President Obama said Sunday that he does not intend to interject frequently when he turns things over to President-elect Donald Trump—but that he will speak up in defense of American ideals.
Speaking at a news conference in Peru, on what was the President’s final international trip in office, Obama offered praise for his predecessor George W. Bush, who he said “could not have been more gracious to me when I came in.”
“I want to be respectful of the office and give the President-elect an opportunity to put forward his platform and his arguments without somebody popping off in every instance,” he said.
Obama added: “If there are issues that have less to do with the specifics of some legislative proposal or battle, but go to core questions about our values and our ideals, and if I think that it’s necessary or helpful for me to defend those ideals, then I’ll examine it when it comes.”
“But what I do know is, is that I have to take Michelle on vacation.”
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