying "I hope," not

1594
01:21:13,435 --> 01:21:14,235
"I assure"?

1595
01:21:14,236 --> 01:21:16,236
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
the President will say that

1596
01:21:16,238 --> 01:21:19,538
there is a long tradition
-- there is reason to be

1597
01:21:19,541 --> 01:21:22,611
optimistic because we've
seen Presidents in both

1598
01:21:22,611 --> 01:21:26,811
parties pursue a strong
alliance with South Korea.

1599
01:21:26,815 --> 01:21:28,815
That's just the first
example that

1600
01:21:28,817 --> 01:21:29,817
popped into my head.

1601
01:21:29,818 --> 01:21:32,558
I'm not singling them out
for a specific reason.

1602
01:21:32,554 --> 01:21:35,124
Are some of those leaders
likely to say, well,

1603
01:21:35,123 --> 01:21:37,123
Mr. Trump appears to be
different than recent

1604
01:21:37,125 --> 01:21:39,465
Republican Presidents?

1605
01:21:39,461 --> 01:21:41,461
They wouldn't be
wrong about that.

1606
01:21:41,463 --> 01:21:44,633
So the President can offer
some measure of reassurance,

1607
01:21:44,633 --> 01:21:49,903
but ultimately the American
people have chosen to give

1608
01:21:49,904 --> 01:21:51,904
President-elect Trump the
responsibility for

1609
01:21:51,906 --> 01:21:52,906
figuring that out.

1610
01:21:52,907 --> 01:21:55,347
The Press: And just one
quick logistical thing.

1611
01:21:55,343 --> 01:21:57,343
Do you expect a news
conference tomorrow?

1612
01:21:57,345 --> 01:22:00,415
Mr. Earnest: Unclear at
this point whether or not

1613
01:22:00,415 --> 01:22:02,985
President Obama will take
questions, but we'll

1614
01:22:02,984 --> 01:22:05,484
keep you posted.

1615
01:22:05,487 --> 01:22:07,487
At a minimum, you can
certainly expect that the

1616
01:22:07,489 --> 01:22:09,529
President will spend some
time taking questions from

1617
01:22:09,524 --> 01:22:12,924
all of you over the course
his trip overseas next week.

1618
01:22:12,927 --> 01:22:14,327
The Press: And
ma tomorrow?

1619
01:22:14,329 --> 01:22:15,559
Mr. Earnest: Maybe tomorrow.

1620
01:22:15,563 --> 01:22:17,063
But we'll try and get you
some clarity about that

1621
01:22:17,065 --> 01:22:18,265
before the end of the day.

1622
01:22:18,266 --> 01:22:19,836
The Press: Any expectation
that President-elect Trump

1623
01:22:19,834 --> 01:22:21,204
would take questions?

1624
01:22:21,202 --> 01:22:21,802
Mr. Earnest: You'd have to
check with his

1625
01:22:21,803 --> 01:22:25,303
team on that. Toluse.

1626
01:22:25,307 --> 01:22:27,677
The Press: On the topic of
reassuring world leaders,

1627
01:22:27,676 --> 01:22:28,846
has the President actually
reached out to

1628
01:22:28,843 --> 01:22:29,783
any world leaders?

1629
01:22:29,778 --> 01:22:31,478
Have any reached out to him
since this

1630
01:22:31,479 --> 01:22:33,449
result has been known?

1631
01:22:33,448 --> 01:22:35,018
Since the President said
earlier this year that

1632
01:22:35,016 --> 01:22:37,356
different world leaders are
rattled by

1633
01:22:37,352 --> 01:22:39,352
Donald Trump's candidacy.

1634
01:22:39,354 --> 01:22:41,024
Mr. Earnest: When I walked
out here, which was some

1635
01:22:41,022 --> 01:22:44,692
time ago now, I was not
aware of any conversations

1636
01:22:44,693 --> 01:22:46,433
that President Obama had had
with foreign leaders

1637
01:22:46,428 --> 01:22:47,828
at this point.

1638
01:22:47,829 --> 01:22:50,199
But if there are calls like
that that we can read out,

1639
01:22:50,198 --> 01:22:51,338
we'll let you know.

1640
01:22:51,333 --> 01:22:53,833
I can't speak to who has
reached out to the White

1641
01:22:53,835 --> 01:22:54,835
House or to the U.S.

1642
01:22:54,836 --> 01:22:56,936
government since last night.

1643
01:22:56,938 --> 01:22:58,938
I'll let those individual
governments

1644
01:22:58,940 --> 01:22:59,940
speak for themselves.

1645
01:22:59,941 --> 01:23:03,641
As Christi alluded to, on
the course of President

1646
01:23:03,645 --> 01:23:06,845
Obama's travels next week,
he will have an opportunity

1647
01:23:06,848 --> 01:23:11,818
to see the leaders of many
of the countries with whom

1648
01:23:11,820 --> 01:23:16,090
the United States has an
important relationship.

1649
01:23:16,091 --> 01:23:19,261
And we'll have more details
about that trip in the

1650
01:23:19,260 --> 01:23:20,860
next couple of days.

1651
01:23:20,862 --> 01:23:22,802
The Press: One of the
countries that the President

1652
01:23:22,797 --> 01:23:24,867
will be visiting is Peru.

1653
01:23:24,866 --> 01:23:26,606
I wanted to ask about TPP.

1654
01:23:26,601 --> 01:23:29,101
I think there was I guess
an idea that the lame duck

1655
01:23:29,104 --> 01:23:33,444
period would be focused on
the President stumping for

1656
01:23:33,441 --> 01:23:36,781
and campaigning for TPP both
publicly and

1657
01:23:36,778 --> 01:23:38,918
I guess with Congress.

1658
01:23:38,913 --> 01:23:44,053
Given the fact that this
election has repudiated the

1659
01:23:44,052 --> 01:23:49,522
idea of trade with many
nations, with Donald Trump's

1660
01:23:49,524 --> 01:23:53,494
victory, has that changed?

1661
01:23:53,495 --> 01:23:55,165
Is the President still going
to stump for

1662
01:23:55,163 --> 01:23:56,563
TPP the same way?

1663
01:23:56,564 --> 01:23:58,304
Mr. Earnest: I guess,
Toluse, the first

1664
01:23:58,299 --> 01:23:58,999
observation I would have
is that this is a question

1665
01:23:59,000 --> 01:24:00,240
you'd be asking me
regardless of the outcome of

1666
01:24:00,235 --> 01:24:02,975
the election last night,
because obviously Secretary

1667
01:24:02,971 --> 01:24:05,241
Clinton's stated opposition
to this has been well

1668
01:24:05,240 --> 01:24:06,140
covered, as well.

1669
01:24:11,112 --> 01:24:13,712
I think what I can say, in
general -- well, the first

1670
01:24:13,715 --> 01:24:15,685
thing I can tell you is that
President Obama did have an

1671
01:24:15,683 --> 01:24:18,683
opportunity earlier today to
speak to Leader

1672
01:24:18,686 --> 01:24:20,986
McConnell on the phone.

1673
01:24:20,989 --> 01:24:22,989
The President is hopeful
that he'll be able to

1674
01:24:22,991 --> 01:24:25,661
connect with Speaker Ryan at
some point relatively soon,

1675
01:24:25,660 --> 01:24:28,960
and we'll let you know
when that's occurred.

1676
01:24:28,963 --> 01:24:32,233
And they did have a
conversation about the

1677
01:24:32,233 --> 01:24:34,233
outcome of the election,
and President Obama did

1678
01:24:34,235 --> 01:24:37,975
congratulate Leader
McConnell on his success in

1679
01:24:37,972 --> 01:24:40,412
retaining the title of
Majority Leader in the

1680
01:24:40,408 --> 01:24:45,418
United States Senate, and
they had an opportunity to

1681
01:24:47,449 --> 01:24:51,389
discuss some of the
priorities for the

1682
01:24:51,386 --> 01:24:53,186
lame duck session.

1683
01:24:53,188 --> 01:24:55,658
I don't have a detailed
readout to share, but

1684
01:24:55,657 --> 01:24:58,697
President Obama does
continue to believe that

1685
01:24:58,693 --> 01:25:04,103
this is the best opportunity
that the Congress has to

1686
01:25:04,098 --> 01:25:06,238
take advantage of the
benefits of a Trans-Pacific

1687
01:25:06,234 --> 01:25:09,904
Partnership agreement that
cuts taxes -- 18,000 taxes

1688
01:25:09,904 --> 01:25:12,674
that other countries impose
on American products.

1689
01:25:12,674 --> 01:25:14,674
We've got a strong case to
make with regard to the

1690
01:25:14,676 --> 01:25:17,646
Trans-Pacific Partnership,
and we're going to encourage

1691
01:25:17,645 --> 01:25:20,985
Republican leaders to take
it up and pass it because of

1692
01:25:20,982 --> 01:25:26,152
the enormous benefits that
would accrue to American

1693
01:25:26,154 --> 01:25:27,494
workers, American
businesses,

1694
01:25:27,489 --> 01:25:32,329
and the broader U.S. economy. Gregory.

1695
01:25:32,327 --> 01:25:35,627
The Press: Has the President
ordered that President Trump

1696
01:25:35,630 --> 01:25:39,470
now receive the same full
President's Daily Briefing

1697
01:25:39,467 --> 01:25:41,637
that he himself
receives every day?

1698
01:25:41,636 --> 01:25:43,306
Mr. Earnest: Gregory,
I can tell you that the

1699
01:25:46,307 --> 01:25:49,247
Presidential Daily Briefing
and other intelligence

1700
01:25:49,244 --> 01:25:55,084
materials has been made
available to President Trump

1701
01:25:55,083 --> 01:25:58,783
-- President-elect Trump,
Vice President-elect Pence,

1702
01:25:58,786 --> 01:26:03,996
and a couple of designated
members of his team.

1703
01:26:03,992 --> 01:26:06,962
This is a courtesy that
President Bush extended to

1704
01:26:06,961 --> 01:26:09,101
President-elect Obama, Vice
President-elect Biden, and a

1705
01:26:09,097 --> 01:26:13,907
couple of designated
members of their team.

1706
01:26:13,902 --> 01:26:19,272
This is an important part of
ensuring the kind of smooth

1707
01:26:19,274 --> 01:26:23,314
transition that President
Obama has prioritized.

1708
01:26:23,311 --> 01:26:25,451
The Press: And it's the same
briefing that

1709
01:26:25,446 --> 01:26:26,746
he himself receives?

1710
01:26:26,748 --> 01:26:30,918
Mr. Earnest: I can't speak
to the nature of the

1711
01:26:30,919 --> 01:26:33,359
information that is
presented, so I'd check

1712
01:26:33,354 --> 01:26:34,354
with the DNI.

1713
01:26:34,355 --> 01:26:38,225
But the idea here is that
the President-elect and the

1714
01:26:38,226 --> 01:26:41,196
Vice President-elect and
some of their key national

1715
01:26:41,195 --> 01:26:44,195
security advisors -- just
a couple of designated

1716
01:26:44,198 --> 01:26:46,498
officials -- can begin to
get access to the kind of

1717
01:26:46,501 --> 01:26:49,341
material that they will need
to make important foreign

1718
01:26:49,337 --> 01:26:52,537
policy decisions once
President

1719
01:26:52,540 --> 01:26:53,540
Trump takes office.

1720
01:26:53,541 --> 01:26:55,541
The Press: Following up on
Jordan's question about

1721
01:26:55,543 --> 01:26:58,013
pardons for Secretary
Clinton, specifically, but

1722
01:26:58,012 --> 01:27:00,012
also generally, the
President was asked about

1723
01:27:00,014 --> 01:27:03,114
this in August, about
last-minute pardons, and he

1724
01:27:03,117 --> 01:27:05,187
said that any last-minute
pardons would have to go

1725
01:27:05,186 --> 01:27:07,586
through the Office of Pardon
Attorney, through the White

1726
01:27:07,589 --> 01:27:10,289
House Counsel, through the
regular process, and that

1727
01:27:10,291 --> 01:27:14,291
all pardons would be based
on merit and

1728
01:27:14,295 --> 01:27:16,365
not political considerations.

1729
01:27:16,364 --> 01:27:20,904
Does that guidance
still stand?

1730
01:27:20,902 --> 01:27:24,542
And wouldn't that preclude
the President from giving a

1731
01:27:24,539 --> 01:27:27,439
last-minute pardon to
Secretary Clinton?

1732
01:27:27,442 --> 01:27:28,612
Mr. Earnest: Well, I
remember when you had an

1733
01:27:28,610 --> 01:27:31,580
opportunity to ask President
Obama about this at the

1734
01:27:31,579 --> 01:27:33,749
Pentagon earlier
this summer.

1735
01:27:33,748 --> 01:27:36,088
And the answer that
President Obama gave you in

1736
01:27:36,084 --> 01:27:38,924
that news conference
still applies.

1737
01:27:38,920 --> 01:27:42,320
I wouldn't speculate at this
point about what impact that

1738
01:27:42,323 --> 01:27:47,433
may have on hypothetical
pardon requests

1739
01:27:47,428 --> 01:27:49,268
that he receives.

1740
01:27:49,263 --> 01:27:50,703
I'll just say that the
guidance that President

1741
01:27:50,698 --> 01:27:53,568
Obama shared with you
is still operative.

1742
01:27:55,036 --> 01:27:57,006
The Press: And is the
Cleveland Cavaliers event

1743
01:27:57,005 --> 01:27:58,075
still on for tomorrow?

1744
01:27:58,072 --> 01:27:59,872
Mr. Earnest: Absolutely.

1745
01:27:59,874 --> 01:28:00,774
Andrew.

1746
01:28:00,775 --> 01:28:01,845
The Press: The President
said he was encouraged by

1747
01:28:01,843 --> 01:28:03,513
some of the things that he's
heard from Donald Trump over

1748
01:28:03,511 --> 01:28:05,411
the last couple
of about 24 hours.

1749
01:28:05,413 --> 01:28:09,183
Does the President have
confidence that Donald Trump

1750
01:28:09,183 --> 01:28:12,453
will respect
the rule of law?

1751
01:28:12,453 --> 01:28:15,923
Mr. Earnest: Well, Andrew,
I think at this point what

1752
01:28:15,923 --> 01:28:18,623
President Obama is
responding to is the tone

1753
01:28:18,626 --> 01:28:22,166
that President-elect Trump
displayed at

1754
01:28:22,163 --> 01:28:23,733
his event last night.

1755
01:28:23,731 --> 01:28:29,601
And the significance of that
is that Mr. Trump had to

1756
01:28:29,604 --> 01:28:32,474
make a conscious decision --
President-elect Trump had to

1757
01:28:32,473 --> 01:28:36,373
make a conscious decision
about the tone that he was

1758
01:28:36,377 --> 01:28:42,187
going to use in speaking to
not just to supporters in

1759
01:28:42,183 --> 01:28:45,383
the ballroom, but also
the millions of Americans

1760
01:28:45,386 --> 01:28:49,156
watching on TV and the
tens of millions of people

1761
01:28:49,157 --> 01:28:51,097
watching around the world.

1762
01:28:51,092 --> 01:28:52,092
It's a high-stakes moment.

1763
01:28:52,093 --> 01:28:55,433
It was an opportunity for
President-elect Trump to

1764
01:28:55,430 --> 01:28:56,430
make an impression.

1765
01:28:56,431 --> 01:28:59,371
And I'm confident that
he was aware of that.

1766
01:28:59,367 --> 01:29:04,377
And at that moment, he chose
to adopt a tone that seems

1767
01:29:09,377 --> 01:29:15,417
generally familiar to people
who have been watching

1768
01:29:15,416 --> 01:29:19,656
Presidents-elect at
Election Night events.

1769
01:29:22,390 --> 01:29:27,400
That would seem to suggest
that certain basic

1770
01:29:29,797 --> 01:29:34,807
principles of our democracy
are likely to be upheld.

1771
01:29:41,275 --> 01:29:46,285
Certainly one of those
principles is ensuring that

1772
01:29:49,183 --> 01:29:52,023
criminal investigations and
our criminal justice system

1773
01:29:52,019 --> 01:29:58,059
is not infected with
partisan politics.

1774
01:29:58,059 --> 01:30:00,059
The question is, really,
whether or not that

1775
01:30:00,061 --> 01:30:03,001
tone will persist.

1776
01:30:02,997 --> 01:30:05,437
And I'm sure that President
Obama won't be the

1777
01:30:05,433 --> 01:30:06,433
only one watching.

1778
01:30:06,434 --> 01:30:10,304
The Press: Do the results
of the election alter the

1779
01:30:10,304 --> 01:30:12,544
President's
post-presidency plans?

1780
01:30:12,540 --> 01:30:18,580
I mean, is he likely to
remain more in the public

1781
01:30:18,579 --> 01:30:20,979
eye after this than he would
have otherwise done had

1782
01:30:20,982 --> 01:30:24,052
Hillary Clinton won?

1783
01:30:24,051 --> 01:30:25,621
Mr. Earnest: Look, again,
the election results are

1784
01:30:25,620 --> 01:30:26,720
barely 12 hours old.

1785
01:30:26,721 --> 01:30:33,191
But in those 12 hours, I'm
not aware of any change or

1786
01:30:33,194 --> 01:30:36,164
reconsideration that the
President has made about his

1787
01:30:36,164 --> 01:30:42,604
post-presidency plans other
than the likelihood that he

1788
01:30:42,603 --> 01:30:45,103
probably is looking forward
to his post-presidential

1789
01:30:45,106 --> 01:30:47,076
vacation now more than ever.

1790
01:30:48,843 --> 01:30:49,513
Yes, ma'am.

1791
01:30:49,510 --> 01:30:50,440
The Press: Thank you.

1792
01:30:50,444 --> 01:30:55,084
I'm correspondent
from Afghanistan.

1793
01:30:55,082 --> 01:30:56,022
Mr. Earnest:
Nice to see you.

1794
01:30:56,017 --> 01:30:57,587
The Press: Thank you.

1795
01:30:57,585 --> 01:31:00,925
I would like to ask you,
how does the White House

1796
01:31:00,922 --> 01:31:03,122
transfer the Afghanistan
policy to

1797
01:31:03,124 --> 01:31:04,594
the next President?

1798
01:31:04,592 --> 01:31:06,332
Do you think that
Afghanistan people or Afghan

1799
01:31:06,327 --> 01:31:09,227
people should have a high
expectation from

1800
01:31:09,230 --> 01:31:11,730
the new President?

1801
01:31:11,732 --> 01:31:13,872
Do you think that any change
on the

1802
01:31:13,868 --> 01:31:15,708
policy towards Afghanistan?

1803
01:31:15,703 --> 01:31:19,073
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
I will confess that I don't

1804
01:31:19,073 --> 01:31:23,213
recall having heard
President-elect Trump speak

1805
01:31:23,211 --> 01:31:26,511
extensively about
his view of U.S.

1806
01:31:26,514 --> 01:31:28,984
policy toward Afghanistan.

1807
01:31:28,983 --> 01:31:30,983
Some of your colleagues in
the press corps here may

1808
01:31:30,985 --> 01:31:33,555
have covered the debates or
other events with Mr. Trump

1809
01:31:33,554 --> 01:31:36,054
more closely and they
can fill you in on that.

1810
01:31:36,057 --> 01:31:38,057
But it's not clear to
me exactly what sort of

1811
01:31:38,059 --> 01:31:41,099
preferences or views he has
articulated with regard to

1812
01:31:41,095 --> 01:31:43,665
our policy toward
Afghanistan.

1813
01:31:43,664 --> 01:31:46,134
I would put this in the
category of other important

1814
01:31:46,133 --> 01:31:48,133
foreign policy decisions
that the next President

1815
01:31:48,135 --> 01:31:49,475
will have to make.

1816
01:31:49,470 --> 01:31:54,310
And to ensure that he is
effectively positioned to

1817
01:31:54,308 --> 01:31:56,948
make a good, smart decision
that's consistent with our

1818
01:31:56,944 --> 01:32:00,144
national interest, President
Obama and his national

1819
01:32:00,147 --> 01:32:03,347
security team will ensure
that President-elect Trump

1820
01:32:03,351 --> 01:32:08,291
and his team have access
to all of the information

1821
01:32:08,289 --> 01:32:13,559
that's necessary to make
future decisions about U.S.

1822
01:32:13,561 --> 01:32:15,561
policy in that
region of the world.

1823
01:32:15,563 --> 01:32:19,963
This is obviously the kind
of decisions that the next

1824
01:32:19,967 --> 01:32:22,007
President will make that
will have a significant

1825
01:32:22,003 --> 01:32:24,343
impact on our foreign policy
and will have a significant

1826
01:32:24,338 --> 01:32:26,778
impact on the
thousands of U.S.

1827
01:32:26,774 --> 01:32:30,074
servicemembers that are
currently serving in

1828
01:32:30,077 --> 01:32:32,977
Afghanistan and countering
the threats that emanate

1829
01:32:32,980 --> 01:32:33,980
from Afghanistan.

1830
01:32:33,981 --> 01:32:37,051
So the stakes of that
decision are high.

1831
01:32:37,051 --> 01:32:39,121
The kind of decisions that
have to be made in that

1832
01:32:39,120 --> 01:32:41,160
environment are not obvious.

1833
01:32:41,155 --> 01:32:43,995
But the next President will
certainly benefit from the

1834
01:32:43,991 --> 01:32:50,801
kind of informed, carefully
considered advice from

1835
01:32:50,798 --> 01:32:52,798
leaders in our military,
leaders in our diplomatic

1836
01:32:52,800 --> 01:32:54,800
corps, leaders in our
intelligence community that

1837
01:32:54,802 --> 01:32:59,712
have been very
focused on U.S.

1838
01:32:59,707 --> 01:33:02,847
policy in Afghanistan.

1839
01:33:02,843 --> 01:33:04,343
John Decker.

1840
01:33:04,345 --> 01:33:04,915
The Press: Thanks
a lot, Josh.

1841
01:33:04,912 --> 01:33:09,352
The President today in the
Rose Garden praised the

1842
01:33:09,350 --> 01:33:11,990
transition model that was
put forward by former

1843
01:33:11,986 --> 01:33:13,526
President George W.

1844
01:33:13,521 --> 01:33:15,461
Bush, said that's the
transition model that he'd

1845
01:33:15,456 --> 01:33:17,226
like to follow.

1846
01:33:17,224 --> 01:33:20,494
As it relates to not
only President George W.

1847
01:33:20,494 --> 01:33:23,864
Bush's post-presidency
model, but also Bill

1848
01:33:23,864 --> 01:33:27,634
Clinton's post-presidency
model, George H.W.

1849
01:33:27,635 --> 01:33:31,605
Bush's post-presidency
model, they've refrained

1850
01:33:31,605 --> 01:33:35,275
from criticizing
their successors.

1851
01:33:35,276 --> 01:33:38,516
Would President Obama also
follow that same model --

1852
01:33:38,512 --> 01:33:43,482
refrain from criticizing
President Trump and his

1853
01:33:43,484 --> 01:33:48,494
policies once President
Obama is a former President?

1854
01:33:48,489 --> 01:33:50,929
Mr. Earnest: Listen, I don't
think I can say anything

1855
01:33:50,925 --> 01:33:53,065
declarative about
that question.

1856
01:33:57,665 --> 01:34:00,235
Presumably that's something
that between now and January

1857
01:34:00,234 --> 01:34:03,034
20th you or one of your
colleagues could ask him.

1858
01:34:03,037 --> 01:34:05,037
I think what I can tell you
is that I've heard him say

1859
01:34:05,039 --> 01:34:09,749
-- and I believe he said
this in public -- he has

1860
01:34:09,744 --> 01:34:15,584
appreciated how,
particularly early in his

1861
01:34:15,583 --> 01:34:20,153
presidency, former
President George W.

1862
01:34:20,154 --> 01:34:25,164
Bush was not a regular,
active, public presence,

1863
01:34:31,165 --> 01:34:33,135
offering his critique
of the new President.

1864
01:34:37,004 --> 01:34:41,874
And President Obama believes
that that was not just

1865
01:34:41,876 --> 01:34:44,446
beneficial to his ability
to run the country and make

1866
01:34:44,445 --> 01:34:49,785
difficult decisions; I
think it also reveals the

1867
01:34:49,784 --> 01:34:54,754
character of our
43rd President.

1868
01:34:57,224 --> 01:35:02,364
Surely, I'm confident in
saying that President

1869
01:35:02,363 --> 01:35:03,533
George W. Bush did

1870
01:35:03,531 --> 01:35:05,531
not agree with
every decision that

1871
01:35:05,533 --> 01:35:07,973
President Obama made in his
first year or two in office.

1872
01:35:10,504 --> 01:35:17,414
But he kept his
disagreements to himself.

1873
01:35:17,411 --> 01:35:21,081
And I know that President
Obama has appreciated

1874
01:35:23,918 --> 01:35:27,858
President Bush taking that
step to give the incoming

1875
01:35:27,855 --> 01:35:31,995
President the running room
necessary to make decisions,

1876
01:35:31,992 --> 01:35:35,762
to advocate them for them
publicly in a way that would

1877
01:35:35,763 --> 01:35:39,463
have been much more
difficult if the recently

1878
01:35:39,467 --> 01:35:42,607
departed President was
critiquing his every move.

1879
01:35:42,603 --> 01:35:45,673
The Press: I wanted to ask
about the relationship --

1880
01:35:45,673 --> 01:35:49,743
it's an unusual
relationship, in a way, that

1881
01:35:49,743 --> 01:35:53,983
President Obama has had
with the President-elect.

1882
01:35:53,981 --> 01:35:57,151
I say that because early on
in the President's tenure as

1883
01:35:57,151 --> 01:36:01,961
President, as you may
recall, the President-elect

1884
01:36:01,956 --> 01:36:05,596
questioned the citizenship
of President Obama.

1885
01:36:05,593 --> 01:36:06,763
Mr. Earnest: I
do recall that.

1886
01:36:06,760 --> 01:36:10,130
The Press: And then a
short time after that, the

1887
01:36:10,131 --> 01:36:14,601
President famously went
after, you could say, the

1888
01:36:14,602 --> 01:36:17,402
President-elect at a
Correspondents' Dinner,

1889
01:36:17,404 --> 01:36:19,344
brought a lot of laughter.

1890
01:36:19,340 --> 01:36:21,040
I realize that -- Mr.
Earnest: From almost

1891
01:36:21,041 --> 01:36:21,571
everybody in the room.

1892
01:36:21,575 --> 01:36:23,875
(Laughter.)

1893
01:36:23,878 --> 01:36:25,248
The Press: -- I realize that the election

1894
01:36:25,246 --> 01:36:29,046
is so fresh, but has the
President had time to be

1895
01:36:29,049 --> 01:36:34,559
introspective in the sense
that the person that he's

1896
01:36:34,555 --> 01:36:37,455
had this unusual type of
relationship -- from afar,

1897
01:36:37,458 --> 01:36:42,828
essentially -- is now
succeeding him as President?

1898
01:36:42,830 --> 01:36:48,440
Mr. Earnest: Well, it's
not news to observe that

1899
01:36:48,435 --> 01:36:53,205
President-elect Trump and
President Obama have deep,

1900
01:36:53,207 --> 01:36:57,877
longstanding, and public
disagreements on a wide

1901
01:36:57,878 --> 01:37:02,118
range of issues, including
with regard to some of the

1902
01:37:02,116 --> 01:37:06,416
tactics and rhetoric that
the President-elect used on

1903
01:37:06,420 --> 01:37:08,660
the campaign trail.

1904
01:37:08,656 --> 01:37:12,026
The President was quite
outspoken about that in the

1905
01:37:12,026 --> 01:37:15,326
context of this election.

1906
01:37:15,329 --> 01:37:16,329
But the election is over.

1907
01:37:16,330 --> 01:37:18,330
The American people
made a decision.

1908
01:37:18,332 --> 01:37:20,372
President Obama didn't get
to choose his successor; the

1909
01:37:20,367 --> 01:37:21,837
American people did.

1910
01:37:21,835 --> 01:37:25,175
And President Obama's
responsibility now is to

1911
01:37:25,172 --> 01:37:27,912
ensure that the incoming
President, no matter how

1912
01:37:27,908 --> 01:37:30,848
significant their
disagreements, can get off

1913
01:37:30,844 --> 01:37:32,514
to a running start.

1914
01:37:32,513 --> 01:37:35,753
And President Obama,
including in his capacity as

1915
01:37:35,749 --> 01:37:41,459
a former President, will
genuinely be rooting for

1916
01:37:41,455 --> 01:37:43,955
President Trump's success
in uniting

1917
01:37:43,958 --> 01:37:44,958
and leading this country.

1918
01:37:44,959 --> 01:37:47,859
The Press: Have President
Obama and President-elect

1919
01:37:47,861 --> 01:37:50,901
Donald Trump actually met
fact-to-face before, or will

1920
01:37:50,898 --> 01:37:52,898
this be their very
first meeting?

1921
01:37:52,900 --> 01:37:54,900
Mr. Earnest: I believe
that they had one other

1922
01:37:54,902 --> 01:37:57,542
opportunity where they were
at a public event together.

1923
01:38:02,309 --> 01:38:04,309
Off the top of my head, I
don't remember where that

1924
01:38:04,311 --> 01:38:09,851
was, but I feel like
they may have had one.

1925
01:38:09,850 --> 01:38:14,150
But I guess what I would say
is this: They do not have an

1926
01:38:14,154 --> 01:38:15,924
extensive personal relationship.

1927
01:38:15,923 --> 01:38:17,593
(Laughter.)

1928
01:38:17,591 --> 01:38:19,861
This is not a
situation where they've had

1929
01:38:19,860 --> 01:38:24,430
many conversations or played
golf together or

1930
01:38:24,431 --> 01:38:28,641
any of that business.

1931
01:38:28,636 --> 01:38:33,336
So I guess that will be
among the many, many, many

1932
01:38:33,340 --> 01:38:35,340
reasons that tomorrow's
meeting will be rather

1933
01:38:35,342 --> 01:38:36,712
interesting. Okay?

1934
01:38:36,710 --> 01:38:39,180
Chris, I'll give
you the last one.

1935
01:38:39,179 --> 01:38:39,949
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

1936
01:38:39,947 --> 01:38:42,317
I think there's a lot of
fear among LGBT people and

1937
01:38:42,316 --> 01:38:43,716
others who've seen
progress under the Obama

1938
01:38:43,717 --> 01:38:46,087
administration, like Muslims
and immigrants, that they'll

1939
01:38:46,086 --> 01:38:48,386
face persecution under
President Trump.

1940
01:38:48,389 --> 01:38:50,859
What is President
Obama's message to them?

1941
01:38:50,858 --> 01:38:52,958
Mr. Earnest: President
Obama's message to them is

1942
01:38:52,960 --> 01:38:59,430
that our country has
benefited from a steadfast

1943
01:38:59,433 --> 01:39:06,273
commitment to a set of
democratic institutions, and

1944
01:39:06,273 --> 01:39:13,543
these institutions have been
durable even through a civil

1945
01:39:13,547 --> 01:39:16,887
war, through a couple
of world wars, through

1946
01:39:16,884 --> 01:39:18,654
financial calamities.

1947
01:39:20,654 --> 01:39:23,894
And the President has
enormous confidence and

1948
01:39:23,891 --> 01:39:27,061
faith in those institutions,
in part because those

1949
01:39:27,061 --> 01:39:30,631
institutions are made up
of patriotic Americans.

1950
01:39:30,631 --> 01:39:32,671
That's true whether we're
talking about public

1951
01:39:32,666 --> 01:39:38,076
servants who are employees
of the federal government or

1952
01:39:38,072 --> 01:39:40,072
the brave men and women
of our armed forces.

1953
01:39:42,443 --> 01:39:46,743
Those institutions serve the
American people well, and

1954
01:39:46,747 --> 01:39:50,117
it's important for our
leaders to demonstrate faith

1955
01:39:50,117 --> 01:39:52,117
in them and to rely on them.

1956
01:39:56,256 --> 01:39:59,556
That faith in those
institutions has served very

1957
01:39:59,560 --> 01:40:03,630
well some of our country's
greatest Presidents.

1958
01:40:03,630 --> 01:40:05,770
The other observation that
President Obama would make

1959
01:40:05,766 --> 01:40:12,306
-- and he did so in the Rose
Garden -- is that progress

1960
01:40:12,306 --> 01:40:17,276
in our country hasn't moved
along a straight line, and

1961
01:40:17,277 --> 01:40:23,247
progress that we make in
some of these areas is

1962
01:40:23,250 --> 01:40:27,920
characterized by two steps
forward and one step back.

1963
01:40:27,921 --> 01:40:33,961
Sometimes it's characterized
by delayed progress.

1964
01:40:33,961 --> 01:40:39,901
The observation that
President Obama would make

1965
01:40:39,900 --> 01:40:43,870
is that the best response to
that is not to lose hope or

1966
01:40:43,871 --> 01:40:50,241
to be cynical or to withdraw
from the public discourse.

1967
01:40:50,244 --> 01:40:53,744
It actually calls for
greater engagement.

1968
01:40:56,150 --> 01:40:58,620
It calls for more people who
passionately and strongly

1969
01:40:58,619 --> 01:41:01,719
about these issues to stand
up for what they believe in.

1970
01:41:04,291 --> 01:41:07,531
Secretary Clinton, I think,
put it best: It's worth

1971
01:41:07,528 --> 01:41:10,028
fighting for what's right.

1972
01:41:10,030 --> 01:41:12,630
She's certainly done that
throughout her three-decade

1973
01:41:12,633 --> 01:41:16,273
career in public life.

1974
01:41:16,270 --> 01:41:18,310
And it's something that
President Obama has

1975
01:41:18,305 --> 01:41:20,805
certainly done not just
while he's held elective

1976
01:41:20,808 --> 01:41:25,308
office but even before he
entered elective office and

1977
01:41:25,312 --> 01:41:30,882
that's a -- I think it
should be -- well, let me

1978
01:41:30,884 --> 01:41:33,624
say it this way: I think
Secretary Clinton intended

1979
01:41:33,620 --> 01:41:39,090
that as very good advice for
people who may be feeling

1980
01:41:39,092 --> 01:41:41,332
discouraged today.

1981
01:41:41,328 --> 01:41:43,528
And it's understandable
that people are feeling

1982
01:41:43,530 --> 01:41:48,670
discouraged because it's
natural that you're going to

1983
01:41:48,669 --> 01:41:50,669
be disappointed when the
candidate that you supported

1984
01:41:50,671 --> 01:41:51,671
in the election doesn't win.

1985
01:41:51,672 --> 01:41:57,612
But even the losing
candidate in this case does

1986
01:41:57,611 --> 01:42:00,511
not think that that should
be used as an excuse to

1987
01:42:00,514 --> 01:42:02,784
withdraw from the public
debate and public discourse.

1988
01:42:02,783 --> 01:42:05,623
If anything, it should serve
as a motivation to become

1989
01:42:05,619 --> 01:42:07,659
even more deeply engaged and
more deeply involved, and

1990
01:42:07,654 --> 01:42:10,494
not just in a
presidential election.

1991
01:42:10,491 --> 01:42:11,121
The Press: And I have a
variation

1992
01:42:11,124 --> 01:42:12,324
on the firewall question.

1993
01:42:12,326 --> 01:42:15,226
Many of these advancements
for LGBT people and others

1994
01:42:15,229 --> 01:42:16,199
are the result of executive
action

1995
01:42:16,196 --> 01:42:19,136
undertaken by the President.

1996
01:42:19,132 --> 01:42:20,772
Is there anything the White
House can do to protect them

1997
01:42:20,767 --> 01:42:24,267
in the next administration?

1998
01:42:24,271 --> 01:42:27,171
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
I won't speculate at this

1999
01:42:27,174 --> 01:42:29,244
point about what
President-elect Trump

2000
01:42:29,243 --> 01:42:30,743
may or may not do.

2001
01:42:30,744 --> 01:42:36,654
Every time the President has
initiated a decision or made

2002
01:42:36,650 --> 01:42:39,950
a policy decision or taken
an executive action, he's

2003
01:42:39,953 --> 01:42:43,323
done so with a
long-term perspective.

2004
01:42:45,392 --> 01:42:49,592
His approach to
policy-making has been to be

2005
01:42:49,596 --> 01:42:51,766
cognizant of the long-term
implications of the

2006
01:42:51,765 --> 01:42:54,465
decisions that he's making,
and it means that he is

2007
01:42:54,468 --> 01:42:56,768
making these decisions with
the assumption that the

2008
01:42:56,770 --> 01:42:59,570
decisions will be durable,
that they'll be in place for

2009
01:42:59,573 --> 01:43:02,013
some time, and that benefits
that the American people

2010
01:43:02,009 --> 01:43:06,649
will enjoy as a result of
those decisions will be

2011
01:43:06,647 --> 01:43:09,747
present for a long time.

2012
01:43:09,750 --> 01:43:11,750
So that's been approach
since his

2013
01:43:11,752 --> 01:43:13,752
first day in office.

2014
01:43:15,789 --> 01:43:18,059
But ultimately the approach
that President-elect Trump

2015
01:43:18,058 --> 01:43:21,828
takes is one that he
alone will determine.

2016
01:43:21,828 --> 01:43:22,828
Thanks, everybody.

2017
01:43:22,829 --> 01:43:23,829
We'll see you tomorrow.