English subtitles for clip: File:11-10-16- White House Press Briefing.webm

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Mr. Earnest: Good
afternoon, everybody.

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Nice to see you all,
including some familiar faces.

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(laughter)

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I do not have any
announcements at the top

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so we can go straight
to your questions.

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Josh, do you
want to start?

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The Press: Sure.

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Thanks, Josh.

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The President described
-- I should clarify,

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President Obama described
his meeting with

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President-elect Donald
Trump as "excellent."

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I was wondering if you
could tell us if there was

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anything specific that
President-elect Trump told

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the President about how
he plans to govern this

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country that led to
President Obama's

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characterization
of it that way.

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The Press: Well, Josh, I
had an opportunity shortly

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before coming out here
to visit briefly with

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President Obama about the
meeting -- and there are

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many details of their
discussions that they'll

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keep between
the two of them.

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A couple of things that
I can share with you --

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obviously, the President
indicated during the pool

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spray that they had an
opportunity to discuss

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some foreign policy and
some domestic issues.

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Some of those foreign
policy issues came up in

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the context of the
President's upcoming

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trip overseas.

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The President described to
the President-elect some

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of the issues that he
expects to come up with

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some of our allies and
partners and other world

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leaders that he'll meet
with on the trip, and so

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it was an opportunity for
them to talk about some of

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those issues in advance of
the President's trip and

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in advance of some of the
conversations that he

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expects to have with world
leaders on the trip.

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There also was an
opportunity for the two

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leaders to talk about
staffing and organizing

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a White House.

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That's complicated
business.

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And any White House is
expected to be structured

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in a way to deal with
multiple challenges, or

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even multiple crises
at the same time.

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And the President-elect
indicated a lot of

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interest in understanding
the strategy of staffing

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and organizing
a White House.

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And obviously that's
something that President

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Obama has thought about
extensively during his

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eight years in office, and
they spent a large portion

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of the meeting discussing
the importance of properly

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staffing up and organizing
a White House operation.

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But, look, other than
that, what the President

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heard from the
President-elect is a clear

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commitment to the kind
of effective, smooth

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transition that President
Obama has been vowing to

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preside over for the
better part of a year.

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And the President intends
to make good on that

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promise in the
70 days ahead.

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The Press: Did the
President leave the

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meeting any more reassured
that President-elect Trump

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will not try to dismantle
all of the work that you

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and your colleagues have
done over the

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last eight years?

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And did President Obama
make any pitch to Trump,

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for instance, not to get
rid of Obamacare or other

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significant policies?

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Mr. Earnest: Listen, I'm
not going to get into

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all the details of
their meeting.

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I think that President
Obama came away from the

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meeting with renewed
confidence in the

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commitment of the
President-elect to engage

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in an effective,
smooth transition.

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That obviously is what
President Obama believes

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serves the American
people the best.

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We are committed to doing
what is required on our

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part to make sure
that that happens.

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And the President was
pleased to hear a similar

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commitment expressed by
the President-elect.

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The Press: Do you know
if the President got any

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reassurances from Trump
about whether he plans to

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pursue what he discussed
during the campaign about

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trying to incarcerate
Hillary Clinton?

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Mr. Earnest: Well,
listen, I'll let the

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President-elect sort of
read out his end of

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the conversation.

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But as I mentioned
yesterday, the President

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found reassuring the
kind of tone that the

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President-elect conveyed
in his election night remarks.

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As I mentioned yesterday,
these were remarks that

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the President-elect
delivered not just to his

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supporters in the
ballroom, but to the

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citizens of the country
that were tuned into this

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historic election, but
also to people

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around the world.

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And given the intensity of
scrutiny of his remarks,

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it's notable that he
chose that kind of tone.

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I think we saw a similar
tone just in the Oval

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Office 30 minutes ago,
where he was indicating

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his commitment to working
closely with the outgoing

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administration to ensure
a smooth,

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effective transition.

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That doesn't mean they
don't agree on all the issues.

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They obviously have
deep disagreements.

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But what they do agree
on is a commitment to a

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smooth and effective
transition, and that's a

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good thing for
the country.

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The Press: President-elect
Trump talked about looking

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forward to receiving
President Obama's counsel

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in the future and
meeting more times.

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Did they agree
to meet again?

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Were there -- something
put in place where they're

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expected to continue the
conversation they had in

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an additional format?

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Mr. Earnest: I'm not aware
of any additional meeting

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that's been scheduled, but
I wouldn't rule out

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future consultations.

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Obviously, when President
Obama served -- over the

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last eight years,
President Obama has

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benefitted from the kinds
of conversations that he's

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been able to have with
previous Presidents.

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And I wasn't surprised to
hear that President-elect

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Trump indicated that
he feels like he would

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benefit from those
conversations over

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the course of his
presidency as well.

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Roberta.

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The Press: Was it
awkward at all?

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Given all the rancor that
the two men exchanged

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versus each other on the
campaign trail and even

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before that, was the
meeting awkward at all

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in terms of getting
past that?

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Was there a moment where
they had to sort of break

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the ice and get past that?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, to be
as specific as possible

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about this, Roberta, there
was no staff in the room

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when President Obama and
President-elect Trump sat

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down in the Oval
Office for 90 minutes.

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So I think that's probably
a question you'd have to

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ask the two of them.

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I feel confident in
telling you that they did

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not resolve all
their differences.

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I also feel confident in
telling you that they

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didn't try to resolve
all their differences.

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What they sought to do was
to lay the foundation for

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an effective transition
from the Obama presidency

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to the Trump presidency.

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And this administration,
at the direction of

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President Obama, has been
preparing for this moment

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and this meeting for the
better part of a year.

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And this obviously was
an important early step,

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having the President
sit down with the

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President-elect to
discuss that transition.

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And based on the kind of
agreement that was evident

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about the priority that
they both place on a

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smooth transition, it
sounds like the meeting

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might have been at least a
little less awkward than

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some might have expected.

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The Press: And you said
that it was just the two

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of them alone, there
was no staff in there?

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Mr. Earnest:
That's correct.

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The Press: For
the entire time?

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Mr. Earnest:
That's correct.

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The Press: And the pool
waiting to go into the

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Oval had seen some other
officials, Denis McDonough

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among them, on
the South Lawn.

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I'm just wondering if you
could tell us a little bit

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about what other officials
from the White House may

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have met with -- who
was in those sort of

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discussions going
on at the same time.

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Mr. Earnest: Well, I know
that the President's-elect

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spokeswoman, Ms.
Hicks, was here.

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I had an opportunity to
meet with her -- to meet

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her, I guess I should
say -- while the

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President-elect was
meeting with President Obama.

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You noted that -- she also
had longer meetings with

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some other members of --
some of my colleagues in

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the communications team.

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You noted that Mr. Kushner
was here and had an

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opportunity to visit
with the Chief of Staff.

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Those are the only
staffers from the

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President's-elect team
that I had an opportunity

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to meet today.

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There may have been some
others that were with him,

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but I can't speak to all
of the meetings

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that took place.

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I will just clarify that
there is a more formal

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process that we would
expect would guide the

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interactions between the
President's team and the

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President's-elect team for
the two months between now

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and the inauguration.

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There will be a formal
process for that kind of

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consultation to ensure
a smooth transition.

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The kinds of conversations
today were much more

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informal in nature.

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The Press: President-elect
Trump mentioned that he

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learned about some
high-flying assets, and

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I'm just wondering if you
know what he was referring

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to when he talked of that.

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Mr. Earnest: I'm not sure
what he was referring to,

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but you can check
with his team on that.

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Michelle.

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The Press: So you're
saying as far as

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"excellent" goes, he's
talking about a smooth

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transition and having
a good tone -- I mean,

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that's all that
"excellent" means?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
when you consider the

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profound differences
between the two gentlemen,

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when you consider the fact
that they have never met

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before in person, and when
you consider the high

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priority that the
President places on a

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smooth and effective
transition, I think that

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qualifies as excellent.

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The Press: I mean, Donald
Trump mentioned that this

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was originally supposed
to only last 10 to 15 minutes.

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Is that true?

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And why would it go on so
much longer than that?

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Mr. Earnest: The President
had allotted more time on

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his schedule for that
meeting than just

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10 to 15 minutes.

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But they did end up
spending about 90 minutes,

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talking about a range of
issues, including what I

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described to Josh earlier,
and I think that would be

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an indication of a pretty
robust, valuable meeting.

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The Press: So yesterday
you talked about the

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President still having
deep concerns, obviously,

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and that everything he
said on the campaign

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trail about Donald
Trump was true.

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This meeting -- I mean,
considering all of that,

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it was a brief meeting
-- did it do anything to

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assuage any of
those deep concerns?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
as I mentioned yesterday,

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the President campaigned
vigorously across the

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country making a forceful
case in favor of the

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candidate that
he supported.

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And he did that right
up to the night before

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Election Day.

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But on Election Day, the
ballots were counted and

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the American
people decided.

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The President was never
in a position to choose a

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successor; the American
people chose the successor.

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The President vowed to
work with whomever the

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American people chose.

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So, no, they did not
recreate some sort of

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presidential debate in
the Oval Office today.

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They were focused on doing
the work of the American

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people, fulfilling
their institutional

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responsibilities.

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And on President Obama's
part, that means laying

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the groundwork so that the
incoming President-elect

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can hit the
ground running.

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After all, as President
Obama said in the Rose

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Garden yesterday, we're
all rooting for his

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00:10:42,108 --> 00:10:45,044
success when it comes to
uniting and leading

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this country.

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The Press: So the
President still has his

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00:10:48,014 --> 00:10:50,016
deep concerns, then,
is what you're saying?

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Mr. Earnest: What I'm
saying is that the

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00:10:52,018 --> 00:10:54,854
forceful case that the
President made on the

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00:10:54,854 --> 00:10:57,590
campaign trail leading up
to Election Day reflected

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00:10:57,590 --> 00:11:00,793
his authentic views about
the stakes of the election

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00:11:00,793 --> 00:11:04,730
and about the candidate
that he went

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00:11:04,730 --> 00:11:05,731
all in to support.

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The Press: Obviously
there was nothing in this

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00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:10,002
meeting that would
change any of that?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, I guess
what I'm saying is that

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00:11:12,004 --> 00:11:15,207
the meeting was not
convened to try to resolve

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00:11:15,207 --> 00:11:18,744
the variety of concerns
that President Obama had

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00:11:18,744 --> 00:11:19,745
raised on the
campaign trail.

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The meeting was focused
on the transition,

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00:11:22,081 --> 00:11:23,115
and it went well.

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The Press: Okay.

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And given that some of
Trump's advisors have,

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00:11:26,886 --> 00:11:29,588
just prior to this
meeting, talked about

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00:11:29,588 --> 00:11:32,525
looking for all of the
ways -- or wanting a list

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00:11:32,525 --> 00:11:35,294
of all of the ways that
they could roll President

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00:11:35,294 --> 00:11:38,731
Obama's policies back,
starting on day one, does

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00:11:38,731 --> 00:11:41,200
the President fully
expect that to happen?

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00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:43,536
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
I'm not going to prejudge

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00:11:43,536 --> 00:11:46,405
what their transition
process is.

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Obviously, our goal is
to make sure that the

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00:11:48,941 --> 00:11:51,377
incoming President-elect
can hit the ground running

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and can enjoy success when
it comes to uniting and

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00:11:54,447 --> 00:11:55,448
leading the country.

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That's what the President
promised yesterday.

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Convening a meeting in the
Oval Office today is part

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00:11:59,785 --> 00:12:01,620
of making good
on that promise.

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How they choose to use the
time and what priorities

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00:12:03,722 --> 00:12:05,723
they choose to set for the
earliest days of the Trump

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00:12:05,724 --> 00:12:07,460
presidency is something
that you'll have to ask them.

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The Press: What does the
President expect

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00:12:08,427 --> 00:12:10,729
to happen now?

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00:12:10,729 --> 00:12:12,731
Mr. Earnest: I think the
President's expectation is

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00:12:12,731 --> 00:12:17,336
that the incoming
President will set his own

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00:12:17,336 --> 00:12:20,639
priorities and pursue
them accordingly.

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And again, our goal is to
provide him the kind of

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00:12:24,009 --> 00:12:26,745
advice that would give the
President-elect and his

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00:12:26,745 --> 00:12:30,416
team the opportunity to
succeed in uniting and

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leading the country.

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That's what he has
indicated that he has made

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his priority, and we
certainly are prepared to

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00:12:37,623 --> 00:12:39,625
do everything we can
over the next 71 days

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00:12:39,625 --> 00:12:40,459
to support him in
that effort.

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00:12:40,459 --> 00:12:41,459
The Press: Well, does the
President now have any

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00:12:41,460 --> 00:12:43,796
reason to believe that
Donald Trump is fit to be

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00:12:43,796 --> 00:12:45,164
President of the
United States?

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00:12:45,164 --> 00:12:47,800
Mr. Earnest: Again,
the two men did not

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00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:48,901
re-litigate their
differences in

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00:12:48,901 --> 00:12:49,868
the Oval Office.

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00:12:49,869 --> 00:12:52,404
And we talked about them
quite a bit in here

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00:12:52,404 --> 00:12:54,140
leading up to the
election, and we're on

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00:12:54,140 --> 00:12:55,141
to the next phase now.

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00:12:55,141 --> 00:12:56,040
Justin.

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The Press: You mentioned a
formal process, so I guess

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00:12:58,644 --> 00:13:01,981
I wanted to ask if there
are meetings that have

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00:13:01,981 --> 00:13:04,450
either occurred or are
being set up with senior

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00:13:04,450 --> 00:13:07,119
staff here at the White
House since Donald Trump

316
00:13:07,119 --> 00:13:08,787
won the presidency,
especially national

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00:13:08,787 --> 00:13:12,291
security or economic
teams going forward?

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00:13:12,291 --> 00:13:14,059
Mr. Earnest: My
understanding, Justin, is

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00:13:14,059 --> 00:13:19,765
that the broader formal
process has not yet

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00:13:19,765 --> 00:13:21,667
commenced with meetings.

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00:13:21,667 --> 00:13:25,304
There were a number of
meetings between White

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00:13:25,304 --> 00:13:28,140
House personnel and
members of both

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00:13:28,140 --> 00:13:30,809
candidates' transition
teams in the months

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00:13:30,809 --> 00:13:32,343
leading up to
the election.

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00:13:32,344 --> 00:13:33,846
And I know there have been
a number of consultations

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00:13:33,846 --> 00:13:38,184
with the President's-elect
team and the White House team.

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00:13:38,184 --> 00:13:42,021
But the formal meetings I
don't believe have

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00:13:42,021 --> 00:13:44,790
started just yet.

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00:13:44,790 --> 00:13:46,458
The Press: I wanted to
ask about, I guess,

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00:13:46,458 --> 00:13:48,294
press access today.

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00:13:48,294 --> 00:13:52,131
The meeting with the
Vice President and Vice

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00:13:52,131 --> 00:13:54,366
President-elect Pence was
closed press, which is a

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00:13:54,366 --> 00:13:55,935
break from past precedent.

334
00:13:55,935 --> 00:13:59,405
And Carol reported that
the Obamas

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00:13:59,405 --> 00:14:00,539
cancelled a photo op.

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00:14:00,539 --> 00:14:01,874
Mr. Earnest:
That's not true.

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00:14:01,874 --> 00:14:02,575
The Press: Okay.

338
00:14:02,575 --> 00:14:05,678
Can you talk about, then,
why we didn't have a photo

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00:14:05,678 --> 00:14:07,580
op in the way that we
had them in previous

340
00:14:07,580 --> 00:14:10,583
administrations, and why
there's no press access,

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00:14:10,583 --> 00:14:12,251
and particularly
if this is --

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00:14:12,251 --> 00:14:14,252
Mr. Earnest: Well, first
of all, Justin, you just

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00:14:14,253 --> 00:14:15,921
were in the Oval Office
with the President of the

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00:14:15,921 --> 00:14:17,356
United States and the
President-elect, so it's

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00:14:17,356 --> 00:14:19,225
not accurate to say that
there was no press access.

346
00:14:19,225 --> 00:14:21,460
But let's just be clear
about what's happened.

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00:14:21,460 --> 00:14:25,531
Over the last eight
years, I've enjoyed the

348
00:14:25,531 --> 00:14:27,532
opportunity to have many
of you in my office over

349
00:14:27,533 --> 00:14:29,535
the years advocating for
greater access to the

350
00:14:29,535 --> 00:14:31,502
President and the work
that he's doing

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00:14:31,503 --> 00:14:32,504
in the Oval Office.

352
00:14:32,504 --> 00:14:35,207
And what that typically
means is you coming in and

353
00:14:35,207 --> 00:14:38,043
advocating for the
opportunity to see the

354
00:14:38,043 --> 00:14:40,379
President of the United
States sitting in the Oval

355
00:14:40,379 --> 00:14:43,682
Office, photograph him
sitting next to the person

356
00:14:43,682 --> 00:14:45,684
that he's meeting with,
and then hear from both

357
00:14:45,684 --> 00:14:46,718
people about the meeting.

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00:14:46,719 --> 00:14:51,490
That's the priority that
has been conveyed to me in

359
00:14:51,490 --> 00:14:53,058
countless meetings with
all of you over the

360
00:14:53,058 --> 00:14:53,926
last eight years.

361
00:14:53,926 --> 00:14:56,862
That is exactly what
was provided today.

362
00:14:56,862 --> 00:14:59,632
That was not
provided in 2008.

363
00:14:59,632 --> 00:15:02,001
I wasn't part of designing
the press access for 2008,

364
00:15:02,001 --> 00:15:04,370
so I can't account for all
of the reasons for that.

365
00:15:04,370 --> 00:15:07,539
But the press access that
we put together today was

366
00:15:07,539 --> 00:15:09,540
based on the guidance that
we've received from all of

367
00:15:09,541 --> 00:15:11,543
you over the last eight
years about what

368
00:15:11,543 --> 00:15:12,544
the priority is.

369
00:15:12,544 --> 00:15:14,513
And we were pleased to be
in a position to

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00:15:14,513 --> 00:15:15,514
provide that today.

371
00:15:15,514 --> 00:15:17,583
It is an indication of the
commitment that we have to

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00:15:17,583 --> 00:15:20,118
transparency, and it is
an indication that the

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00:15:20,119 --> 00:15:23,922
President has to building
public confidence in the

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00:15:23,922 --> 00:15:25,924
shared commitment to a
smooth and

375
00:15:25,924 --> 00:15:26,925
effective transition.

376
00:15:26,925 --> 00:15:29,862
What better way for
the American public to

377
00:15:29,862 --> 00:15:34,098
understand that the
President and the outgoing

378
00:15:34,099 --> 00:15:37,536
President of the United
States share a priority of

379
00:15:37,536 --> 00:15:39,972
a smooth and effective
transition than to allow

380
00:15:39,972 --> 00:15:44,543
you all into the Oval
Office to hear them talk

381
00:15:44,543 --> 00:15:46,578
about their commitment
to that effort.

382
00:15:46,578 --> 00:15:49,081
The Press: And one way to
demonstrate that you guys

383
00:15:49,081 --> 00:15:52,985
are committed to the, I
guess, effective transfer

384
00:15:52,985 --> 00:15:56,188
of power would be to show
the Vice President or show

385
00:15:56,188 --> 00:15:59,558
the First Lady welcoming
their successors into

386
00:15:59,558 --> 00:16:01,160
the White House.

387
00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:03,462
Mr. Earnest: But I think
we would all just agree

388
00:16:03,462 --> 00:16:06,165
that that would be lower
in priority than what

389
00:16:06,165 --> 00:16:07,165
was provided today.

390
00:16:07,166 --> 00:16:10,135
And what was provided
today is unprecedented in

391
00:16:10,135 --> 00:16:12,638
terms of the kind of
access that was granted

392
00:16:12,638 --> 00:16:14,640
to previous White
House press corps.

393
00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:15,473
So, look, there's
always going to be this

394
00:16:15,474 --> 00:16:16,208
back-and-forth.

395
00:16:16,208 --> 00:16:17,409
As I've stated before --

396
00:16:17,409 --> 00:16:18,577
The Press: Josh, the
reason that this is

397
00:16:18,577 --> 00:16:19,878
relevant, and the reason
that I'm asking the

398
00:16:19,878 --> 00:16:22,948
question is, while the
President has come out and

399
00:16:22,948 --> 00:16:25,651
sort of put on a cheery
face, we know obviously

400
00:16:25,651 --> 00:16:27,752
many here are
disappointed.

401
00:16:27,753 --> 00:16:29,888
The First Lady spoke
passionately about how she

402
00:16:29,888 --> 00:16:31,890
found Donald Trump to be
an unacceptable choice.

403
00:16:31,890 --> 00:16:36,428
So are we to read anything
-- or even putting aside

404
00:16:36,428 --> 00:16:38,397
whether we should read
anything, is the reason

405
00:16:38,397 --> 00:16:40,299
that there wasn't press
access to either of those

406
00:16:40,299 --> 00:16:42,735
events because the First
Lady or Vice President

407
00:16:42,735 --> 00:16:45,270
didn't want to be
photographed or

408
00:16:45,270 --> 00:16:46,438
appear alongside --

409
00:16:46,438 --> 00:16:47,506
Mr. Earnest:
Absolutely not.

410
00:16:47,506 --> 00:16:49,641
In fact, I am not aware
that the First Lady's

411
00:16:49,641 --> 00:16:51,510
office was consulted about
the press arrangements

412
00:16:51,510 --> 00:16:52,811
for today.

413
00:16:52,811 --> 00:16:54,813
I certainly didn't
consult with them.

414
00:16:54,813 --> 00:16:58,851
What we can do is we can
go back to the White House

415
00:16:58,851 --> 00:17:02,554
photographer and see if
there are any photos from

416
00:17:02,554 --> 00:17:06,625
the greet so that you all
can get some insight

417
00:17:06,625 --> 00:17:07,626
into how that went.

418
00:17:07,626 --> 00:17:08,860
So we'll follow up
with you on that.

419
00:17:08,861 --> 00:17:09,728
The Press: Last one.

420
00:17:09,728 --> 00:17:13,098
A number of foreign
governments from top

421
00:17:13,098 --> 00:17:14,933
allies of the United
States -- Turkey, the

422
00:17:14,933 --> 00:17:16,702
United Kingdom, Canada,
Mexico -- have all said

423
00:17:16,702 --> 00:17:19,204
that their leaders have
been in communication with

424
00:17:19,204 --> 00:17:22,707
President-elect Trump over
the last 24, 48 hours.

425
00:17:22,708 --> 00:17:28,046
Beyond sort of
congratulatory calls, is

426
00:17:28,046 --> 00:17:30,682
there a concern among you
guys, as you're trying to

427
00:17:30,682 --> 00:17:33,752
pursue your foreign policy
agenda over the next two

428
00:17:33,752 --> 00:17:37,822
months -- that allies
could be getting mixed

429
00:17:37,823 --> 00:17:39,258
messages on the U.S.

430
00:17:39,258 --> 00:17:41,360
-- the United States'
foreign policy goals?

431
00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:44,163
Mr. Earnest: I'm not aware
of any concern about that.

432
00:17:44,163 --> 00:17:47,900
It is not uncommon for
countries that have

433
00:17:47,900 --> 00:17:49,902
important relationships
with the United States for

434
00:17:49,902 --> 00:17:51,970
them to call and offer
their congratulations to

435
00:17:51,970 --> 00:17:53,172
the President-elect.

436
00:17:53,172 --> 00:17:56,642
Some of those
conversations are

437
00:17:56,642 --> 00:17:58,577
facilitated by the
State Department.

438
00:17:58,577 --> 00:18:00,212
In other cases, you've got
foreign governments that

439
00:18:00,212 --> NaN:NaN:NaN,NaN
are going directly to the
President-elect's office.

440
00:17:59,978 --> 00:18:04,616
And that's consistent with
past practice, and I'm

441
00:18:04,616 --> 00:18:07,019
confident that that
happened in 2008 after

442
00:18:07,019 --> 00:18:08,387
President Obama's
election as well.

443
00:18:08,387 --> 00:18:09,620
Olivier.

444
00:18:09,621 --> 00:18:10,255
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

445
00:18:10,255 --> 00:18:13,025
First, I'm kind of curious
about the President

446
00:18:13,025 --> 00:18:14,393
as HR professional.

447
00:18:14,393 --> 00:18:16,829
Does he say, you need
to get a great Chief of Staff?

448
00:18:16,829 --> 00:18:18,996
Does he say, there's this
one job you never, ever

449
00:18:18,997 --> 00:18:20,732
heard of, but it's vital?

450
00:18:20,732 --> 00:18:25,137
Or is it just --
obviously, Donald Trump

451
00:18:25,137 --> 00:18:27,139
knows he's got to
staff the White House.

452
00:18:27,139 --> 00:18:29,707
So how much precision is
the President offering in

453
00:18:29,708 --> 00:18:31,109
his recommendations?

454
00:18:31,109 --> 00:18:34,279
Mr. Earnest: Well, I'll be
honest, I didn't have a

455
00:18:34,279 --> 00:18:36,014
detailed conversation with
President Obama about this.

456
00:18:36,014 --> 00:18:39,051
But knowing how he has
approached these issues

457
00:18:39,051 --> 00:18:41,887
himself, I think that he
has built an organization

458
00:18:41,887 --> 00:18:45,190
at the White House with
an eye toward surrounding

459
00:18:45,190 --> 00:18:47,192
himself with capable
people and putting them in

460
00:18:47,192 --> 00:18:52,264
positions where they are
given the authority

461
00:18:52,264 --> 00:18:54,433
that they need to
make decisions.

462
00:18:54,433 --> 00:18:57,503
Also he's ensured that
they are given the

463
00:18:57,503 --> 00:19:00,004
authority that they need
to elevate decisions to

464
00:19:00,005 --> 00:19:02,908
him if they need to be.

465
00:19:02,908 --> 00:19:11,884
So structuring the
organizational chart

466
00:19:11,884 --> 00:19:14,653
effectively is not an
insignificant matter when

467
00:19:14,653 --> 00:19:16,588
you're talking about life
and death decisions that

468
00:19:16,588 --> 00:19:18,724
have to be made on a
regular basis in

469
00:19:18,724 --> 00:19:21,960
this building.

470
00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:24,596
The President will be
taking some questions over

471
00:19:24,596 --> 00:19:26,598
the course of the next
week, and maybe somebody

472
00:19:26,598 --> 00:19:28,600
can seek greater insight
from him on that.

473
00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:30,735
The Press: And looking
overseas to the operations

474
00:19:30,736 --> 00:19:33,205
against the Islamic State,
the President recently

475
00:19:33,205 --> 00:19:39,444
sent 1,700 more
American troops there.

476
00:19:39,444 --> 00:19:41,446
You've long insisted that
they don't have

477
00:19:41,446 --> 00:19:42,447
a combat mission.

478
00:19:42,447 --> 00:19:44,850
These are combat troops.

479
00:19:44,850 --> 00:19:46,217
Why did they go?

480
00:19:46,218 --> 00:19:48,487
I mean, are you saying
that they needed 1,700

481
00:19:48,487 --> 00:19:50,489
more American troops'
worth of advice

482
00:19:50,489 --> 00:19:51,490
and assistance?

483
00:19:51,490 --> 00:19:53,492
I mean, we're starting to
see some social media of

484
00:19:53,492 --> 00:19:56,094
Americans who look like
they are in front-line

485
00:19:56,094 --> 00:19:58,096
operations, not in
supportive ones.

486
00:19:58,096 --> 00:20:00,232
Mr. Earnest: Olivier, what
we've made clear is that

487
00:20:00,232 --> 00:20:02,734
our servicemembers, when
they go to Iraq, they are

488
00:20:02,734 --> 00:20:04,836
trained for combat, they
are equipped for combat

489
00:20:04,836 --> 00:20:06,838
because they need to
defend themselves in a

490
00:20:06,838 --> 00:20:08,840
dangerous country, but
they are not given

491
00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:09,875
a combat mission.

492
00:20:09,875 --> 00:20:13,912
And that is an important
distinction, because the

493
00:20:13,912 --> 00:20:15,914
President does not believe
that American troops

494
00:20:15,914 --> 00:20:19,418
should be in a situation
in which they are expected

495
00:20:19,418 --> 00:20:22,987
to be at the tip of the
spear to go and

496
00:20:22,988 --> 00:20:24,456
take and hold ground.

497
00:20:24,456 --> 00:20:28,060
The idea of the U.S.

498
00:20:28,060 --> 00:20:31,996
military being an
occupying force in Iraq is

499
00:20:31,997 --> 00:20:33,999
not one that has yielded
success for our country.

500
00:20:33,999 --> 00:20:36,001
It's not made our
country safer.

501
00:20:36,001 --> 00:20:38,203
So what the President
envisioned and the mission

502
00:20:38,203 --> 00:20:41,072
that they have been given
is a dangerous one.

503
00:20:41,073 --> 00:20:45,243
It's one in which American
servicemembers are asked

504
00:20:45,243 --> 00:20:48,213
to assume great risk so
that they can be in a

505
00:20:48,213 --> 00:20:51,817
position to, in some
cases, train Iraqi

506
00:20:51,817 --> 00:20:55,387
security forces; in other
cases, so that they can

507
00:20:55,387 --> 00:20:58,956
offer advice and
assistance as Iraqi

508
00:20:58,957 --> 00:21:01,093
security forces undertake
important

509
00:21:01,093 --> 00:21:02,094
military objectives.

510
00:21:02,094 --> 00:21:06,632
There are even some
situations where if some

511
00:21:06,632 --> 00:21:11,069
of those trainers or
advisors end up in a

512
00:21:11,069 --> 00:21:13,437
dangerous position, then
there are additional U.S.

513
00:21:13,438 --> 00:21:15,440
forces that are mobilized
to get them out.

514
00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:17,743
This is dangerous work.

515
00:21:17,743 --> 00:21:19,745
And this does put
them in harm's way.

516
00:21:19,745 --> 00:21:21,746
And it does put them
in a situation where,

517
00:21:21,747 --> 00:21:24,549
occasionally, they have to
use their combat training

518
00:21:24,549 --> 00:21:26,985
and their combat equipment
to defend themselves.

519
00:21:26,985 --> 00:21:29,721
But that is much different
than being in a situation

520
00:21:29,721 --> 00:21:33,492
in which they are asked to
take and hold territory.

521
00:21:33,492 --> 00:21:36,461
That's a different
strategy and it's

522
00:21:36,461 --> 00:21:38,063
a different mission.

523
00:21:38,063 --> 00:21:39,765
Both of them
are dangerous.

524
00:21:39,765 --> 00:21:41,767
Both of them
require courage and

525
00:21:41,767 --> 00:21:46,471
professionalism and
skill and sacrifice.

526
00:21:46,471 --> 00:21:48,473
And that's what we have
seen from our men

527
00:21:48,473 --> 00:21:49,640
and women in uniform.

528
00:21:49,641 --> 00:21:51,043
The Press: I get your
point about occupying, but

529
00:21:51,043 --> 00:21:53,611
the kinds of troops you're
sending now are actually

530
00:21:53,612 --> 00:21:56,114
the kinds of troops that
take ground and hold it,

531
00:21:56,114 --> 00:21:56,882
at least briefly.

532
00:21:56,882 --> 00:22:01,953
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
I recognize that the

533
00:22:01,953 --> 00:22:05,424
servicemembers that
President Obama has sent

534
00:22:05,424 --> 00:22:07,893
to Iraq do have
extraordinary

535
00:22:07,893 --> 00:22:08,894
combat capabilities.

536
00:22:08,894 --> 00:22:09,995
They've got
extensive training.

537
00:22:09,995 --> 00:22:11,996
They've got the kind of
combat equipment that you

538
00:22:11,997 --> 00:22:14,299
would see in a theater of
war that you would expect

539
00:22:14,299 --> 00:22:16,301
our servicemembers to have
when they're operating in

540
00:22:16,301 --> 00:22:17,302
a dangerous place.

541
00:22:17,302 --> 00:22:19,303
But the mission that
they have been given is

542
00:22:19,304 --> 00:22:21,306
different than the mission
that they were given by

543
00:22:21,306 --> 00:22:23,308
President Bush that
involved occupying

544
00:22:23,308 --> 00:22:24,443
a foreign country.

545
00:22:24,443 --> 00:22:25,744
That didn't work out well.

546
00:22:25,744 --> 00:22:27,745
And President Obama
believes that we need to

547
00:22:27,746 --> 00:22:29,748
try a different strategy,
and that different

548
00:22:29,748 --> 00:22:31,750
strategy is yielding
important success.

549
00:22:31,750 --> 00:22:33,752
In Iraq alone we've
already taken back more

550
00:22:33,752 --> 00:22:35,754
than 50 percent of the
occupied populated

551
00:22:35,754 --> 00:22:38,122
territory that ISIL
previously held.

552
00:22:38,123 --> 00:22:41,093
Now, with the support
of these advisors and

553
00:22:41,093 --> 00:22:42,761
trainers and other U.S.

554
00:22:42,761 --> 00:22:44,863
forces that are offering
assistance, Iraqi security

555
00:22:44,863 --> 00:22:48,166
forces have isolated Mosul
and are beginning the

556
00:22:48,166 --> 00:22:52,870
important, painstaking
work of ejecting ISIL from

557
00:22:52,871 --> 00:22:54,005
Mosul.

558
00:22:54,005 --> 00:22:56,441
So we're making progress,
based on the strategy

559
00:22:56,441 --> 00:22:57,509
that the President
has put forward.

560
00:22:57,509 --> 00:23:00,545
This is a strategy
that requires our

561
00:23:00,545 --> 00:23:02,781
servicemembers to assume
great personal risk.

562
00:23:02,781 --> 00:23:04,816
But it is a strategy that
is yielding progress and

563
00:23:04,816 --> 00:23:06,418
making America safer.

564
00:23:06,418 --> 00:23:07,585
Jon.

565
00:23:07,586 --> 00:23:09,421
The Press: Josh, what is
the President's message to

566
00:23:09,421 --> 00:23:11,423
the thousands and
thousands of people across

567
00:23:11,423 --> 00:23:13,525
the country protesting
this election?

568
00:23:13,525 --> 00:23:15,494
Some of them carrying
signs saying

569
00:23:15,494 --> 00:23:16,495
"Not my President."

570
00:23:16,495 --> 00:23:19,296
Mr. Earnest: Jon, I think
the first thing the

571
00:23:19,297 --> 00:23:21,600
President would say
is that we've got

572
00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,668
a carefully,
constitutionally protected

573
00:23:24,669 --> 00:23:28,273
right to free speech, and
the President believes

574
00:23:28,273 --> 00:23:31,243
that that is a right that
should be protected.

575
00:23:31,243 --> 00:23:36,581
It is a right that should
be exercised

576
00:23:36,581 --> 00:23:37,381
without violence.

577
00:23:37,382 --> 00:23:40,819
And there are people who
are disappointed

578
00:23:40,819 --> 00:23:41,586
in the outcome.

579
00:23:41,586 --> 00:23:43,321
And the President's
message in the Rose Garden

580
00:23:43,321 --> 00:23:45,423
was it's not surprising
that people are

581
00:23:45,423 --> 00:23:47,125
disappointed in the
outcome, but it's

582
00:23:47,125 --> 00:23:48,960
important for us to
remember, a day or two

583
00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:53,865
after the election, that
we're Democrats and

584
00:23:53,865 --> 00:23:57,402
Republicans, but we're
Americans and patriots first.

585
00:23:57,402 --> 00:24:00,105
And that's the message
that the President hopes

586
00:24:00,105 --> 00:24:01,273
that most people
will hear.

587
00:24:01,273 --> 00:24:02,774
But are there some people
who are going to be

588
00:24:02,774 --> 00:24:05,377
disappointed, and are they
going to express those

589
00:24:05,377 --> 00:24:06,378
views in public?

590
00:24:06,378 --> 00:24:09,747
I think we've seen
that that's the case.

591
00:24:09,748 --> 00:24:12,951
They have constitutional
rights to do that, and

592
00:24:12,951 --> 00:24:13,985
those rights should
be protected.

593
00:24:13,985 --> 00:24:16,588
But the President would
obviously want them to

594
00:24:16,588 --> 00:24:17,956
hear his message as well.

595
00:24:17,956 --> 00:24:19,390
The Press: Given that all
that's been said, were you

596
00:24:19,391 --> 00:24:21,459
surprised to see Donald
Trump or hear Donald Trump

597
00:24:21,459 --> 00:24:23,829
say that the President is
a "very good man"

598
00:24:23,829 --> 00:24:24,995
who he respects?

599
00:24:24,996 --> 00:24:29,801
Mr. Earnest: Listen, I
think the kind of tone

600
00:24:29,801 --> 00:24:31,903
that we heard from the
President-elect in the

601
00:24:31,903 --> 00:24:33,772
Oval Office today is
consistent with the kind

602
00:24:33,772 --> 00:24:36,073
of tone that he used in
his remarks on Election Night.

603
00:24:36,074 --> 00:24:38,276
And that's the kind of
tone that you heard

604
00:24:38,276 --> 00:24:41,246
President Obama welcome
in the Rose Garden.

605
00:24:41,246 --> 00:24:44,416
And it certainly is
something that the

606
00:24:44,416 --> 00:24:45,649
President was
pleased to hear.

607
00:24:45,650 --> 00:24:46,518
The Press: He did say he
would seek the President's

608
00:24:46,518 --> 00:24:49,654
counsel and there would be
many, many more meetings.

609
00:24:49,654 --> 00:24:53,725
Is President Obama open
to meeting again with

610
00:24:53,725 --> 00:24:57,462
President Trump, including
after he -- when he

611
00:24:57,462 --> 00:24:59,197
becomes President Trump?

612
00:24:59,197 --> 00:25:00,564
Mr. Earnest: Of course.

613
00:25:00,565 --> 00:25:02,267
Look, the President has
benefitted from the kind

614
00:25:02,267 --> 00:25:04,336
of consultation that
he's had with

615
00:25:04,336 --> 00:25:05,337
former Presidents.

616
00:25:05,337 --> 00:25:10,308
And President Obama
is determined, as he

617
00:25:10,308 --> 00:25:14,646
mentioned yesterday, to
do as much as possible to

618
00:25:14,646 --> 00:25:17,115
ensure that President
Trump can have some

619
00:25:17,115 --> 00:25:24,556
success in uniting and
leading this country.

620
00:25:24,556 --> 00:25:27,826
As President Obama himself
said, he's rooting for his

621
00:25:27,826 --> 00:25:32,631
success as he takes on the
important work of uniting

622
00:25:32,631 --> 00:25:35,200
the country after a
divisive election, and

623
00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:37,202
leading our country
forward in a way that's

624
00:25:37,202 --> 00:25:39,204
consistent with the
best interests of many

625
00:25:39,204 --> 00:25:40,205
generations of Americans.

626
00:25:40,205 --> 00:25:41,106
The Press: And I know
you said they didn't

627
00:25:41,106 --> 00:25:43,441
re-litigate the campaign,
but I just want to ask you

628
00:25:43,441 --> 00:25:45,143
what the President's
thoughts are.

629
00:25:45,143 --> 00:25:49,414
he said just on Monday
that Donald Trump is

630
00:25:49,414 --> 00:25:53,351
"temperamentally" -- he
said on Monday, "Donald

631
00:25:53,351 --> 00:25:55,420
Trump is temperamentally
unfit to be

632
00:25:55,420 --> 00:25:59,457
Commander-in-Chief,"
"uniquely unqualified."

633
00:25:59,457 --> 00:26:00,458
Does he still
believe that?

634
00:26:00,458 --> 00:26:02,694
Mr. Earnest: Look, the
President's views

635
00:26:02,694 --> 00:26:03,695
haven't changed.

636
00:26:03,695 --> 00:26:05,730
He stands by what he said
on the campaign trail.

637
00:26:05,730 --> 00:26:07,732
He had an opportunity
to make his argument.

638
00:26:07,732 --> 00:26:09,734
He made that
argument vigorously.

639
00:26:09,734 --> 00:26:12,370
He made that argument in
states all across the country.

640
00:26:12,370 --> 00:26:14,371
But the American
people decided.

641
00:26:14,372 --> 00:26:15,507
The election is over.

642
00:26:15,507 --> 00:26:17,509
The President didn't get
to choose his successor;

643
00:26:17,509 --> 00:26:18,510
the American people did.

644
00:26:18,510 --> 00:26:20,545
And they've chosen
President-elect Trump.

645
00:26:20,545 --> 00:26:24,015
And President Obama is
determined to preside over

646
00:26:24,015 --> 00:26:26,484
a transition that gives
the incoming President the

647
00:26:26,484 --> 00:26:28,453
opportunity to get
a running start.

648
00:26:28,453 --> 00:26:29,354
Major.

649
00:26:29,354 --> 00:26:30,989
The Press: Pick up
on Justin's line of

650
00:26:30,989 --> 00:26:34,092
questioning -- the
President assured

651
00:26:34,092 --> 00:26:36,027
President-elect Trump that
he would do everything he

652
00:26:36,027 --> 00:26:38,697
can to make a swift
and sure transition.

653
00:26:38,697 --> 00:26:41,366
Did he ask of
President-elect Trump to

654
00:26:41,366 --> 00:26:43,635
have his backing for
anything he may do on

655
00:26:43,635 --> 00:26:46,137
foreign policy while
he's still President?

656
00:26:46,137 --> 00:26:48,840
Get assurances from him
that there would be no

657
00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:51,076
criticism either through
back channels or publicly

658
00:26:51,076 --> 00:26:53,078
of what he's still trying
to accomplish while he

659
00:26:53,078 --> 00:26:55,080
retains the power
of the presidency?

660
00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:57,081
Mr. Earnest: I didn't ask
the President if he sought

661
00:26:57,082 --> 00:26:59,084
that kind of assurance
from the President-elect

662
00:26:59,084 --> 00:27:01,086
so I can't say for sure
what was discussed in

663
00:27:01,086 --> 00:27:02,053
the Oval Office.

664
00:27:02,053 --> 00:27:05,023
The thing that I am sure
of is that everybody

665
00:27:05,023 --> 00:27:07,024
understands that we've got
one President at a time.

666
00:27:07,025 --> 00:27:10,061
And President Obama is
President of the United

667
00:27:10,061 --> 00:27:12,062
States until January 20th,
and he will exercise the

668
00:27:12,063 --> 00:27:14,065
authorities of the office
consistent with his view

669
00:27:14,065 --> 00:27:16,067
about what's in the best
interest of the country.

670
00:27:16,067 --> 00:27:18,503
On January 20th, it will
be the President's-elect

671
00:27:18,503 --> 00:27:22,407
turn to assume that
awesome responsibility.

672
00:27:22,407 --> 00:27:23,675
The Press: And there's no
anxiety on the part of the

673
00:27:23,675 --> 00:27:25,276
President that the
President-elect

674
00:27:25,276 --> 00:27:27,445
doesn't understand or
appreciate that?

675
00:27:27,445 --> 00:27:29,848
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
I think you'd have to talk

676
00:27:29,848 --> 00:27:31,515
to the President's-elect
team about whether or not

677
00:27:31,516 --> 00:27:33,985
he would object to the
principle that

678
00:27:33,985 --> 00:27:34,651
I've just laid out.

679
00:27:34,652 --> 00:27:35,887
The Press: Okay.

680
00:27:35,887 --> 00:27:38,690
The Russian government
said today that there were

681
00:27:38,690 --> 00:27:41,292
contacts between it and
the Trump campaign and the

682
00:27:41,292 --> 00:27:43,128
Clinton campaign during
the course of the campaign.

683
00:27:43,128 --> 00:27:45,897
Does the White House find
any reason at all to be

684
00:27:45,897 --> 00:27:47,932
concerned about that, or
would that fall under the

685
00:27:47,932 --> 00:27:51,102
category of normal embassy
communications with two

686
00:27:51,102 --> 00:27:53,238
campaigns of which -- one
of which may become the

687
00:27:53,238 --> 00:27:54,739
next President of
the United States?

688
00:27:54,739 --> 00:27:58,243
Mr. Earnest: I can't speak
to the nature of those

689
00:27:58,243 --> 00:28:00,812
conversations, obviously,
so it's hard to judge them

690
00:28:00,812 --> 00:28:01,879
in the abstract.

691
00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:04,182
The Press: -- the
conversation that went on

692
00:28:04,182 --> 00:28:06,184
during the campaign, does
this raise any higher

693
00:28:06,184 --> 00:28:07,851
level of anxiety or alarm?

694
00:28:07,852 --> 00:28:10,588
Mr. Earnest: Listen, what
I know based on my own

695
00:28:10,588 --> 00:28:13,224
personal experience is I
know that there were --

696
00:28:13,224 --> 00:28:15,193
when President Obama was
running for President that

697
00:28:15,193 --> 00:28:17,662
there were occasions where
members of his team did

698
00:28:17,662 --> 00:28:20,765
consult with
representatives of

699
00:28:20,765 --> 00:28:22,667
other governments.

700
00:28:22,667 --> 00:28:24,803
I don't think there's
anything inherently

701
00:28:24,803 --> 00:28:26,271
nefarious about that.

702
00:28:26,271 --> 00:28:28,907
But, again, I can't speak
to the content of the

703
00:28:28,907 --> 00:28:32,177
conversations that may
have occurred, so I don't

704
00:28:32,177 --> 00:28:34,379
think I can pass judgment
one way or the other.

705
00:28:34,379 --> 00:28:36,380
But I don't think there's
anything inherently

706
00:28:36,381 --> 00:28:37,382
nefarious about it.

707
00:28:37,382 --> 00:28:39,384
The Press: The
President-elect mentioned

708
00:28:39,384 --> 00:28:42,654
that some difficulties on
the foreign policy

709
00:28:42,654 --> 00:28:43,955
stage were discussed.

710
00:28:43,955 --> 00:28:46,091
Did the President go into
that meeting wanting to

711
00:28:46,091 --> 00:28:47,992
convey anything in
particular about what's

712
00:28:47,992 --> 00:28:51,729
going on in Mosul, what's
going on in Iraq, and

713
00:28:51,729 --> 00:28:53,731
perhaps convey some
information that the

714
00:28:53,731 --> 00:28:55,700
President-elect might
either not be aware of or

715
00:28:55,700 --> 00:28:56,701
not sufficiently
appreciate?

716
00:28:56,701 --> 00:28:58,703
Because I don't need to
tell you, Josh, in the

717
00:28:58,703 --> 00:29:01,339
last two weeks or longer,
the President-elect was

718
00:29:01,339 --> 00:29:03,808
describing what was going
on in Mosul as something

719
00:29:03,808 --> 00:29:06,811
approaching an abject
disaster, which I know is

720
00:29:06,811 --> 00:29:08,245
not your interpretation
or the

721
00:29:08,246 --> 00:29:09,280
Pentagon's interpretation.

722
00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:09,714
Mr. Earnest: Right.

723
00:29:09,714 --> 00:29:10,881
The Press: Did th
President feel obligated

724
00:29:10,882 --> 00:29:12,851
or go into this, wanting
to say, well, here's some

725
00:29:12,851 --> 00:29:14,152
stuff you might want to
know because you're going

726
00:29:14,152 --> 00:29:18,256
to inherit where this
is come January 20th?

727
00:29:18,256 --> 00:29:20,225
Mr. Earnest: Well, the
President did feel

728
00:29:20,225 --> 00:29:22,226
obligated to touch on some
important foreign policy

729
00:29:22,227 --> 00:29:24,229
priorities, and I know
that the ongoing campaign

730
00:29:24,229 --> 00:29:27,532
against ISIL in Iraq, and
in Syria, for that matter,

731
00:29:27,532 --> 00:29:29,934
are important foreign
policy priorities.

732
00:29:29,934 --> 00:29:32,704
I don't know to what
extent that was discussed,

733
00:29:32,704 --> 00:29:34,706
but this is obviously
something that President

734
00:29:34,706 --> 00:29:35,807
Obama is following
closely.

735
00:29:35,807 --> 00:29:36,708
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

736
00:29:36,708 --> 00:29:37,308
Mr. Earnest: Ron.

737
00:29:37,308 --> 00:29:38,877
The Press: You said that
the President stands by

738
00:29:38,877 --> 00:29:42,347
everything that he said on
the campaign trail about

739
00:29:42,347 --> 00:29:43,882
Donald Trump, the
President-elect.

740
00:29:43,882 --> 00:29:44,716
Mr. Earnest: That's right.

741
00:29:44,716 --> 00:29:46,583
The Press: Then he must --
the President must be very

742
00:29:46,584 --> 00:29:47,852
concerned about the
future of the country.

743
00:29:47,852 --> 00:29:51,022
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
the President, right now,

744
00:29:51,022 --> 00:29:53,791
is concerned on the most
important institutional

745
00:29:53,791 --> 00:29:56,895
priority that he has right
now, which is presiding

746
00:29:56,895 --> 00:29:58,897
over a smooth and
effective transition.

747
00:29:58,897 --> 00:30:01,198
The Press: But again, if
he still feels this way

748
00:30:01,199 --> 00:30:05,103
about the President-elect,
he must be concerned about

749
00:30:05,103 --> 00:30:07,238
the future of the country
beyond this transition.

750
00:30:07,238 --> 00:30:08,439
Mr. Earnest: Look, Ron,
the President had an

751
00:30:08,439 --> 00:30:10,808
opportunity to make a very
forceful case in public in

752
00:30:10,808 --> 00:30:12,877
states all across the
country in support of the

753
00:30:12,877 --> 00:30:16,981
candidate that
he endorsed.

754
00:30:16,981 --> 00:30:18,983
The American people
chose someone else.

755
00:30:18,983 --> 00:30:20,952
And he's committed to
working with that person,

756
00:30:20,952 --> 00:30:22,954
the person that he did
not support, to ensure a

757
00:30:22,954 --> 00:30:24,956
smooth and effective
transition.

758
00:30:24,956 --> 00:30:26,957
There is a long tradition
in our democracy of

759
00:30:26,958 --> 00:30:28,960
Presidents effectively
doing that because they

760
00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:30,962
have a responsibility to
put their own political

761
00:30:30,962 --> 00:30:32,964
views aside and perform
the functions

762
00:30:32,964 --> 00:30:33,965
of the presidency.

763
00:30:33,965 --> 00:30:35,966
And one of those functions
is to ensure a peaceful,

764
00:30:35,967 --> 00:30:37,969
smooth and effective
transition, because

765
00:30:37,969 --> 00:30:41,372
America is going to do its
best when its

766
00:30:41,372 --> 00:30:43,374
Presidents are performing
at its best.

767
00:30:43,374 --> 00:30:45,376
And President Obama
is determined to do

768
00:30:45,376 --> 00:30:48,146
everything that he can to
allow the President-elect

769
00:30:48,146 --> 00:30:49,547
and his team to hit
the ground running.

770
00:30:49,547 --> 00:30:50,915
The Press: I think
I understand that.

771
00:30:50,915 --> 00:30:55,053
But the question is, after
this transition, what does

772
00:30:55,053 --> 00:30:57,722
the President intend to
do to -- is he going to

773
00:30:57,722 --> 00:30:59,724
become something of
an opposition figure?

774
00:30:59,724 --> 00:31:02,627
Is he -- he's got to
be concerned about the

775
00:31:02,627 --> 00:31:05,196
direction the
President-elect has said

776
00:31:05,196 --> 00:31:05,763
he's going to
take the country.

777
00:31:05,763 --> 00:31:07,966
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
as all of you have heard,

778
00:31:07,966 --> 00:31:10,334
the President's plans to
take a long vacation after

779
00:31:10,335 --> 00:31:12,337
he leaves office
have not changed.

780
00:31:12,337 --> 00:31:15,073
And I assure you that he's
looking forward to

781
00:31:15,073 --> 00:31:18,009
that as much as ever.

782
00:31:18,009 --> 00:31:20,778
But over the longer
term, I don't have any

783
00:31:20,778 --> 00:31:22,814
commitments to make on the
part of the President.

784
00:31:22,814 --> 00:31:25,183
One thing that I can share
with you is something that

785
00:31:25,183 --> 00:31:27,518
I've heard him say I know
in private -- I assume

786
00:31:27,518 --> 00:31:29,887
that he said this in
public, too -- which is

787
00:31:29,887 --> 00:31:32,756
just the idea that he
deeply appreciated

788
00:31:32,757 --> 00:31:34,025
how President George W.

789
00:31:34,025 --> 00:31:36,828
Bush, after leaving
office, gave the new

790
00:31:36,828 --> 00:31:38,830
President some running
room, gave him a little

791
00:31:38,830 --> 00:31:40,898
space, wasn't
backseat-driving in

792
00:31:40,898 --> 00:31:44,901
public, offering up all
kinds of critiques with

793
00:31:44,902 --> 00:31:46,738
every single decision that
President Obama was making

794
00:31:46,738 --> 00:31:48,940
in the earliest days
of his presidency.

795
00:31:48,940 --> 00:31:50,942
I'm confident that
President George W.

796
00:31:50,942 --> 00:31:52,944
Bush didn't agree with
every single decision that

797
00:31:52,944 --> 00:31:55,680
President Obama was
making, but he was

798
00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:58,182
extraordinarily respectful
of the democratic process.

799
00:31:58,182 --> 00:32:00,084
President Obama
admired that.

800
00:32:00,084 --> 00:32:05,223
But, look, I can't make
any promises now for what

801
00:32:05,223 --> 00:32:08,693
exactly President Obama
will do once he leaves office.

802
00:32:08,693 --> 00:32:10,628
The Press: During the next
seventy-some-odd days, is

803
00:32:10,628 --> 00:32:12,496
there a strategy that the
White House has, that the

804
00:32:12,497 --> 00:32:14,766
President has, to try
and preserve and protect

805
00:32:14,766 --> 00:32:18,970
certain aspects of what
he has accomplished here?

806
00:32:18,970 --> 00:32:20,938
What are the priorities?

807
00:32:20,938 --> 00:32:24,275
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
the first priority is

808
00:32:24,275 --> 00:32:26,277
ensuring the smooth and
effective transition.

809
00:32:26,277 --> 00:32:28,279
But there's also the
priority that the

810
00:32:28,279 --> 00:32:30,948
President places on making
sure, as the Chief of

811
00:32:30,948 --> 00:32:32,950
Staff likes to say, that
we run through the tape;

812
00:32:32,950 --> 00:32:38,022
that the President and
his team use every moment

813
00:32:38,022 --> 00:32:41,492
that's remaining to do
the work of the American

814
00:32:41,492 --> 00:32:44,562
people and to effectively
implement the kinds of

815
00:32:44,562 --> 00:32:46,563
policies that President
Obama has prioritized

816
00:32:46,564 --> 00:32:48,566
over the course of
his presidency.

817
00:32:48,566 --> 00:32:50,568
The Press: What are some
of those priorities now?

818
00:32:50,568 --> 00:32:52,670
Given the change in
administration, given the

819
00:32:52,670 --> 00:32:56,507
fact that Donald Trump has
won the presidency, what

820
00:32:56,507 --> 00:32:58,443
specifically is the focus?

821
00:32:58,443 --> NaN:NaN:NaN,NaN
What are the priorities?

822
00:32:58,309 --> 00:33:01,279
Mr. Earnest: Well, I don't
know that I can give a

823
00:33:01,279 --> 00:33:03,281
comprehensive list, but
some of the priorities

824
00:33:03,281 --> 00:33:05,283
that come to mind are the
kinds of priorities that

825
00:33:05,283 --> 00:33:08,553
actually would be in place
regardless of the

826
00:33:08,553 --> 00:33:09,987
outcome of the election.

827
00:33:09,987 --> 00:33:15,126
Whether or not Mr. Trump
had emerged victorious

828
00:33:15,126 --> 00:33:18,396
from the election, we
would be focused on the

829
00:33:18,396 --> 00:33:20,398
implementation of the
Affordable Care Act and

830
00:33:20,398 --> 00:33:22,399
maximizing the opportunity
that currently is

831
00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:24,402
available to millions
of Americans to go to

832
00:33:24,402 --> 00:33:26,604
HealthCare.gov during the
open enrollment period and

833
00:33:26,604 --> 00:33:27,705
sign up for health care.

834
00:33:27,705 --> 00:33:29,706
For those individuals that
already have health care,

835
00:33:29,707 --> 00:33:31,709
they have an opportunity
to go to HealthCare.gov

836
00:33:31,709 --> 00:33:32,710
and shop around.

837
00:33:32,710 --> 00:33:34,712
Many of them will find
that there actually is a

838
00:33:34,712 --> 00:33:37,348
comparable health care
plan available that will

839
00:33:37,348 --> 00:33:39,250
cost them less money.

840
00:33:39,250 --> 00:33:41,686
So making that a priority
is something that we would

841
00:33:41,686 --> 00:33:43,687
do regardless of who
had won the election.

842
00:33:43,688 --> 00:33:46,591
But that certainly is a
very high priority right now.

843
00:33:46,591 --> 00:33:48,793
Obviously, when it comes
to counterterrorism and

844
00:33:48,793 --> 00:33:50,928
homeland security, that's
always a priority.

845
00:33:50,928 --> 00:33:53,097
That was true before
the election and that

846
00:33:53,097 --> 00:33:55,099
certainly is true
after the election.

847
00:33:55,099 --> 00:33:57,668
And we certainly
wouldn't want any of our

848
00:33:57,668 --> 00:34:00,871
adversaries to be confused
about the fact that

849
00:34:00,872 --> 00:34:03,341
America might somehow be
uniquely vulnerable in the

850
00:34:03,341 --> 00:34:04,475
midst of this transition.

851
00:34:04,475 --> 00:34:05,676
That's not true.

852
00:34:05,676 --> 00:34:07,678
This administration is
strong, and our homeland

853
00:34:07,678 --> 00:34:09,781
security efforts are as
vigorous as they've ever been.

854
00:34:09,781 --> 00:34:12,850
And we're going to
continue that effort.

855
00:34:12,850 --> 00:34:15,219
You made reference -- or
someone made reference to

856
00:34:15,219 --> 00:34:18,489
-- or Major made reference
to the ongoing work

857
00:34:18,489 --> 00:34:20,591
against ISIL in
Iraq and in Syria.

858
00:34:20,591 --> 00:34:22,692
The United States is
leading a coalition with

859
00:34:22,693 --> 00:34:25,997
67 partners to degrade and
ultimately destroy that

860
00:34:25,996 --> 00:34:27,431
terrorist organization.

861
00:34:27,431 --> 00:34:29,433
There are some
consequential decisions

862
00:34:29,434 --> 00:34:33,538
that have been made
recently by leaders on the

863
00:34:33,538 --> 00:34:37,675
ground both in Iraq and
in Syria to focus on the

864
00:34:37,675 --> 00:34:40,478
significance of the
strategic objective of

865
00:34:40,478 --> 00:34:43,414
defeating ISIL in their
two declared capitals

866
00:34:43,414 --> 00:34:44,415
in Iraq and in Syria.

867
00:34:44,415 --> 00:34:45,949
And that effort
is underway.

868
00:34:45,949 --> 00:34:47,518
That's dangerous business.

869
00:34:47,518 --> 00:34:50,688
But it's a high priority,
and it stands -- if

870
00:34:50,688 --> 00:34:54,859
successful, stands to
advance our objectives

871
00:34:54,859 --> 00:34:56,860
and make the American
people safer.

872
00:34:56,860 --> 00:34:57,862
So those are
three priorities.

873
00:34:57,862 --> 00:34:59,864
Those are at the top of
everybody's mind around here.

874
00:34:59,864 --> 00:35:02,767
And the truth is that
would be the case

875
00:35:02,767 --> 00:35:04,769
regardless of the
outcome of the election.

876
00:35:04,769 --> 00:35:06,770
The Press: And just
lastly, this was the first

877
00:35:06,771 --> 00:35:08,139
time these two men met.

878
00:35:08,139 --> 00:35:08,706
Mr. Earnest:
That's correct.

879
00:35:08,706 --> 00:35:09,607
The Press: There's
that old cliché, first

880
00:35:09,607 --> 00:35:11,776
impressions are a lot.

881
00:35:11,776 --> 00:35:13,778
What was his first
impression of Donald Trump?

882
00:35:13,778 --> 00:35:15,779
Mr. Earnest: I didn't ask
him that question

883
00:35:15,780 --> 00:35:16,781
before I came out here.

884
00:35:16,781 --> 00:35:19,383
So, again, maybe when the
President takes questions

885
00:35:19,383 --> 00:35:20,283
you guys will have an
opportunity to

886
00:35:20,284 --> 00:35:21,085
ask him about that.

887
00:35:21,085 --> 00:35:25,523
But we'll keep you
posted on that.

888
00:35:25,523 --> 00:35:28,993
But, look, the overriding
impression -- I don't know

889
00:35:28,993 --> 00:35:30,995
if it was the first one
-- but the overriding

890
00:35:30,995 --> 00:35:33,897
impression is his positive
assessment about the

891
00:35:33,898 --> 00:35:35,900
commitment of the
President-elect to a

892
00:35:35,900 --> 00:35:37,902
smooth and effective
transition by our teams

893
00:35:37,902 --> 00:35:38,903
working together.

894
00:35:38,903 --> 00:35:41,471
That's going to maximize
the likelihood that we'll

895
00:35:41,472 --> 00:35:43,207
achieve that objective.

896
00:35:43,207 --> 00:35:44,442
Carol.

897
00:35:44,442 --> 00:35:47,011
The Press: Donald Trump's
advisor on Israel said

898
00:35:47,011 --> 00:35:49,346
today that the
President-elect doesn't

899
00:35:49,347 --> 00:35:52,083
view settlements as an
obstacle to peace, which

900
00:35:52,083 --> 00:35:53,885
is obviously a different
position than

901
00:35:53,885 --> 00:35:55,019
the President has.

902
00:35:55,019 --> 00:35:58,288
And the President had been
looking at perhaps doing

903
00:35:58,289 --> 00:36:02,126
something on this issue
before he leaves office,

904
00:36:02,126 --> 00:36:04,562
just to put it in a
different place than it is

905
00:36:04,562 --> 00:36:07,397
now, on a trajectory to
-- so eventually the next

906
00:36:07,398 --> 00:36:10,067
President can be
able to have talks.

907
00:36:10,067 --> 00:36:12,537
Is he considering doing
something like that still?

908
00:36:12,537 --> 00:36:16,473
Or is he of the view that
at this point, when you

909
00:36:16,474 --> 00:36:18,676
have a President-elect
taking steps like that

910
00:36:18,676 --> 00:36:21,412
when you have such big,
wide disagreements

911
00:36:21,412 --> 00:36:23,413
it's not the proper
thing to do?

912
00:36:23,414 --> 00:36:27,785
Mr. Earnest: Well, my
first reaction is that the

913
00:36:27,785 --> 00:36:30,855
concern that you've heard
President Obama express

914
00:36:30,855 --> 00:36:44,435
about the expansion of
settlements is not just

915
00:36:44,435 --> 00:36:46,437
the policy of this
administration, it was

916
00:36:46,437 --> 00:36:48,439
actually the policy of
previous Democratic and

917
00:36:48,439 --> 00:36:50,441
Republican administrations
who expressed

918
00:36:50,441 --> 00:36:51,442
concerns about that.

919
00:36:51,442 --> 00:36:53,444
The view is that trying to
change facts on the ground

920
00:36:53,444 --> 00:36:55,446
only puts a negotiated
settlement, a resolution

921
00:36:55,446 --> 00:36:57,448
of differences between the
two parties farther away.

922
00:36:57,448 --> 00:36:59,450
So the President views
that kind of continued

923
00:36:59,450 --> 00:37:01,953
settlement expansion
as counterproductive.

924
00:37:01,953 --> 00:37:03,955
And again, that's
consistent with the policy

925
00:37:03,955 --> 00:37:05,957
that Democratic and
Republican Presidents

926
00:37:05,957 --> 00:37:06,958
have expressed.

927
00:37:06,958 --> 00:37:09,660
More generally, I don't
have anything to preview

928
00:37:09,660 --> 00:37:12,196
with regard to any
additional steps that

929
00:37:12,196 --> 00:37:15,266
President Obama may
consider before

930
00:37:15,266 --> 00:37:16,200
leaving office.

931
00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:19,403
The principle that we have
articulated is that it is

932
00:37:19,403 --> 00:37:26,611
really important for the
Israelis and Palestinians

933
00:37:26,611 --> 00:37:29,513
to sit down in the
context of face-to-face

934
00:37:29,513 --> 00:37:31,816
negotiations and resolve
their differences.

935
00:37:31,816 --> 00:37:34,518
And President Obama has
expended enormous effort

936
00:37:34,518 --> 00:37:36,520
-- Secretary Kerry has
probably expended more

937
00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:38,522
effort than anybody else
-- to try to bring those

938
00:37:38,522 --> 00:37:39,523
sides together.

939
00:37:39,523 --> 00:37:41,959
And thus far, those
efforts have not yielded

940
00:37:41,959 --> 00:37:47,565
the kind of progress
that we'd like to see.

941
00:37:47,565 --> 00:37:50,835
But our belief that that's
the only way that those

942
00:37:50,835 --> 00:37:55,840
differences will be
resolved continues to be true.

943
00:37:55,840 --> 00:37:57,808
The Press: What about
the broader -- does the

944
00:37:57,808 --> 00:37:59,477
President have a
philosophy on just that issue?

945
00:37:59,477 --> 00:38:01,946
When you have a President
and a President-elect who

946
00:38:01,946 --> 00:38:05,182
differ so much on
significant foreign policy

947
00:38:05,182 --> 00:38:08,352
issues, does he believe
that now is the time to

948
00:38:08,352 --> 00:38:11,721
not take steps that would
be at odds with what the

949
00:38:11,722 --> 00:38:14,992
next President might want
to do for Guantanamo Bay,

950
00:38:14,992 --> 00:38:16,661
for instance,
or other things?

951
00:38:16,661 --> 00:38:17,495
What's his general
view on that?

952
00:38:17,495 --> 00:38:19,763
Mr. Earnest: His general
view, Carol, is -- again,

953
00:38:19,764 --> 00:38:23,000
and I think this is
the view of outgoing

954
00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:27,071
Presidents in both parties
-- which is that there is

955
00:38:27,071 --> 00:38:28,739
one President at a time.

956
00:38:28,739 --> 00:38:31,776
And President Obama has
the authority of the

957
00:38:31,776 --> 00:38:35,712
office of President until
January 20th, and he will

958
00:38:35,713 --> 00:38:38,749
make decisions consistent
with his view about the

959
00:38:38,749 --> 00:38:41,618
best way to advance the
interests of the country.

960
00:38:41,619 --> 00:38:43,854
In the afternoon of
January 20th, that awesome

961
00:38:43,854 --> 00:38:47,024
responsibility will
be transferred to the

962
00:38:47,024 --> 00:38:49,160
President-elect, and then
he will be given that

963
00:38:49,160 --> 00:38:50,161
awesome responsibility.

964
00:38:50,161 --> 00:38:53,030
And in this interim
transition period, what

965
00:38:53,030 --> 00:38:56,100
President Obama has
committed to is doing our

966
00:38:56,100 --> 00:38:58,368
best to coordinate and
communicate with the

967
00:38:58,369 --> 00:38:59,370
President-elect's team.

968
00:38:59,370 --> 00:39:01,939
But when it comes to
exercising that authority,

969
00:39:01,939 --> 00:39:03,941
that authority rests
solely with President

970
00:39:03,941 --> 00:39:05,643
Obama, until January 20th.

971
00:39:05,643 --> 00:39:06,744
April.

972
00:39:06,744 --> 00:39:08,412
The Press: Josh, a
couple of questions.

973
00:39:08,412 --> 00:39:10,680
One, did you get any kind
of readout from the First

974
00:39:10,681 --> 00:39:14,618
Lady's office about her
meeting with soon-to-be

975
00:39:14,618 --> 00:39:16,220
First Lady Melania Trump?

976
00:39:16,220 --> 00:39:18,221
Mr. Earnest: I did
hear from them.

977
00:39:18,222 --> 00:39:23,060
The First Lady hosted
Mrs. Trump in the private

978
00:39:23,060 --> 00:39:28,265
residence of the White
House for some tea and a

979
00:39:28,265 --> 00:39:30,366
tour of the
private residence.

980
00:39:30,367 --> 00:39:35,072
Part of that tour included
stepping out onto the

981
00:39:35,072 --> 00:39:36,073
Truman Balcony.

982
00:39:36,073 --> 00:39:38,075
I think all of you have
heard both the President

983
00:39:38,075 --> 00:39:41,377
and First Lady talked
about the quality of time

984
00:39:41,378 --> 00:39:45,750
that they've spent on
the Truman Balcony, and

985
00:39:45,750 --> 00:39:48,319
Mrs. Obama took the
opportunity to show it off

986
00:39:48,319 --> 00:39:50,888
to Mrs. Trump.

987
00:39:50,888 --> 00:39:52,890
There also was an
opportunity for the two

988
00:39:52,890 --> 00:39:55,692
women to walk through the
State Floor of the White

989
00:39:55,693 --> 00:39:58,362
House with the White House
Curator, Bill Allman.

990
00:39:58,362 --> 00:40:00,364
And some of you have had
an opportunity to visit

991
00:40:00,364 --> 00:40:01,565
with Mr. Allman.

992
00:40:01,565 --> 00:40:05,903
He is essentially a
walking encyclopedia of

993
00:40:05,903 --> 00:40:09,774
knowledge about everything
at the White House.

994
00:40:09,774 --> 00:40:12,910
And so Mrs. Trump had an
opportunity to

995
00:40:12,910 --> 00:40:13,978
hear from him.

996
00:40:13,978 --> 00:40:15,980
They also had a discussion
about raising kids

997
00:40:15,980 --> 00:40:18,749
at the White House.

998
00:40:18,749 --> 00:40:22,051
And obviously the First
Lady's two daughters spent

999
00:40:22,052 --> 00:40:24,388
the formative years of
their childhood here at

1000
00:40:24,388 --> 00:40:30,060
the White House, and Mrs.
Trump's son will also

1001
00:40:30,060 --> 00:40:32,062
spend some important years
of his childhood here

1002
00:40:32,062 --> 00:40:33,063
at the White House.

1003
00:40:33,063 --> 00:40:36,567
And that's a rather
unique childhood.

1004
00:40:36,567 --> 00:40:40,704
And the two of them had an
opportunity to talk about

1005
00:40:40,704 --> 00:40:43,174
that experience and being
a good parent

1006
00:40:43,174 --> 00:40:45,209
from that experience.

1007
00:40:45,209 --> 00:40:49,446
And then after their tour
concluded, the First Lady

1008
00:40:49,446 --> 00:40:53,616
and Mrs. Trump walked over
to the Oval Office, and

1009
00:40:53,617 --> 00:40:56,320
the two couples visited
again before they departed.

1010
00:40:56,320 --> 00:41:01,659
The Press: So the First
Lady and Mrs. Trump walked

1011
00:41:01,659 --> 00:41:03,527
over there after
the press left?

1012
00:41:03,527 --> 00:41:05,062
Mr. Earnest: That's
correct, yes.

1013
00:41:05,062 --> 00:41:07,198
The Press: And then the
next thing -- going back

1014
00:41:07,198 --> 00:41:10,600
to Justin and the
historic pictures of the

1015
00:41:10,601 --> 00:41:14,271
transition, I recall
when George W.

1016
00:41:14,271 --> 00:41:17,575
Bush was President-elect,
and then-President Bill

1017
00:41:17,575 --> 00:41:20,644
Clinton walked him down
the Colonnade to the Oval

1018
00:41:20,644 --> 00:41:22,312
Office, and
press were there.

1019
00:41:22,313 --> 00:41:25,349
I remember years
ago, when George W.

1020
00:41:25,349 --> 00:41:28,986
Bush and Mrs. Bush --
Laura Bush -- then-First

1021
00:41:28,986 --> 00:41:32,957
Lady Laura Bush greeted
the then-President-elect,

1022
00:41:32,957 --> 00:41:37,995
Barack Obama, at the
Diplomatic Room door.

1023
00:41:37,995 --> 00:41:41,031
And they also
did the walk.

1024
00:41:41,031 --> 00:41:42,132
What happened?

1025
00:41:42,132 --> 00:41:45,636
I mean, I understand you
said you wanted us to see

1026
00:41:45,636 --> 00:41:47,872
them more -- you wanted
to give us more access.

1027
00:41:47,872 --> 00:41:50,808
But the precedent has
already been set for those

1028
00:41:50,808 --> 00:41:52,810
kind of walks and
pictures to happen.

1029
00:41:52,810 --> 00:41:54,078
What happened this --

1030
00:41:54,078 --> 00:41:56,346
Mr. Earnest: Well, we
went over and above the

1031
00:41:56,347 --> 00:41:59,383
precedent by providing
access to the Oval Office.

1032
00:41:59,383 --> 00:42:02,019
You and I have talked
about this many times over

1033
00:42:02,019 --> 00:42:04,053
the last eight years, that
the priority that you

1034
00:42:04,054 --> 00:42:05,990
place is getting access
to the Oval Office and

1035
00:42:05,990 --> 00:42:09,225
hearing directly from the
President and the person

1036
00:42:09,226 --> 00:42:11,095
that he's meeting with
about the meeting that

1037
00:42:11,095 --> 00:42:12,162
just occurred.

1038
00:42:12,162 --> 00:42:15,966
That didn't happen in
2000, when President

1039
00:42:15,966 --> 00:42:18,269
Clinton welcomed
President-elect George W.

1040
00:42:18,269 --> 00:42:19,270
Bush to the White House.

1041
00:42:19,270 --> 00:42:22,038
That didn't happen in
2008, when President Bush

1042
00:42:22,039 --> 00:42:24,675
welcomed President-elect
Obama to the White House.

1043
00:42:24,675 --> 00:42:26,577
I'm not criticizing
the two previous

1044
00:42:26,577 --> 00:42:29,880
administrations or the two
previous White Houses; I'm

1045
00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:33,450
merely stating that the
access that was provided

1046
00:42:33,450 --> 00:42:36,220
by this White House is
entirely consistent with

1047
00:42:36,220 --> 00:42:37,687
the kind of requests that
we've been fielding from

1048
00:42:37,688 --> 00:42:40,057
all of you over the
last eight years.

1049
00:42:40,057 --> 00:42:42,259
The Press: And just --
I hate to beat this to

1050
00:42:42,259 --> 00:42:44,762
death, but just
understanding that initial

1051
00:42:44,762 --> 00:42:48,699
picture of the initial
meeting, on the arrival,

1052
00:42:48,699 --> 00:42:51,835
to see the body language
-- a picture speaks

1053
00:42:51,835 --> 00:42:52,770
a thousand words.

1054
00:42:52,770 --> 00:42:55,639
The first glances, the
first moments speak a

1055
00:42:55,639 --> 00:42:56,240
thousand words.

1056
00:42:56,240 --> 00:42:57,174
And that's what we missed.

1057
00:42:57,174 --> 00:42:59,476
And I guess that's what
we're talking -- I guess

1058
00:42:59,476 --> 00:43:01,045
that's what we're
talking about.

1059
00:43:01,045 --> 00:43:02,613
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
I understand that.

1060
00:43:02,613 --> 00:43:03,948
We'll consult with the
White House photographer

1061
00:43:03,948 --> 00:43:06,783
and see if there are any
photos that he was able to

1062
00:43:06,784 --> 00:43:10,554
capture of that moment and
share them with all of you.

1063
00:43:10,554 --> 00:43:13,624
And it certainly is not
just your right, but your

1064
00:43:13,624 --> 00:43:15,591
responsibility to advocate
for more access, and I

1065
00:43:15,592 --> 00:43:16,927
respect that.

1066
00:43:16,927 --> 00:43:20,898
The Press: Lastly, can you
give us the construct of

1067
00:43:20,898 --> 00:43:25,102
what it looks like when a
former President counsels

1068
00:43:25,102 --> 00:43:26,470
a current President?

1069
00:43:26,470 --> 00:43:30,073
I know that Bill Clinton
counseled George W.

1070
00:43:30,074 --> 00:43:32,309
Bush and, as you said,
that this President has

1071
00:43:32,309 --> 00:43:34,178
taken the counsel
of other Presidents.

1072
00:43:34,178 --> 00:43:36,013
What are some of the
issues that he's

1073
00:43:36,013 --> 00:43:37,413
received counsel on?

1074
00:43:37,414 --> 00:43:39,149
And what does that look
like, if you can

1075
00:43:39,149 --> 00:43:40,250
tell us that?

1076
00:43:40,250 --> 00:43:42,219
Mr. Earnest: We've gone to
great lengths to keep that

1077
00:43:42,219 --> 00:43:43,821
kind of consultation
private.

1078
00:43:43,821 --> 00:43:46,256
That consultation between
Presidents and former

1079
00:43:46,256 --> 00:43:49,393
Presidents is private.

1080
00:43:49,393 --> 00:43:55,132
And there's a special
bond that people who have

1081
00:43:55,132 --> 00:43:58,569
assumed this awesome
responsibility of leading

1082
00:43:58,569 --> 00:44:00,637
the greatest country
in the world have.

1083
00:44:00,637 --> 00:44:03,507
And so they have
unique and sensitive

1084
00:44:03,507 --> 00:44:06,310
conversations that we just
can't provide much insight

1085
00:44:06,310 --> 00:44:09,446
into other than to tell
you that they have

1086
00:44:09,446 --> 00:44:10,981
occurred not just with
Presidents in the same

1087
00:44:10,981 --> 00:44:12,750
parties -- President Obama
didn't just consult with

1088
00:44:12,750 --> 00:44:18,288
President Clinton, but
has had useful, warm,

1089
00:44:18,288 --> 00:44:20,391
supportive conversations
on a variety of

1090
00:44:20,391 --> 00:44:22,226
topics with Presidents
in both parties.

1091
00:44:22,226 --> 00:44:24,628
And I guess the best
example I could give you

1092
00:44:24,628 --> 00:44:27,331
would be of President
George H.W. Bush.

1093
00:44:27,331 --> 00:44:31,702
You've heard the President
I believe speak in the

1094
00:44:31,702 --> 00:44:36,006
past about how much he's
valued those kinds

1095
00:44:36,006 --> 00:44:36,807
of interactions.

1096
00:44:36,807 --> 00:44:39,810
And I don't want to leave
you with the impression

1097
00:44:39,810 --> 00:44:41,979
that they've had dozens of
phone conversations in the

1098
00:44:41,979 --> 00:44:44,647
last eight years, but on
those opportunities that

1099
00:44:44,648 --> 00:44:47,484
President Obama has had
to visit with

1100
00:44:47,484 --> 00:44:50,587
President George H.W.

1101
00:44:50,587 --> 00:44:53,824
Bush, Bush 41, the
President has come away

1102
00:44:53,824 --> 00:44:58,595
with enormous respect for
his service to the country

1103
00:44:58,595 --> 00:45:02,832
and for his wisdom about
what's required

1104
00:45:02,833 --> 00:45:03,700
to lead the country.

1105
00:45:03,700 --> 00:45:05,535
So that's just
one example.

1106
00:45:05,536 --> 00:45:08,539
And obviously, the
relationship between

1107
00:45:08,539 --> 00:45:10,140
President Obama and
President Clinton is one

1108
00:45:10,140 --> 00:45:12,042
that benefitted President
Obama enormously.

1109
00:45:12,042 --> 00:45:14,578
And over the last several
years, you all have seen

1110
00:45:14,578 --> 00:45:17,681
firsthand the kind of
relationship that exists

1111
00:45:17,681 --> 00:45:21,051
between President
George W. Bush

1112
00:45:21,051 --> 00:45:24,054
and Laura Bush and
the President and First Lady.

1113
00:45:24,054 --> 00:45:27,324
So these kinds of
relationships are important.

1114
00:45:27,324 --> 00:45:29,893
And if that extends into
the next presidency,

1115
00:45:29,893 --> 00:45:31,895
President Obama is
committed to doing his

1116
00:45:31,895 --> 00:45:33,864
part to trying to provide
the kind of counsel that

1117
00:45:33,864 --> 00:45:36,467
he's benefitted from
over the course

1118
00:45:36,467 --> 00:45:37,701
of his presidency.

1119
00:45:37,701 --> 00:45:40,137
The Press: Okay, you say a
variety -- he's talked to

1120
00:45:40,137 --> 00:45:41,572
Presidents -- former
Presidents on a

1121
00:45:41,572 --> 00:45:42,706
variety of topics.

1122
00:45:42,706 --> 00:45:47,044
Is it domestic policy, or
foreign policy, or just

1123
00:45:47,044 --> 00:45:49,480
the history of it all
when it comes to

1124
00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:50,514
certain issues?

1125
00:45:50,514 --> 00:45:51,281
Mr. Earnest: It's both.

1126
00:45:51,281 --> 00:45:53,549
Some of it's dealing with
the demands of the office.

1127
00:45:53,550 --> 00:45:55,552
These are the kinds of
things that are part and

1128
00:45:55,552 --> 00:45:58,689
parcel of a conversation
between somebody who is

1129
00:45:58,689 --> 00:46:01,758
bearing an enormous burden
and somebody who has

1130
00:46:01,758 --> 00:46:04,627
dedicated a significant
portion of their previous

1131
00:46:04,628 --> 00:46:05,796
life to fulfilling
the same task.

1132
00:46:05,796 --> 00:46:09,232
The Press: And he would be
open to doing -- when he

1133
00:46:09,233 --> 00:46:12,035
is President, when is
number 45, he would be

1134
00:46:12,035 --> 00:46:13,504
open to do it
at any moment?

1135
00:46:13,504 --> 00:46:14,872
Donald Trump?

1136
00:46:14,872 --> 00:46:16,673
Mr. Earnest: As I
mentioned -- and I guess I

1137
00:46:16,673 --> 00:46:18,174
would say this principle
applies not just during

1138
00:46:18,175 --> 00:46:21,111
the transition, but even
after -- that President

1139
00:46:21,111 --> 00:46:25,549
Obama believes that --
well, President Obama will

1140
00:46:25,549 --> 00:46:30,154
be rooting for the
President-elect to succeed

1141
00:46:30,154 --> 00:46:33,123
in uniting the country
and in moving

1142
00:46:33,123 --> 00:46:34,758
our country forward.

1143
00:46:34,758 --> 00:46:35,826
Christi.

1144
00:46:35,826 --> 00:46:37,194
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

1145
00:46:37,194 --> 00:46:39,329
First you said that you
met with Hope Hicks, and

1146
00:46:39,329 --> 00:46:40,697
then you said you met her.

1147
00:46:40,697 --> 00:46:41,465
Did you --

1148
00:46:41,465 --> 00:46:43,600
Mr. Earnest: So Ms. Hicks
had an opportunity to

1149
00:46:43,600 --> 00:46:45,435
actually have a meeting
with my colleagues,

1150
00:46:45,435 --> 00:46:49,540
Jennifer Psaki and Liz
Allen, the Communications

1151
00:46:49,540 --> 00:46:51,074
Director and Deputy
Communications Director

1152
00:46:51,074 --> 00:46:52,376
here at the White House.

1153
00:46:52,376 --> 00:46:53,410
While she was in that
meeting, I had an

1154
00:46:53,410 --> 00:46:55,511
opportunity to go and
introduce myself and visit

1155
00:46:55,512 --> 00:46:56,547
with her just briefly.

1156
00:46:56,547 --> 00:46:58,415
The Press: So did you guys
have a chance to talk

1157
00:46:58,415 --> 00:46:59,883
about what it's like
to do your job, or --

1158
00:46:59,883 --> 00:47:01,384
Mr. Earnest: No, I did not
have that

1159
00:47:01,385 --> 00:47:02,553
conversation with her.

1160
00:47:02,553 --> 00:47:08,192
But I will certainly have
that conversation with the

1161
00:47:08,192 --> 00:47:10,427
person that the
President-elect selects to

1162
00:47:10,427 --> 00:47:12,362
succeed me once he's
made that decision.

1163
00:47:12,362 --> 00:47:13,997
But I didn't have that
conversation with

1164
00:47:13,997 --> 00:47:16,899
Ms. Hicks and I don't
have a sense of who the

1165
00:47:16,900 --> 00:47:18,235
President-elect
may have in mind.

1166
00:47:18,235 --> 00:47:20,103
The Press: And also, I
asked you this yesterday,

1167
00:47:20,103 --> 00:47:21,605
but maybe you know a
little bit more today,

1168
00:47:21,605 --> 00:47:23,440
about what the President's
message will be to

1169
00:47:23,440 --> 00:47:26,343
foreign leaders when he
goes overseas.

1170
00:47:26,343 --> 00:47:28,212
Mr. Earnest: I didn't have
a detailed conversation

1171
00:47:28,212 --> 00:47:29,713
with him about that.

1172
00:47:29,713 --> 00:47:33,183
The President was
interested in making sure

1173
00:47:33,183 --> 00:47:35,252
that the President-elect
was aware of the kinds of

1174
00:47:35,252 --> 00:47:36,587
conversations that are
scheduled over the course

1175
00:47:36,587 --> 00:47:38,322
of the next week.

1176
00:47:38,322 --> 00:47:41,858
But foreign leaders
understand the same

1177
00:47:41,858 --> 00:47:45,162
principle that I described
earlier, which is that

1178
00:47:45,162 --> 00:47:46,529
President Obama will be
President of the United

1179
00:47:46,530 --> 00:47:48,332
States through January
20th and he will exercise

1180
00:47:48,332 --> 00:47:52,836
all of the authorities of
that office until then.

1181
00:47:52,836 --> 00:47:55,606
But in this transition
period, the President is

1182
00:47:55,606 --> 00:47:58,475
interested in making
sure that the incoming

1183
00:47:58,475 --> 00:48:00,677
President has insight into
the kinds of conversations

1184
00:48:00,677 --> 00:48:03,647
and issues that he will
inherit on the

1185
00:48:03,647 --> 00:48:05,048
afternoon of January 20th.

1186
00:48:05,048 --> 00:48:06,950
The Press: So will he
be reflecting to those

1187
00:48:06,950 --> 00:48:08,986
foreign leaders any of his
impressions of his -- of

1188
00:48:08,986 --> 00:48:12,288
the President-elect based
on today's conversations?

1189
00:48:12,289 --> 00:48:13,190
Mr. Earnest: Well, I
wouldn't preview the

1190
00:48:13,190 --> 00:48:14,258
conversations
at this point.

1191
00:48:14,258 --> 00:48:15,959
But after those
conversations have

1192
00:48:15,959 --> 00:48:19,029
occurred, we'll do our
best to read those out to

1193
00:48:19,029 --> 00:48:20,831
you and give you a sense
of how those kinds of

1194
00:48:20,831 --> 00:48:24,701
conversations -- I will
just affirm that I'm

1195
00:48:24,701 --> 00:48:28,438
confident that this will
be a subject of the

1196
00:48:28,438 --> 00:48:29,506
discussion that he has
with every world leader

1197
00:48:29,506 --> 00:48:31,308
when he travels next week.

1198
00:48:31,308 --> 00:48:33,543
The Press: Yesterday you
said that the President

1199
00:48:33,543 --> 00:48:36,179
would reassure allies and
partners of the

1200
00:48:36,179 --> 00:48:37,180
steadfast U.S. commitment.

1201
00:48:37,180 --> 00:48:39,283
Does he still
plan to do that?

1202
00:48:39,283 --> 00:48:40,884
Mr. Earnest: The President
will offer his reassurance

1203
00:48:40,884 --> 00:48:45,555
to our allies that the --
historically, the United

1204
00:48:45,555 --> 00:48:48,457
States of America, even
across political parties,

1205
00:48:48,458 --> 00:48:53,063
has been committed to not
just upholding but also

1206
00:48:53,063 --> 00:48:55,966
seeking to strengthen the
alliances that we have

1207
00:48:55,966 --> 00:48:57,067
with countries
around the world.

1208
00:48:57,067 --> 00:49:00,470
The view of Democratic and
Republican Presidents has

1209
00:49:00,470 --> 00:49:06,276
been that the robust
health of those alliances

1210
00:49:06,276 --> 00:49:07,644
makes America safer.

1211
00:49:07,644 --> 00:49:11,415
And Presidents in both
parties have been

1212
00:49:11,415 --> 00:49:14,851
committed to investing in
those alliances, and that

1213
00:49:14,851 --> 00:49:16,820
certainly is what's
happened in the past.

1214
00:49:16,820 --> 00:49:20,324
I'll let the
President-elect and his

1215
00:49:20,324 --> 00:49:22,025
team discuss what their
plans are for some of

1216
00:49:22,025 --> 00:49:26,730
those alliances, but
certainly our allies

1217
00:49:26,730 --> 00:49:29,333
should understand
President Obama's view and

1218
00:49:29,333 --> 00:49:31,335
should understand
the history -- the

1219
00:49:31,335 --> 00:49:34,871
longstanding history in
this country about the way

1220
00:49:34,871 --> 00:49:40,811
that we not just maintain
but actually advance our

1221
00:49:40,811 --> 00:49:42,646
alliances around
the world.

1222
00:49:42,646 --> 00:49:43,313
Julie.

1223
00:49:43,313 --> 00:49:44,481
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

1224
00:49:44,481 --> 00:49:46,583
Just following up on that,
first of all, is that a

1225
00:49:46,583 --> 00:49:48,685
case that he made to --
the President made to

1226
00:49:48,685 --> 00:49:50,453
Donald Trump during their
Oval Office meeting when

1227
00:49:50,454 --> 00:49:52,956
he talked about how
the trip would unfold?

1228
00:49:52,956 --> 00:49:55,425
Did he talk about the
importance of valuing

1229
00:49:55,425 --> 00:49:59,029
these alliances, and not
withdrawing from them, and

1230
00:49:59,029 --> 00:50:00,764
honoring what the
tradition has been

1231
00:50:00,764 --> 00:50:01,665
on that front?

1232
00:50:01,665 --> 00:50:02,799
Mr. Earnest: I don't
know how detailed a

1233
00:50:02,799 --> 00:50:05,769
conversation they had
about the priority that

1234
00:50:05,769 --> 00:50:07,203
President Obama places
on our alliances.

1235
00:50:07,204 --> 00:50:11,942
I know that the President
was interested in ensuring

1236
00:50:11,942 --> 00:50:13,377
that the President-elect
was aware of the

1237
00:50:13,377 --> 00:50:15,445
conversations that were
scheduled, and the

1238
00:50:15,445 --> 00:50:18,882
President wanted to give
him some insight into the

1239
00:50:18,882 --> 00:50:20,584
kinds of issues that he
expected would come up in

1240
00:50:20,584 --> 00:50:21,417
those conversations.

1241
00:50:21,418 --> 00:50:24,121
But more than that, I
don't have much more

1242
00:50:24,121 --> 00:50:25,555
insight into their
conversation I can share.

1243
00:50:25,555 --> 00:50:27,390
The Press: Just more
broadly -- during the

1244
00:50:27,391 --> 00:50:30,527
campaign, the President
spoke often about how

1245
00:50:30,527 --> 00:50:32,996
serious of a job the
presidency is, what it's

1246
00:50:32,996 --> 00:50:35,098
like to sit in the Oval
Office and make decisions,

1247
00:50:35,098 --> 00:50:39,936
and criticized Mr. Trump
for, in his view, not

1248
00:50:39,936 --> 00:50:41,805
having that kind of
approach that was

1249
00:50:41,805 --> 00:50:42,806
needed to be President.

1250
00:50:42,806 --> 00:50:44,908
Did he give him any advice
during this meeting?

1251
00:50:44,908 --> 00:50:48,879
Did he talk to him about
that issue and how he

1252
00:50:48,879 --> 00:50:52,482
needed to step up, or
anything he needed to do

1253
00:50:52,482 --> 00:50:54,050
differently in order to
succeed in the job

1254
00:50:54,050 --> 00:50:55,185
that he has now?

1255
00:50:55,185 --> 00:50:56,653
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
the fact that they spent

1256
00:50:56,653 --> 00:51:02,091
so much time discussing
the organization of the

1257
00:51:02,092 --> 00:51:09,499
White House I think should
be an indication that the

1258
00:51:09,499 --> 00:51:12,868
President-elect takes
seriously the important

1259
00:51:12,869 --> 00:51:14,504
responsibility that
he's been given.

1260
00:51:14,504 --> 00:51:21,545
And I think that's also --
I think that's something

1261
00:51:21,545 --> 00:51:24,714
that we can also conclude
based on the kind of tone

1262
00:51:24,714 --> 00:51:28,285
that we've heard from the
President-elect in the two

1263
00:51:28,285 --> 00:51:29,853
statements that he's
delivered since the

1264
00:51:29,853 --> 00:51:33,490
outcome of the election
was announced.

1265
00:51:33,490 --> 00:51:36,292
But I think more generally
you'd have to talk to the

1266
00:51:36,293 --> 00:51:39,062
President-elect for his
view on this topic.

1267
00:51:39,062 --> 00:51:41,330
The Press: There's
organization and human

1268
00:51:41,331 --> 00:51:44,835
resources and personnel,
and then there's how you

1269
00:51:44,835 --> 00:51:46,736
comport yourself, and
whether you take seriously

1270
00:51:46,736 --> 00:51:48,171
the office of the
presidency, which is

1271
00:51:48,171 --> 00:51:49,638
something that the
President has said in the

1272
00:51:49,639 --> 00:51:51,908
past he doesn't believe
that Mr. Trump is capable of.

1273
00:51:51,908 --> 00:51:55,879
Did he give him any advice
or pointers on how he might --

1274
00:51:55,879 --> 00:51:57,514
Mr. Earnest: I'm not sure
if they discussed this

1275
00:51:57,514 --> 00:51:58,682
specific topic or not.

1276
00:51:58,682 --> 00:52:00,517
Kevin.

1277
00:52:00,517 --> 00:52:01,151
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

1278
00:52:01,151 --> 00:52:03,752
Can you just -- you may
have touched on this -- is

1279
00:52:03,753 --> 00:52:05,555
it true that the
President-elect is now

1280
00:52:05,555 --> 00:52:08,924
receiving the two daily
intelligence briefings

1281
00:52:08,925 --> 00:52:10,327
over the transition?

1282
00:52:10,327 --> 00:52:11,294
Mr. Earnest: What I can
tell you is that the

1283
00:52:11,294 --> 00:52:12,696
intelligence community
has made those

1284
00:52:12,696 --> 00:52:13,697
briefings available.

1285
00:52:13,697 --> 00:52:16,633
I don't know whether the
President-elect, the Vice

1286
00:52:16,633 --> 00:52:19,569
President-elect, and
their national security

1287
00:52:19,569 --> 00:52:21,771
designees have actually
received the briefing.

1288
00:52:21,771 --> 00:52:23,206
You can check with them
about that, though.

1289
00:52:23,206 --> 00:52:24,641
The Press: Let me ask
you about Obamacare, the

1290
00:52:24,641 --> 00:52:25,375
Affordable Care Act.

1291
00:52:25,375 --> 00:52:27,644
Is it the President's
position that Americans

1292
00:52:27,644 --> 00:52:30,247
who currently take
advantage of the

1293
00:52:30,247 --> 00:52:33,783
Affordable Care Act
needn't be worried about

1294
00:52:33,783 --> 00:52:39,890
its demise upon the
ascension into the office

1295
00:52:39,890 --> 00:52:41,758
by President-elect Trump?

1296
00:52:41,758 --> 00:52:44,060
Mr. Earnest: Well, first
of all, we've got some

1297
00:52:44,060 --> 00:52:45,795
good news on the
Affordable Care Act today.

1298
00:52:45,795 --> 00:52:52,836
Yesterday was the highest
-- or I guess I should say

1299
00:52:52,836 --> 00:52:55,638
the best day of the open
enrollment period thus far.

1300
00:52:55,639 --> 00:52:58,375
Yesterday, more than
100,000 people selected

1301
00:52:58,375 --> 00:52:59,910
plans at healthcare.gov.

1302
00:52:59,910 --> 00:53:04,180
That's an indication of
the intense demand for the

1303
00:53:04,180 --> 00:53:07,584
kinds of insurance
offerings that are

1304
00:53:07,584 --> 00:53:09,419
available to people
at healthcare.gov.

1305
00:53:09,419 --> 00:53:12,622
So that's an indication of
the success of the program

1306
00:53:12,622 --> 00:53:14,957
when you consider the
intense demand that people

1307
00:53:14,958 --> 00:53:17,827
have for these
services and for these

1308
00:53:17,827 --> 00:53:19,396
opportunities that aren't
available other places,

1309
00:53:19,396 --> 00:53:21,498
and are only available
because of the

1310
00:53:21,498 --> 00:53:22,198
Affordable Care Act.

1311
00:53:22,198 --> 00:53:24,301
That said, the President
himself has acknowledged

1312
00:53:24,301 --> 00:53:27,404
that there are some things
that we could do to

1313
00:53:27,404 --> 00:53:29,039
strengthen the
program further.

1314
00:53:29,039 --> 00:53:33,209
Things like expanding
access to tax credits that

1315
00:53:33,209 --> 00:53:36,046
would reduce health care
costs for more Americans.

1316
00:53:36,046 --> 00:53:40,716
In some cases, if we got
more states to expand

1317
00:53:40,717 --> 00:53:43,253
Medicaid -- again, this is
providing health insurance

1318
00:53:43,253 --> 00:53:47,424
to low-income Americans,
paid for almost entirely

1319
00:53:47,424 --> 00:53:49,960
by the federal government
-- doing so would put

1320
00:53:49,960 --> 00:53:51,294
downward pressure on
the premiums

1321
00:53:51,294 --> 00:53:52,796
paid by everybody.

1322
00:53:52,796 --> 00:53:53,696
That would be
a good outcome.

1323
00:53:53,697 --> 00:53:56,900
And certainly finding
ways to overcome the

1324
00:53:56,900 --> 00:53:59,202
politically motivated
objections of Republicans

1325
00:53:59,202 --> 00:54:01,304
who have blocked Medicaid
expansion in their states

1326
00:54:01,304 --> 00:54:02,772
would be good for the law.

1327
00:54:02,772 --> 00:54:03,440
The Press: Absolutely.

1328
00:54:03,440 --> 00:54:06,009
But I guess what I'm
getting is, are those who

1329
00:54:06,009 --> 00:54:08,411
are using Obamacare
whistling past the

1330
00:54:08,411 --> 00:54:12,015
graveyard, knowing that
the President-elect will

1331
00:54:12,015 --> 00:54:15,952
have the Congress and
the power to

1332
00:54:15,952 --> 00:54:17,821
essentially repeal it?

1333
00:54:17,821 --> 00:54:19,823
Mr. Earnest: No, they're
not, because these are

1334
00:54:19,823 --> 00:54:22,058
benefits that are
available to them today.

1335
00:54:22,058 --> 00:54:23,960
And we certainly would
encourage people to sign

1336
00:54:23,960 --> 00:54:26,029
up and capitalize on the
good opportunity

1337
00:54:26,029 --> 00:54:26,696
that's there.

1338
00:54:26,696 --> 00:54:29,199
For the vast majority of
people who do sign up,

1339
00:54:29,199 --> 00:54:31,501
more than 7 in 10 of them
will be able to sign up

1340
00:54:31,501 --> 00:54:34,738
for a health care plan
for $75 a month or less.

1341
00:54:34,738 --> 00:54:37,240
The Press: So you're
saying, I'm not concerned

1342
00:54:37,240 --> 00:54:39,174
in any way, and you're
telling the American

1343
00:54:39,175 --> 00:54:41,678
people, you shouldn't be
concerned in any way that

1344
00:54:41,678 --> 00:54:43,712
Obamacare, the benefits
that you receive under

1345
00:54:43,713 --> 00:54:47,017
Obamacare will be going
away anytime soon?

1346
00:54:47,017 --> 00:54:48,484
Mr. Earnest: What I'm
saying is that the

1347
00:54:48,485 --> 00:54:49,853
President-elect is going
to make his own decisions.

1348
00:54:49,853 --> 00:54:53,056
And worries about those
future decisions should

1349
00:54:53,056 --> 00:54:55,458
not have any impact on
anybody capitalizing on

1350
00:54:55,458 --> 00:54:56,893
the opportunities that are
available to them today

1351
00:54:56,893 --> 00:54:58,428
at healthcare.gov.

1352
00:54:58,428 --> 00:54:59,596
The Press: Let me ask
about the Electoral College.

1353
00:54:59,596 --> 00:55:02,899
There's been some sort
of conversation -- we

1354
00:55:02,899 --> 00:55:06,435
certainly heard this said
in 2000 -- some have said,

1355
00:55:06,436 --> 00:55:09,539
well, one person received
the majority of the votes,

1356
00:55:09,539 --> 00:55:10,840
maybe it's time to
do away with it.

1357
00:55:10,840 --> 00:55:12,375
Usually you get that
from the side that lost.

1358
00:55:12,375 --> 00:55:16,646
What's the President's
view of the Electoral College?

1359
00:55:16,646 --> 00:55:18,348
Is it time to give
it a fresh look?

1360
00:55:18,348 --> 00:55:20,250
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
I am not aware of any

1361
00:55:20,250 --> 00:55:22,252
constitutional reform
proposal that the

1362
00:55:22,252 --> 00:55:23,186
President has put forward.

1363
00:55:23,186 --> 00:55:27,557
But, look, this is our
system and this is a

1364
00:55:27,557 --> 00:55:29,459
system that has been in
place for a long time.

1365
00:55:29,459 --> 00:55:32,562
Everybody knew the rules
before the race started,

1366
00:55:32,562 --> 00:55:34,264
and everybody
campaigned accordingly.

1367
00:55:34,264 --> 00:55:35,865
There's a reason that
the candidates and their

1368
00:55:35,865 --> 00:55:39,334
surrogates spent so much
time in states like

1369
00:55:39,335 --> 00:55:42,539
Florida and North
Carolina, where those were

1370
00:55:42,539 --> 00:55:46,276
states that have a lot of
electoral votes and where

1371
00:55:46,276 --> 00:55:47,743
the polls indicated that
the race was going

1372
00:55:47,744 --> 00:55:48,845
to be very close.

1373
00:55:48,845 --> 00:55:51,548
So everybody executed a
strategy consistent with

1374
00:55:51,548 --> 00:55:52,515
their knowledge
of the rules.

1375
00:55:52,515 --> 00:55:54,616
Nobody changed the
rules at the end.

1376
00:55:54,617 --> 00:55:57,120
As has often been
discussed, a reform

1377
00:55:57,120 --> 00:56:02,325
proposal like the one that
you're hinting at would

1378
00:56:02,325 --> 00:56:06,663
have a pretty significant
impact on the strategy

1379
00:56:06,663 --> 00:56:07,597
that people put forward.

1380
00:56:07,597 --> 00:56:10,333
It would encourage
candidates to actually

1381
00:56:10,333 --> 00:56:13,470
spend more time -- or, at
least, it would provide an

1382
00:56:13,470 --> 00:56:15,138
incentive for some
candidates to spend more

1383
00:56:15,138 --> 00:56:17,307
time in those communities
where they know they have

1384
00:56:17,307 --> 00:56:18,508
the most supporters.

1385
00:56:18,508 --> 00:56:19,776
So you can imagine
Democratic candidates

1386
00:56:19,776 --> 00:56:24,346
spending more time doing
rallies in places like

1387
00:56:24,347 --> 00:56:27,484
Northern California and
New York City, where

1388
00:56:27,484 --> 00:56:29,486
Republicans, on the other
hand, might spend more

1389
00:56:29,486 --> 00:56:33,056
time in places like New
Orleans and Dallas to try

1390
00:56:33,056 --> 00:56:34,824
to drive up the turnout
and maximize the

1391
00:56:34,824 --> 00:56:37,293
kind of turnout from
their supporters.

1392
00:56:37,293 --> 00:56:41,164
So there are consequences
for putting forward those

1393
00:56:41,164 --> 00:56:43,800
kinds of reforms and there
are some pros and cons.

1394
00:56:43,800 --> 00:56:47,270
But, look, the fact that
Secretary Clinton won the

1395
00:56:47,270 --> 00:56:50,540
popular vote on Tuesday is
indicative of the strong

1396
00:56:50,540 --> 00:56:53,610
support across the country
for her candidacy, for

1397
00:56:53,610 --> 00:56:55,178
the agenda that she
put forward.

1398
00:56:55,178 --> 00:56:59,214
And the President is
hopeful that 58, 59

1399
00:56:59,215 --> 00:57:02,152
million Americans who got
involved and were engaged

1400
00:57:02,152 --> 00:57:05,321
in support of her campaign
don't linger too long on

1401
00:57:05,321 --> 00:57:07,323
the disappointment
about the loss of their

1402
00:57:07,323 --> 00:57:10,759
candidate and will
actually seize the

1403
00:57:10,760 --> 00:57:12,395
opportunity to remain
engaged in our political

1404
00:57:12,395 --> 00:57:13,863
debate our country
will benefit from.

1405
00:57:13,863 --> 00:57:14,998
The Press: I know you
don't have any scheduling

1406
00:57:14,998 --> 00:57:18,101
updates at the moment
about the President

1407
00:57:18,101 --> 00:57:19,702
may be talking about
TPP on the Hill.

1408
00:57:19,702 --> 00:57:22,906
Is it time that he
continued to get over

1409
00:57:22,906 --> 00:57:25,441
there and maybe rally
the troops and see if

1410
00:57:25,441 --> 00:57:26,776
something can get done
here in the lame duck?

1411
00:57:26,776 --> 00:57:28,444
Mr. Earnest: Well, Kevin,
the President did have a

1412
00:57:28,444 --> 00:57:31,247
conversation with Leader
McConnell yesterday, and I

1413
00:57:31,247 --> 00:57:33,817
know that he's been
working to schedule a

1414
00:57:33,817 --> 00:57:34,818
conversation with
Speaker Ryan.

1415
00:57:34,818 --> 00:57:38,188
I don't know that that's
occurred yet, but we'll

1416
00:57:38,188 --> 00:57:38,988
keep you posted on that.

1417
00:57:38,988 --> 00:57:40,557
But certainly the
President and his team are

1418
00:57:40,557 --> 00:57:42,725
in touch with leaders in
both parties on Capitol

1419
00:57:42,725 --> 00:57:44,527
Hill about the important
work that needs to get

1420
00:57:44,527 --> 00:57:45,728
done before the
end of this year.

1421
00:57:45,728 --> 00:57:46,830
The Press: Do
you have a count?

1422
00:57:46,830 --> 00:57:47,462
Mr. Earnest: I'm sorry?

1423
00:57:47,463 --> 00:57:48,231
The Press: Do
you have a count?

1424
00:57:48,231 --> 00:57:49,833
Mr. Earnest: Not one that
I've seen publicly, but

1425
00:57:49,833 --> 00:57:53,870
you can check with the
vote counters on Capitol

1426
00:57:53,870 --> 00:57:54,770
Hill about that.

1427
00:57:54,771 --> 00:57:55,872
The Press: Last
one -- Gitmo.

1428
00:57:55,872 --> 00:57:57,307
I ask you pretty
much weekly.

1429
00:57:57,307 --> 00:57:59,642
I think the number is less
than 60 now, according to

1430
00:57:59,642 --> 00:58:00,777
my last update.

1431
00:58:00,777 --> 00:58:03,112
Any readout on the
possibility that that

1432
00:58:03,112 --> 00:58:06,082
number will be dropping
below, say, 50 in the next

1433
00:58:06,082 --> 00:58:07,049
week or two?

1434
00:58:07,050 --> 00:58:07,817
Mr. Earnest: Well, I don't
have any predictions

1435
00:58:07,817 --> 00:58:08,351
at this point.

1436
00:58:08,351 --> 00:58:10,420
But obviously we're
continuing to do the

1437
00:58:10,420 --> 00:58:13,423
important diplomatic work
of transferring those

1438
00:58:13,423 --> 00:58:15,758
individuals that had been
determined by a review

1439
00:58:15,758 --> 00:58:18,595
board that they can be
safely transferred under a

1440
00:58:18,595 --> 00:58:19,962
set of restrictions
to other countries.

1441
00:58:19,963 --> 00:58:24,033
I don't have any upcoming
transfers to preview, but

1442
00:58:24,033 --> 00:58:25,801
I can confirm for you that
if any transfers are made,

1443
00:58:25,802 --> 00:58:26,769
we will announce
them publicly.

1444
00:58:26,769 --> 00:58:28,904
Sarah.

1445
00:58:28,905 --> 00:58:31,541
The Press: Josh, the First
Lady took a little bit of

1446
00:58:31,541 --> 00:58:33,343
an unprecedented role on
the campaign trail

1447
00:58:33,343 --> 00:58:34,077
this last cycle.

1448
00:58:34,077 --> 00:58:37,881
Does she see herself in
having a role in sort of

1449
00:58:37,881 --> 00:58:40,216
projecting this sort of
smooth transition

1450
00:58:40,216 --> 00:58:43,519
of power attitude?

1451
00:58:43,519 --> 00:58:45,622
Mr. Earnest: She doesn't
have any sort of vested

1452
00:58:45,622 --> 00:58:46,990
constitutional
responsibility that

1453
00:58:46,990 --> 00:58:48,024
relate to a transition.

1454
00:58:48,024 --> 00:58:51,394
I think what you saw
today was a gesture of

1455
00:58:51,394 --> 00:58:54,263
hospitality to the
incoming First Lady.

1456
00:58:54,264 --> 00:59:01,371
Mrs. Obama has talked
before publicly about the

1457
00:59:01,371 --> 00:59:05,575
stresses and anxieties of
moving to a new place,

1458
00:59:05,575 --> 00:59:08,877
living inside a fishbowl,
living inside a museum,

1459
00:59:08,878 --> 00:59:11,147
and raising your
family there.

1460
00:59:11,147 --> 00:59:16,085
And I'm sure that Mrs.
Trump is feeling many

1461
00:59:16,085 --> 00:59:18,788
of those same anxieties
as she prepares to move

1462
00:59:18,788 --> 00:59:23,860
herself and her family
into the White House.

1463
00:59:23,860 --> 00:59:29,132
And so the courtesy that
Mrs. Obama extended is

1464
00:59:29,132 --> 00:59:31,701
rooted in her own
experience of going

1465
00:59:31,701 --> 00:59:32,602
through this
difficult transition.

1466
00:59:32,602 --> 00:59:34,971
The Press: And I'm just a
little confused -- when

1467
00:59:34,971 --> 00:59:38,808
you and the President say
that you hope Donald Trump

1468
00:59:38,808 --> 00:59:42,412
is successful, given that
the President has said

1469
00:59:42,412 --> 00:59:44,413
that he sees Trump as
having the potential to

1470
00:59:44,414 --> 00:59:47,317
undermine democracy,
undermine American ideals,

1471
00:59:47,317 --> 00:59:50,887
wouldn't it be fair to say
that you don't want him

1472
00:59:50,887 --> 00:59:52,288
to be successful?

1473
00:59:52,288 --> 00:59:53,423
Mr. Earnest: That's a
good question, Sarah.

1474
00:59:53,423 --> 00:59:56,859
The point that I made --
and I tried to be precise

1475
00:59:56,859 --> 01:00:00,363
about this -- is that the
President's view is that

1476
01:00:00,363 --> 01:00:02,665
our country benefits when
we have a President who

1477
01:00:02,665 --> 01:00:05,601
succeeds in helping the
American people understand

1478
01:00:05,601 --> 01:00:07,303
our collective interests.

1479
01:00:07,303 --> 01:00:12,208
And that's why the
President has talked about

1480
01:00:12,208 --> 01:00:16,713
his hope that President
Trump will succeed in

1481
01:00:16,713 --> 01:00:17,647
uniting the country.

1482
01:00:17,647 --> 01:00:20,783
There are some profound
political differences that

1483
01:00:20,783 --> 01:00:26,589
were revealed by this
election, and our country

1484
01:00:26,589 --> 01:00:28,024
will be better served if
we can try to

1485
01:00:28,024 --> 01:00:28,857
bridge that gap.

1486
01:00:28,858 --> 01:00:30,126
It doesn't mean we're
going to agree on everything.

1487
01:00:30,126 --> 01:00:33,997
And it doesn't mean that
President Obama is now

1488
01:00:33,997 --> 01:00:36,265
endorsing every policy
proposal that the

1489
01:00:36,265 --> 01:00:39,335
President-elect
vows to pursue.

1490
01:00:39,335 --> 01:00:40,603
Their differences remain.

1491
01:00:40,603 --> 01:00:42,772
Their differences
are profound.

1492
01:00:42,772 --> 01:00:50,212
But our country succeeds
and our country does best

1493
01:00:50,213 --> 01:00:52,949
when we have a President
who is succeeding in

1494
01:00:52,949 --> 01:00:54,851
uniting and leading
the country.

1495
01:00:54,851 --> 01:00:57,620
And that's what the
President is hopeful for.

1496
01:00:57,620 --> 01:01:00,189
And the President -- the
current President is going

1497
01:01:00,189 --> 01:01:03,893
to do his part to try
to give the incoming

1498
01:01:03,893 --> 01:01:06,562
President every advantage
as he seeks to do that.

1499
01:01:06,562 --> 01:01:08,998
And that is, after all,
the message that we heard

1500
01:01:08,998 --> 01:01:11,801
from President-elect
Trump on Election Night.

1501
01:01:11,801 --> 01:01:15,171
The Press: Did the birther
issue come up at all

1502
01:01:15,171 --> 01:01:16,004
during their meeting?

1503
01:01:16,005 --> 01:01:16,973
(laughter)

1504
01:01:16,973 --> 01:01:17,673
Mr. Earnest: I'm not
aware that it did.

1505
01:01:17,673 --> 01:01:20,243
I'm not aware that it did.

1506
01:01:20,243 --> 01:01:21,411
George.

1507
01:01:21,411 --> 01:01:21,978
The Press: Thanks.

1508
01:01:21,978 --> 01:01:25,748
Speaking of the fishbowl,
as the new team looks to

1509
01:01:25,748 --> 01:01:27,417
name its press secretary
and communications

1510
01:01:27,417 --> 01:01:30,720
director, what advice
would you give them

1511
01:01:30,720 --> 01:01:32,288
generally on press
relations and,

1512
01:01:32,288 --> 01:01:34,457
specifically, on pools?

1513
01:01:34,457 --> 01:01:37,794
Mr. Earnest: Well, let me
just stipulate that I'm

1514
01:01:37,794 --> 01:01:39,694
not sure they're going to
be that interested in all

1515
01:01:39,695 --> 01:01:40,797
that much advice from me.

1516
01:01:40,797 --> 01:01:42,498
And that's okay.

1517
01:01:42,498 --> 01:01:44,667
I stand ready to provide
whatever advice is sought.

1518
01:01:44,667 --> 01:01:48,770
The first thing I'd tell
them is that you guys

1519
01:01:48,771 --> 01:01:49,839
are a bunch of softies.

1520
01:01:49,839 --> 01:01:51,841
(laughter)

1521
01:01:51,841 --> 01:01:53,142
I wouldn't say that.

1522
01:01:53,142 --> 01:01:53,875
Unfortunately,
that's not true.

1523
01:01:53,876 --> 01:01:57,413
What I would tell them
is that they have a

1524
01:01:57,413 --> 01:02:02,618
responsibility to
communicate with the White

1525
01:02:02,618 --> 01:02:04,487
House Press Corps.

1526
01:02:04,487 --> 01:02:05,888
The White House Press
Corps has a

1527
01:02:05,888 --> 01:02:08,057
critically important,
constitutionally protected

1528
01:02:08,057 --> 01:02:11,627
function to hold people
in power accountable.

1529
01:02:11,627 --> 01:02:15,998
And that's something
that you and your news

1530
01:02:15,998 --> 01:02:18,634
organizations devote
significant time

1531
01:02:18,634 --> 01:02:19,769
and resources to.

1532
01:02:19,769 --> 01:02:21,870
There's also a lot of
expertise in this room.

1533
01:02:21,871 --> 01:02:25,174
There are a lot of people
in here who have covered

1534
01:02:25,174 --> 01:02:28,845
many different White
Houses, and that

1535
01:02:28,845 --> 01:02:35,952
historical perspective is
something that benefits

1536
01:02:35,952 --> 01:02:39,222
your ability to describe
to the American

1537
01:02:39,222 --> 01:02:40,490
people just what's
happening here.

1538
01:02:40,490 --> 01:02:44,894
And I guess the last thing
-- there are a lot of

1539
01:02:44,894 --> 01:02:46,662
other things I
would say to them.

1540
01:02:46,662 --> 01:02:48,163
The last thing I'll say to
you about what I would say

1541
01:02:48,164 --> 01:02:54,203
to them is that it's hard
to read things in the

1542
01:02:54,203 --> 01:02:55,371
media that are
critical of you.

1543
01:02:55,371 --> 01:02:58,774
It's hard to read things
in the press that are

1544
01:02:58,774 --> 01:03:04,247
critical of things that
you deeply believe in and

1545
01:03:04,247 --> 01:03:07,383
that you've been working
day and night to advance.

1546
01:03:07,383 --> 01:03:11,821
And so there's a natural
tendency I think to recoil

1547
01:03:11,821 --> 01:03:16,025
and to write off people
who disagree with you as

1548
01:03:16,025 --> 01:03:22,532
people who are not
worth talking to.

1549
01:03:22,532 --> 01:03:28,437
And that is a natural
human tendency

1550
01:03:28,437 --> 01:03:29,238
and temptation.

1551
01:03:29,238 --> 01:03:33,075
And my advice to the
incoming team would be to

1552
01:03:33,075 --> 01:03:35,912
not give into that
temptation; that the kinds

1553
01:03:35,912 --> 01:03:37,279
of conversations that I've
had with all of you --

1554
01:03:37,280 --> 01:03:39,815
everybody who is sitting
in this room has, on many

1555
01:03:39,815 --> 01:03:44,253
occasions, written things
or broadcast things about

1556
01:03:44,253 --> 01:03:46,389
the White House that I
didn't agree with, that I

1557
01:03:46,389 --> 01:03:48,858
didn't think were fair,
that I didn't reflect --

1558
01:03:48,858 --> 01:03:51,994
thought reflect the kinds
of priorities that we've

1559
01:03:51,994 --> 01:03:54,163
established or accurately
reflect what

1560
01:03:54,163 --> 01:03:55,965
we're trying to do.

1561
01:03:55,965 --> 01:04:01,103
But those stories never
got better by ignoring

1562
01:04:01,103 --> 01:04:03,606
your emails or ignoring
your phone calls, or

1563
01:04:03,606 --> 01:04:04,907
telling you that you're
not allowed to come in

1564
01:04:04,907 --> 01:04:06,375
my office anymore.

1565
01:04:06,375 --> 01:04:07,210
That's never happened.

1566
01:04:07,210 --> 01:04:11,681
The way to try to change
your view or to try to

1567
01:04:11,681 --> 01:04:14,984
influence your reporting
is to make a case to

1568
01:04:14,984 --> 01:04:16,219
you on the merits.

1569
01:04:16,219 --> 01:04:19,855
And you can't do that if
you won't pick up the

1570
01:04:19,855 --> 01:04:20,990
phone, and you can't do
that if you won't

1571
01:04:20,990 --> 01:04:22,024
return an email.

1572
01:04:22,024 --> 01:04:23,491
And so that's the
philosophy that we

1573
01:04:23,492 --> 01:04:25,394
have pursued here.

1574
01:04:25,394 --> 01:04:27,562
I'm sure there will be
plenty of people who will

1575
01:04:27,563 --> 01:04:29,865
say that -- on your side
who will say that we

1576
01:04:29,865 --> 01:04:32,133
didn't do that enough, or
maybe that we did it too

1577
01:04:32,134 --> 01:04:36,005
much, and we're
open to that kind

1578
01:04:36,005 --> 01:04:37,907
of second-guessing.

1579
01:04:37,907 --> 01:04:39,709
But that's the strategy
that we have pursued.

1580
01:04:39,709 --> 01:04:42,477
I think that strategy has
served President Obama

1581
01:04:42,478 --> 01:04:45,448
well, but, most
importantly, I think that

1582
01:04:45,448 --> 01:04:48,750
strategy has served the
American people well for

1583
01:04:48,751 --> 01:04:51,554
helping them understand
what we're doing here.

1584
01:04:51,554 --> 01:04:53,756
After all, if you believe
as deeply and as strongly

1585
01:04:53,756 --> 01:04:59,328
as I do about what we're
doing, then you should be

1586
01:04:59,328 --> 01:05:01,697
interested in having an
opportunity to make that

1587
01:05:01,697 --> 01:05:03,199
case to the American
public, because it's

1588
01:05:03,199 --> 01:05:04,800
likely to persuade people.

1589
01:05:04,800 --> 01:05:07,503
And that's the approach
that we've taken, and I

1590
01:05:07,503 --> 01:05:10,840
think the President and
the American people have

1591
01:05:10,840 --> 01:05:11,841
been well served by it.

1592
01:05:11,841 --> 01:05:13,375
The Press: And
on the pools?

1593
01:05:13,376 --> 01:05:21,450
Mr. Earnest: On the pools,
look, having a pool of

1594
01:05:21,450 --> 01:05:23,185
reporters follow you
around everywhere you go

1595
01:05:23,185 --> 01:05:27,890
is inconvenient,
occasionally annoying, and

1596
01:05:27,890 --> 01:05:29,825
takes a long time
to get used to.

1597
01:05:29,825 --> 01:05:32,560
But it serves an
important purpose.

1598
01:05:32,561 --> 01:05:36,899
And this White House has
gone to great lengths to

1599
01:05:36,899 --> 01:05:38,968
coordinate with all of
you as you organize that

1600
01:05:38,968 --> 01:05:42,471
effort, and I would
recommend that the

1601
01:05:42,471 --> 01:05:45,207
incoming administration
do the same.

1602
01:05:45,207 --> 01:05:45,808
Alexis.

1603
01:05:45,808 --> 01:05:47,276
The Press: Josh, can
I just ask two quick

1604
01:05:47,276 --> 01:05:48,344
follow-ups and
one question?

1605
01:05:48,344 --> 01:05:51,514
In response to your answer
to Major's question, you

1606
01:05:51,514 --> 01:05:55,084
may remember that in the
transition from George W.

1607
01:05:55,084 --> 01:05:58,287
Bush to Barack Obama,
the Commander-in-Chief

1608
01:05:58,287 --> 01:06:01,589
briefing -- or talking
to the incoming

1609
01:06:01,590 --> 01:06:03,526
Commander-in-Chief had
three things on his mind,

1610
01:06:03,526 --> 01:06:06,595
classified things that he
wanted to personally brief

1611
01:06:06,595 --> 01:06:09,832
incoming President
Obama on.

1612
01:06:09,832 --> 01:06:14,103
Did President Obama today
use this opportunity to do

1613
01:06:14,103 --> 01:06:18,574
something similar with
President-elect Trump, to

1614
01:06:18,574 --> 01:06:23,012
talk about classified
things related to being

1615
01:06:23,012 --> 01:06:25,981
Commander-in-Chief, or
international policy, and

1616
01:06:25,981 --> 01:06:28,150
use today as that
venue for that?

1617
01:06:28,150 --> 01:06:31,020
Mr. Earnest: Well
President Obama did use

1618
01:06:31,020 --> 01:06:33,389
this occasion to talk
about some important

1619
01:06:33,389 --> 01:06:35,491
foreign policy priorities.

1620
01:06:35,491 --> 01:06:38,961
I don't know the extent to
which those conversations

1621
01:06:38,961 --> 01:06:42,131
would be classified, in
part because I

1622
01:06:42,131 --> 01:06:42,732
didn't hear them.

1623
01:06:42,732 --> 01:06:46,669
So there was important
information that was

1624
01:06:46,669 --> 01:06:49,571
discussed, but I don't
know where they would rate

1625
01:06:49,572 --> 01:06:51,374
on the classification
scale.

1626
01:06:51,374 --> 01:06:54,009
The Press: Following up on
Julie's question, did the

1627
01:06:54,009 --> 01:06:56,245
-- because there was this
reference to "high-flying

1628
01:06:56,245 --> 01:06:58,447
assets," which might have
been Air Force One or some

1629
01:06:58,447 --> 01:07:00,416
reference to the perks
that come with

1630
01:07:00,416 --> 01:07:00,950
the White House.

1631
01:07:00,950 --> 01:07:03,285
Did the President take
a moment to even make

1632
01:07:03,285 --> 01:07:06,055
reference to the value of
an encrypted smartphone?

1633
01:07:06,055 --> 01:07:08,424
Mr. Earnest: Oh, I don't
know to what extent they

1634
01:07:08,424 --> 01:07:10,593
talked about personal
communications devices,

1635
01:07:10,593 --> 01:07:13,328
but presumably they will.

1636
01:07:13,329 --> 01:07:15,231
The Press: Third question
is, the President is still

1637
01:07:15,231 --> 01:07:17,566
the titular head of
the Democratic Party.

1638
01:07:17,566 --> 01:07:21,236
To what extent will he
weigh in on the leadership

1639
01:07:21,237 --> 01:07:23,305
questions that
the DNC is facing?

1640
01:07:23,305 --> 01:07:26,741
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
having moved to Washington

1641
01:07:26,742 --> 01:07:31,080
D.C. in 2001 for the first
time, the Democratic Party

1642
01:07:31,080 --> 01:07:35,750
was facing a similar
question -- because when

1643
01:07:35,751 --> 01:07:39,855
there's one party that's
in the White House and

1644
01:07:39,855 --> 01:07:42,391
that same party controls
Congress, it elevates the

1645
01:07:42,391 --> 01:07:45,094
position of the
chair of the DNC.

1646
01:07:45,094 --> 01:07:46,829
So it's an
important decision.

1647
01:07:46,829 --> 01:07:48,330
I don't know to what
extent President Obama

1648
01:07:48,330 --> 01:07:50,132
will weigh in on it.

1649
01:07:50,132 --> 01:07:53,969
As I recall from 2001,
that was a race that was

1650
01:07:53,969 --> 01:07:56,138
hotly contested and
closely covered by the

1651
01:07:56,138 --> 01:07:59,775
news media, and I would
anticipate that candidates

1652
01:07:59,775 --> 01:08:03,279
for that position will
covet the endorsement of

1653
01:08:03,279 --> 01:08:04,146
the outgoing President.

1654
01:08:04,146 --> 01:08:06,348
I don't know to what
extent he'll have one to

1655
01:08:06,348 --> 01:08:09,151
offer, but we'll keep
you posted on all of it.

1656
01:08:09,151 --> 01:08:10,118
Andrew.

1657
01:08:10,119 --> 01:08:11,620
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

1658
01:08:11,620 --> 01:08:14,824
My question goes back to
the issue of press access

1659
01:08:14,824 --> 01:08:15,925
and pools and so on.

1660
01:08:15,925 --> 01:08:19,128
I mean, you spoke about
-- glowingly about press

1661
01:08:19,127 --> 01:08:21,130
access and all that the
White House has done to

1662
01:08:21,130 --> 01:08:22,398
encourage that.

1663
01:08:22,398 --> 01:08:25,000
Why, then, did the
President tell the

1664
01:08:25,000 --> 01:08:27,970
President-elect not to
answer shouted questions?

1665
01:08:27,970 --> 01:08:30,306
Mr. Earnest: I think he
was making clear that he's

1666
01:08:30,305 --> 01:08:31,573
not obligated to do so.

1667
01:08:31,573 --> 01:08:33,942
But obviously, the
President-elect, if he

1668
01:08:33,943 --> 01:08:36,278
wanted to answer those
shouted questions, he could.

1669
01:08:36,278 --> 01:08:39,381
President Obama on many
occasions has chosen to

1670
01:08:39,381 --> 01:08:40,683
answer those questions.

1671
01:08:40,683 --> 01:08:43,385
On many more occasions,
he's chosen not to.

1672
01:08:43,385 --> 01:08:47,256
And I think that tradition
is something that he was

1673
01:08:47,256 --> 01:08:49,258
communicating to the
President-elect.

1674
01:08:49,258 --> 01:08:50,658
Victoria.

1675
01:08:50,658 --> 01:08:53,728
The Press: The
President-elect, at the

1676
01:08:53,729 --> 01:08:56,098
beginning of the -- the
bottom of the meeting when

1677
01:08:56,098 --> 01:08:59,201
we saw him, he was
fidgeting a little bit and

1678
01:08:59,201 --> 01:09:03,805
the tenor of his voice was
a little nervous for him.

1679
01:09:03,805 --> 01:09:06,709
He seemed, frankly, awed
after 90 minutes

1680
01:09:06,709 --> 01:09:08,410
with the President.

1681
01:09:08,410 --> 01:09:10,312
Can you characterize
how he seemed?

1682
01:09:10,312 --> 01:09:12,515
Because he seemed
gobsmacked.

1683
01:09:12,515 --> 01:09:13,716
(laughter)

1684
01:09:13,716 --> 01:09:16,552
Mr. Earnest: I was
standing behind the pool

1685
01:09:16,551 --> 01:09:19,220
in the Oval Office while
they both spoke, so you

1686
01:09:19,220 --> 01:09:21,189
all had a better view
of him than I did.

1687
01:09:21,189 --> 01:09:23,259
And I was -- frankly, at
the beginning of their

1688
01:09:23,259 --> 01:09:24,593
comments, I was focused on
what President

1689
01:09:24,593 --> 01:09:25,426
Obama was saying.

1690
01:09:25,426 --> 01:09:27,763
I wasn't reading
any body language.

1691
01:09:27,763 --> 01:09:31,066
The Press: You don't have
any sense of his affect?

1692
01:09:31,066 --> 01:09:31,934
Mr. Earnest: I don't.

1693
01:09:31,934 --> 01:09:33,135
I don't.

1694
01:09:33,135 --> 01:09:33,702
J.C.

1695
01:09:33,702 --> 01:09:37,406
The Press: Speaking about
the smooth transition in

1696
01:09:37,406 --> 01:09:41,143
terms of cooperation,
coordination, and maybe

1697
01:09:41,143 --> 01:09:44,413
intelligence and insight,
might you envision the

1698
01:09:44,412 --> 01:09:46,147
President and Mr. Trump
as they build their

1699
01:09:46,148 --> 01:09:48,450
relationship that started
today -- that there will

1700
01:09:48,450 --> 01:09:50,920
actually be a conversation
in terms of the

1701
01:09:50,920 --> 01:09:52,821
President's insight on
some of the world leaders

1702
01:09:52,821 --> 01:09:55,391
that Mr. Trump is going to
have to deal with in the

1703
01:09:55,391 --> 01:09:56,458
next two months.

1704
01:09:56,458 --> 01:09:57,593
Mr. Earnest: Listen, they
don't have any additional

1705
01:09:57,593 --> 01:09:59,394
meetings that are on the
books right now, but I

1706
01:09:59,395 --> 01:10:00,563
wouldn't rule out
future meetings.

1707
01:10:00,563 --> 01:10:04,466
And again, if
President-elect Trump were

1708
01:10:04,466 --> 01:10:07,403
interested in President
Obama's counsel about his

1709
01:10:07,403 --> 01:10:09,371
communications or his
relationship with some

1710
01:10:09,371 --> 01:10:11,473
foreign leader, I'm
confident that President

1711
01:10:11,473 --> 01:10:13,342
Obama would not
hesitate to share it.

1712
01:10:13,342 --> 01:10:14,442
Cheryl.

1713
01:10:14,443 --> 01:10:15,177
The Press: Thanks.

1714
01:10:15,177 --> 01:10:18,681
A CR expires December 9th.

1715
01:10:18,681 --> 01:10:22,183
Does the election change
any of the strategy on

1716
01:10:22,184 --> 01:10:24,186
finishing the spending
bills for this year, or

1717
01:10:24,186 --> 01:10:26,554
are you just going
to do a CR --

1718
01:10:26,555 --> 01:10:31,327
Mr. Earnest: Well, let me
answer your question first

1719
01:10:31,327 --> 01:10:34,597
by saying, no, that
we have consistently

1720
01:10:34,597 --> 01:10:38,567
advocated for Congress
fulfilling its

1721
01:10:38,567 --> 01:10:41,837
responsibility to pass
budgets that give agencies

1722
01:10:41,837 --> 01:10:44,540
in the federal government
certainty about

1723
01:10:44,540 --> 01:10:45,541
the budget picture.

1724
01:10:45,541 --> 01:10:47,843
That's particularly true
when you're talking about

1725
01:10:47,843 --> 01:10:49,678
the kinds of commitments
that are made by the

1726
01:10:49,678 --> 01:10:51,680
Department of Defense
and our intelligence

1727
01:10:51,680 --> 01:10:54,516
communities that expend
significant sums of money

1728
01:10:54,516 --> 01:10:55,384
to keep us safe.

1729
01:10:55,384 --> 01:10:58,587
And just funding them two
or three or four months at

1730
01:10:58,587 --> 01:11:02,358
a time is not a
smart way to do it.

1731
01:11:02,358 --> 01:11:06,762
So we'll engage in
conversations with Capitol

1732
01:11:06,762 --> 01:11:08,563
Hill, and President Obama
has already done that with

1733
01:11:08,564 --> 01:11:12,401
the Republican leader, to
talk to them and to urge

1734
01:11:12,401 --> 01:11:14,269
them to fulfill their
basic responsibility to

1735
01:11:14,269 --> 01:11:18,774
pass the kind of budget
that would provide some

1736
01:11:18,774 --> 01:11:23,545
certainty to military,
national security and

1737
01:11:23,545 --> 01:11:24,980
other federal government
officials that

1738
01:11:24,980 --> 01:11:26,949
have important
responsibilities.

1739
01:11:26,949 --> 01:11:29,250
The President believes
it's important to give

1740
01:11:29,251 --> 01:11:31,887
them certainty so that
they can make longer-term

1741
01:11:31,887 --> 01:11:34,322
decisions with confidence.

1742
01:11:34,323 --> 01:11:35,457
The Press: So just the
reverse of that real

1743
01:11:35,457 --> 01:11:39,361
quick, have you heard from
Capitol Hill on whether

1744
01:11:39,361 --> 01:11:40,295
they agree with that?

1745
01:11:40,295 --> 01:11:42,197
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
I'll let members on

1746
01:11:42,197 --> 01:11:44,299
Capitol Hill express their
own view, but there have

1747
01:11:44,299 --> 01:11:46,101
been a number of
conversations, mostly at

1748
01:11:46,101 --> 01:11:49,038
the staff level, about
this and other topics that

1749
01:11:49,038 --> 01:11:50,606
relate to the work that
Congress must get done

1750
01:11:50,606 --> 01:11:51,572
before the end
of the year.

1751
01:11:51,573 --> 01:11:58,380
The Press: Josh, given the
statement of Trump, et al,

1752
01:11:58,380 --> 01:12:02,317
that they want to revoke
Obama executive orders as

1753
01:12:02,317 --> 01:12:04,920
soon as they can, has that
in any way put the brakes

1754
01:12:04,920 --> 01:12:07,056
of any anticipated
executive orders?

1755
01:12:07,056 --> 01:12:09,491
And do you still have a
stream of them that's

1756
01:12:09,491 --> 01:12:11,460
expected between now
and January 20th?

1757
01:12:11,460 --> 01:12:13,028
Mr. Earnest: I don't have
anything to say about

1758
01:12:13,028 --> 01:12:16,532
upcoming executive orders
other than to tell you

1759
01:12:16,532 --> 01:12:19,268
that I'm not aware that
any of our plans in that

1760
01:12:19,268 --> 01:12:21,170
area has been affected
by the outcome

1761
01:12:21,170 --> 01:12:22,271
of the election.

1762
01:12:22,271 --> 01:12:24,273
The Press: Do you expect
a lot more commutations

1763
01:12:24,273 --> 01:12:26,208
between now and the end?

1764
01:12:26,208 --> 01:12:27,875
Because there seems
to have been a very

1765
01:12:27,876 --> 01:12:30,679
concentrated effort to
deal with people in

1766
01:12:30,679 --> 01:12:34,149
prison for long
drug-related terms.

1767
01:12:34,149 --> 01:12:36,351
What was the
forecast on that?

1768
01:12:36,351 --> 01:12:39,487
And is this a part of
Obama's legacy that can't

1769
01:12:39,488 --> 01:12:41,023
be taken away,
as you see it?

1770
01:12:41,023 --> 01:12:42,591
Mr. Earnest: Well, the
President has made this a

1771
01:12:42,591 --> 01:12:44,993
priority and the President
does believe that there

1772
01:12:44,993 --> 01:12:48,130
are some injustices that
can be corrected using his

1773
01:12:48,130 --> 01:12:50,599
clemency authorities.

1774
01:12:50,599 --> 01:12:55,771
And he's done that with
respect to a certain

1775
01:12:55,771 --> 01:13:00,909
classification of
convictions more than the

1776
01:13:00,909 --> 01:13:02,710
last 10 or 11
Presidents combined.

1777
01:13:02,711 --> 01:13:05,681
So I do think that's an
important part of his legacy.

1778
01:13:05,681 --> 01:13:09,183
He would much prefer that
his legacy include the

1779
01:13:09,184 --> 01:13:12,321
passage of criminal
justice reform legislation

1780
01:13:12,321 --> 01:13:15,791
that would be much more
effective in addressing

1781
01:13:15,791 --> 01:13:19,528
some of the widespread
inequities that leaders

1782
01:13:19,528 --> 01:13:21,063
in both parties
have identified.

1783
01:13:21,063 --> 01:13:22,698
Unfortunately, that
has not happened.

1784
01:13:22,698 --> 01:13:24,600
I don't know if Congress
will get that done before

1785
01:13:24,600 --> 01:13:25,801
the end of the year.

1786
01:13:25,801 --> 01:13:27,569
The President will
certainly encourage them

1787
01:13:27,569 --> 01:13:29,738
to try to do that.

1788
01:13:29,738 --> 01:13:32,541
And there is bipartisan
agreement around this.

1789
01:13:32,541 --> 01:13:36,845
I can't speak to the
President's-elect view of

1790
01:13:36,845 --> 01:13:38,781
this priority, but
obviously it's one that

1791
01:13:38,781 --> 01:13:41,917
President Obama and his
team have invested deeply in.

1792
01:13:41,917 --> 01:13:44,153
I would expect additional
commutations before the

1793
01:13:44,153 --> 01:13:45,387
President leaves office.

1794
01:13:45,387 --> 01:13:47,889
But those are the kind of
commutation decisions that

1795
01:13:47,890 --> 01:13:50,626
have been in the pipeline
even before the outcome of

1796
01:13:50,626 --> 01:13:52,961
the election, and I'm not
aware that the outcome of

1797
01:13:52,961 --> 01:13:55,197
the election would have
any impact on those

1798
01:13:55,197 --> 01:13:56,832
clemency decisions.

1799
01:13:56,832 --> 01:13:58,233
The Press: Is there
any piece of legacy

1800
01:13:58,233 --> 01:14:01,970
legislation that you think
you can get passed before

1801
01:14:01,970 --> 01:14:02,771
he leaves office?

1802
01:14:02,771 --> 01:14:04,306
Mr. Earnest: Well, that's
what -- we'll be having

1803
01:14:04,306 --> 01:14:05,040
some conversations
about that.

1804
01:14:05,040 --> 01:14:06,675
So we'll see.

1805
01:14:06,675 --> 01:14:07,976
Francesca, I'll give
you the last one.

1806
01:14:07,976 --> 01:14:09,044
The Press:
Thank you, Josh.

1807
01:14:09,044 --> 01:14:11,246
Let me start by saying I
appreciate you pointing

1808
01:14:11,246 --> 01:14:14,750
out that in 2000 and in
2008, that reporters

1809
01:14:14,750 --> 01:14:16,151
didn't have access to
the Oval Office meeting,

1810
01:14:16,151 --> 01:14:18,287
because some of us were
not there at that time

1811
01:14:18,287 --> 01:14:19,087
to remember that.

1812
01:14:19,087 --> 01:14:24,126
I appreciate you pointing
that out about the Oval

1813
01:14:24,126 --> 01:14:25,093
Office access meeting.

1814
01:14:25,093 --> 01:14:28,430
I think what we're trying
to understand is what the

1815
01:14:28,430 --> 01:14:31,667
thinking behind not
allowing reporters to be

1816
01:14:31,667 --> 01:14:34,436
on the South Lawn today
was, what the thinking was

1817
01:14:34,436 --> 01:14:36,638
behind that and
why that happened?

1818
01:14:36,638 --> 01:14:38,707
Mr. Earnest: The idea was
just that we wanted to

1819
01:14:38,707 --> 01:14:40,242
provide you the best
access that we could.

1820
01:14:40,242 --> 01:14:42,044
And the best access
that all of you have

1821
01:14:42,044 --> 01:14:43,812
consistently advocated
for, for the last eight

1822
01:14:43,812 --> 01:14:46,148
years, is access to the
President and the person

1823
01:14:46,148 --> 01:14:48,217
that he's meeting with
in the Oval Office with

1824
01:14:48,217 --> 01:14:50,085
statements in front
of the full pool.

1825
01:14:50,085 --> 01:14:51,353
And that's exactly what
was provided today.

1826
01:14:51,353 --> 01:14:56,992
The Press: And what then,
if anything, should we

1827
01:14:56,992 --> 01:14:59,127
draw from the fact that we
have neither heard from,

1828
01:14:59,127 --> 01:15:00,329
nor seen the
First Lady today?

1829
01:15:00,329 --> 01:15:02,464
Mr. Earnest: Well, listen,
as I mentioned earlier,

1830
01:15:02,464 --> 01:15:03,866
we'll consult with the
White House photographer

1831
01:15:03,866 --> 01:15:05,167
-- presumably you guys
have been able to

1832
01:15:05,167 --> 01:15:05,834
do that already.

1833
01:15:05,834 --> 01:15:08,737
So we'll try to expedite
the release of a photo so

1834
01:15:08,737 --> 01:15:10,239
that you can see
that interaction.

1835
01:15:10,239 --> 01:15:15,009
But I can tell you that
the First Lady enjoyed the

1836
01:15:15,010 --> 01:15:18,413
opportunity that she had
to welcome Mrs. Trump to

1837
01:15:18,413 --> 01:15:20,214
the White House and to
give her the tour that I

1838
01:15:20,215 --> 01:15:23,085
described earlier, and to
discuss the unique demands

1839
01:15:23,085 --> 01:15:25,654
of raising a family
in the White House.

1840
01:15:25,654 --> 01:15:28,824
And the First Lady was
pleased to extend that

1841
01:15:28,824 --> 01:15:31,593
courtesy to Mrs. Trump and
enjoyed the opportunity

1842
01:15:31,593 --> 01:15:35,664
that she had to
visit with her today.

1843
01:15:35,664 --> 01:15:37,199
The Press: And as far as
the photos go, may we also

1844
01:15:37,199 --> 01:15:39,300
possibly put in a request
for some of the ones you

1845
01:15:39,301 --> 01:15:40,936
described on the
Truman Balcony?

1846
01:15:40,936 --> 01:15:42,204
I don't know if a
photographer was following

1847
01:15:42,204 --> 01:15:43,272
them around then as well.

1848
01:15:43,272 --> 01:15:45,540
If there's any photos like
that you could possibly

1849
01:15:45,540 --> 01:15:47,042
release that would
be helpful, too.

1850
01:15:47,042 --> 01:15:47,676
Mr. Earnest: We'll
see what we have.

1851
01:15:47,676 --> 01:15:49,544
I don't know how
closely the White House

1852
01:15:49,544 --> 01:15:50,812
photographer was covering
them while they were

1853
01:15:50,812 --> 01:15:53,181
walking through the
private residence, but

1854
01:15:53,181 --> 01:15:54,883
we'll see what we can do.

1855
01:15:54,883 --> 01:15:55,651
Thanks, everybody.