Barack Obama calls Donald Trump 'engaging and gregarious'

President Barack Obama referred to as President-elect Donald Trump 'participating and gregarious' although instructed to ABC's George Stephanopoulos that the 2 leaders are 'type of opposites.' 

In his closing Sunday present sit-down, the outgoing Democratic president advised the This Week host that he is loved his conversations with Trump, because the Republican prepares to take workplace on January 20. 

'He's any individual who I feel will not be missing in confidence,' Obama famous of Trump. 

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President Barack Obama stated he discovered President-elect Donald Trump 'participating and gregarious' in conversations they've had upfront of Trump's January 20 swearing-in 

President Obama (left) sat down with ABC Information' George Stephanopoulos (proper) for a closing Sunday present interview, which aired as we speak on This Week 

Stephanopoulos identified that will folks would describe Obama that method as nicely. 

'It is most likely a prerequisite for the job, or not less than you must have sufficient craziness to assume that you are able to do the job,' Obama stated. 

He added although that Trump 'has not spent a variety of time sweating the main points,' whereas 'I am on he coverage wonk finish of the spectrum.' 

Trump's inattention to element, the Democrat instructed might 'be each a power and a weak point,' relying on how he approaches the job of president. 

'If it provides him recent eyes, then that may be worthwhile,' Obama identified.  'Nevertheless it additionally requires you understanding what you do not know and setting up individuals who do have the sorts of expertise and background and information that may inform good resolution making.' 

Whereas Trump was, for years, a political thorn in Obama's facet – as one of many peddlers of the 'birther' conspiracy principle that instructed the nation's first black president wasn't born in the US, the 2 males met simply two days after the election and have been in dialog since. 

Obama referred to as the chats 'cordial.'  

'The primary factor that I've tried to transmit is that there is a distinction between governing and campaigning, in order that what he has to understand is as quickly as you stroll into this workplace after you've got been sworn in, you are now in command of the biggest group on Earth,' Obama stated. 

The present occupant of the Oval Workplace famous that you would be able to't handle the presidency the way in which 'you'd handle a household enterprise.' 

'You must have a robust crew round you,' he stated. 'You must respect establishments and the method to make good selections since you are inherently reliant on folks,' Obama stated.  

Hitting on the information of the day, the Russian hacks, the Democrat additionally stated he talked to Trump and urged him to trust within the nation's intelligence businesses.

'What I've stated to him is that there are going to be instances while you've obtained uncooked intelligence that is available in and in my expertise, over eight years, the intelligence neighborhood is fairly good about saying, "Look, we won't say for sure what this implies,"' Obama famous.  

'However there are going to be instances the place the one method you can also make a superb resolution is when you have confidence that the method is working,' Obama stated. 'And the folks that you simply put in cost are supplying you with their highest assessments.' 

Regardless of U.S. intelligence businesses telling Trump Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin directed a cyberattack with the intention of serving to Trump turn out to be president and thwarting Democrat Hillary Clinton, the president-elect remained defiant – saying in a tweet Saturday that the Democratic Nationwide Committee exhibited 'gross negligence' for permitting its e-mail system to be hacked. 

He praised the intelligence neighborhood, however nonetheless did not absolutely appear to embrace the evaluation that Putin was backing an affect marketing campaign. As an alternative, Trump pointed to the truth that Russia did not hack the precise voting machines. 

'Intelligence said very strongly there was completely no proof that hacking affected the election outcomes. Voting machines not touched!' Trump tweeted on Saturday.

Obama's sit-down with Stephanopoulos was performed Friday, shortly after the discharge of the report on Russia's involvement within the election yr hacks, which Obama stated he completely believed.  

'This time they have excessive confidence, and having seen a few of the underlying sources and knowledge that they are basing this on I stand absolutely behind the report,' the president stated.   

Stephanopoulos pointed to feedback made by 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, who stated throughout his presidential run that Russia was the U.S.'s 'No. 1 geopolitical foe.' 

Many Democrats laughed off Romney's suggestion on the time. 

Stephanopoulos identified to Obama that he 'kinda dismissed' Romney's assertion, stated throughout a presidential debate, on the time. 

'I did,' Obama acknowledged.  

The This Week host then requested the president if he underestimated Putin.  

'You recognize, I do not assume I underestimated him, however I feel that I underestimated the diploma to which, on this new info age, it's doable for misinformation for cyber hacking and so forth to have an effect on our open societies, our open techniques, to insinuate themselves into our democratic practices in ways in which I feel are accelerating,' the president answered. 

'And so a part of the explanation that I ordered this report was not merely to re-litigate what occurred over the past a number of months, however quite to be sure that we perceive that is one thing that Putin has been doing for fairly a while in Europe,' Obama continued. 

Obama could not quantify how a lot sway Russia had on the election, suggesting there have been 'a variety of components' going into it. 

'I feel the underside line is that Donald Trump is gonna be sworn in because the  45th President of the US of America,' Obama stated. 'And it isn't essentially worthwhile to type of attempt to untangle all of the various factors that went into it.' 

Nevertheless, he warned that if the nation wasn't vigilant 'overseas international locations can have an effect on the political debate in the US in ways in which may not have been true 10, 20, 30 years in the past.'  

And, as the difficulty continues to be politicized, he alerted Republicans that subsequent time it could possibly be their candidate who will get harmed. 

'I feel that what's true is that the Russians meant to meddle, and so they meddled,' Obama stated. 'And it could possibly be one other nation sooner or later. It could possibly be one other election the place, you understand, the alignment between Republicans and Democrats are totally different than they have been this time and who a rustic prefers.'  

'And that is why I hope that this doesn't proceed to be considered purely by way of a partisan lens,' Obama stated.   

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