Transcript Reveals Obama Was 'Okay' With Four Years Of Trump, But 'Eight Years Would Be A Problem'

Zinger Key Points
  • Obama was wary of Trump staying in office for a long tenure, private chats with reporters made public show.
  • He was worried about a sustained period in which some of the norms are broken down and start to corrode.

Before he left the White House, Barack Obama was asked about his successor Donald Trump assuming office, he suggested one term should ok but not a second term, according to a transcript of an off-the-record conversation with reporters, recently made public.

The transcript of the meeting which happened on Jan. 17, 2017, three days before Trump took over, was made available by the Department of Justice in response to a “Freedom of Information Act” request.

When asked about Obama’s view about institutions being able to withstand what was to come and the deep-state interference with the transition, he said he did not foresee a complete collapse of the Democratic Party or the rolling back of his entire legacy.

Obama acknowledged that preserving the democratic process could be a challenge. He added that four years was okay.

“Take on some water, but we can kind of bail fast enough to be okay,” he said. However, eight years would be a problem, he added.

“I would be concerned about a sustained period in which some of these norms have broken down and started to corrode,” the former president said.

See also: Trump Says Mitch McConnell Has A 'DEATH WISH,' Makes Racial Slur Against His Wife Elaine Chao

When asked whether Trump could do damage to the U.S. standing in the world, Obama said he didn’t think the Republican president was an isolationist or interventionist.

“I'm less worried than some that he initiates a war,” Obama said.

“His formative view of foreign policy is shaped by his interactions with Malaysian developers and Saudi princes, and I think his view is, ‘I'm going to go around the world making deals and maybe suing people,’” he added.

Obama also discussed various issues including Russian interference in the presidential election, reactions of foreign leaders to the 2016 elections, and his commutation of Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence for leaking classified documents, among other things.

Photo: Courtesy of Matt Johnson and Gage Skidmore on flickr

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