News

Actions

Obama offers congratulations, invites Trump to White House

Posted at 8:18 AM, Nov 09, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-09 10:37:38-05

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama spoke to President-elect Donald Trump Wednesday morning to congratulate him on his victory, the White House said in a statement.

Obama invited Trump to meet with him at the White House on Thursday to update him on the transition, the statement said.

“Ensuring a smooth transition of power is one of the top priorities the President identified at the beginning of the year and a meeting with the President-elect is the next step,” the statement said.

Obama will speak about the next steps for the country in remarks from the White House Cabinet Room Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. ET, according to a White House schedule. Vice President Joe Biden also will attend.

Obama, who publicly called Trump “unfit” for the Oval Office, campaigned aggressively for Hillary Clinton in the weeks leading up to Election Day to keep the former reality show star from being his successor.

“The choice you face when you step into that voting booth could not be more clear or could not be more serious,” Obama said in Philadelphia on Monday.