President Obama Holds First Press Conference Since Election, Reassures Allies That Trump Supports NATO
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- President Barack Obama on Monday held his first press conference since Donald Trump won the presidential election.
As CBS2's Tony Aiello reported, President Obama said he can reassure allies of the United States that his successor supports NATO.
Obama made the remark during a news conference just before embarking on his final overseas trip as president. He says on the weeklong tour of Greece, Germany and Peru, he'll relay Donald Trump's "commitment to NATO.''
As a candidate for president, Trump complained that other members of the treaty organization did not contribute enough for the protections it affords.
Obama said the reassurance is "one of the most important functions'' he can serve during the trip.
Obama said he would help president-elect Trump make a smooth transition into the White House.
"I remember what it was like when I came in eight years ago it was a big challenge," Obama said.
"We're handing over the keys while the car is in pretty good shape," Obama added.
Obama also spoke about the death of journalist Gwen Ifill and offered condolences to her family.
Obama also had a message to Democrats: Compete everywhere and show up everywhere.
Obama reflected on Democrat Hillary Clinton's loss to President-elect Donald Trump in last week's election.
He also reflected on his own campaign for president eight years ago, recalling all of the time he spent in Iowa to win that state's lead-off caucuses. He said he won the state because he spent time going everywhere, meeting everyone.
He stresses that Democrats "have to compete at a grass roots level.''
Clinton spent much of her time and money campaigning in swing and Republican-leaning states in the late stages of the 2016 campaign, losing several states that had consistently voted Democratic in the past several presidential elections.
As a candidate, President-elect Donald Trump had talked about reimagining the NATO alliance. But Obama said after his sit-down with Trump last week, the president-elect "expressed a great interest in maintaining our core strategic relationships, so one of the messages I will be able to deliver is his commitment to NATO.
Obama made the remark during a news conference just before embarking on his final overseas trip as president. He says on the weeklong tour of Greece, Germany and Peru, he'll relay Donald Trump's "commitment to NATO.''
Obama said the reassurance is "one of the most important functions'' he can serve during the trip.
Trump also promised to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, one of Obama's signature achievements. Obama said on further review, Republicans might decide his signature health care law is better than they thought.
"Now suddenly, you're in charge, going to repeal it -- what happens to those 20 million people who have health insurance?" Obama said. "If they can come up with something better that actually works, I'll be the first one to say that's great -- congratulations. If, on the other hand, whatever they're proposing results in millions of people losing coverage, then we're going to have a problem."
On "60 Minutes" Sunday night, Trump indicated the likes parts of Obamacare. He said he would make sure people with preexisting conditions are still covered because it "happens to be one of the strongest assets" of the Affordable Care Act, and he would also make sure coverage was maintained for adult children living for their parents for an extended period.
"If things get worse, the American people will figure that out real quick," Obama said. "If things get better, more power to him, I'll be the first to congratulate him."
Obama said he would help president-elect Trump make a smooth transition into the White House.
"I remember what it was like when I came in eight years ago it was a big challenge," Obama said.
"We're handing over the keys while the car is in pretty good shape," Obama added.
Obama also spoke about the death of journalist Gwen Ifill and offered condolences to her family.
Obama also had a message to Democrats: Compete everywhere and show up everywhere.
Obama reflected on Democrat Hillary Clinton's loss to President-elect Donald Trump in last week's election.
He also reflected on his own campaign for president eight years ago, recalling all of the time he spent in Iowa to win that state's lead-off caucuses. He said he won the state because he spent time going everywhere, meeting everyone.
He stresses that Democrats "have to compete at a grass roots level.''
Clinton spent much of her time and money campaigning in swing and Republican-leaning states in the late stages of the 2016 campaign, losing several states that had consistently voted Democratic in the past several presidential elections.
