President-Elect Trump Calls Obama 'Very Good Man'I atfer they meet at White House

President Obama meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

President-elect Trump, who rose to political fame by falsely questioning the birthplace of the sitting president, said he had "great respect" for Obama, called him a "very good man" and said he would seek his "counsel" in the future. Trump, who noted that the two had never met before, said they were slated to speak for maybe 10 to 15 minutes, but the meeting, which lasted more than an hour and a half, could have gone on even longer. Trump said they talked about "difficulties" around the world but also about accomplishments.

"I very much look forward to dealing with the president in the future, including counsel," Trump said. "He's — he explained some of the difficulties, some of the high-flying assets, and some of the really great things that have been achieved."

Obama described it as an "excellent conversation" and "wide-ranging" — from how to organizationally set up a White House to foreign and domestic policy.

"I believe that it is important for all of us, regardless of party and regardless of political preferences, to now come together, work together to deal with the many challenges that we face," Obama said, adding that he wanted Trump and his wife, Melania, the incoming first lady, to feel "welcome" as they make the transition.

"And most of all," Obama continued, "I want to emphasize to you, Mr. President-elect, that we now are going to want to do everything we can to help you succeed, because if you succeed, then the country succeeds."

The tone and grace of the meeting stood in stark contrast with the contentious campaign and the history between these two. President Obama openly mocked Trump at a White House Correspondents' Dinner. Less than a year ago, last December, when Trump was ascendant in the polls, this reporter wrote:

"[Obama] joked in 2011 that Trump, who was hot on the trail of Obama's birth certificate, was a conspiracy theorist waiting to reveal the fake moon landing, then roasted him for making the hard decisions — like firing Gary Busey instead of Lil' Jon or Meatloaf on Celebrity Apprentice.
"Just eight months ago, Obama joked that Trump was 'here. Still.' That got big laughs.
"But it's Trump's supporters who are laughing now."

Trump has been a thorn in Obama's side. He rose to political fame using the birther movement to translate his pop-culture notoriety as a reality-TV star into an improbable winning presidential campaign. That birther movement questioned the president's place of birth and thereby the legitimacy of the first African-American president. The president, of course, was born in Hawaii. Trump finally later acknowledged that during this campaign but made no apology for his crusade.

Trump used the issue to stir up a base of antipathy toward this president. It wasn't even so much that the largely rural, white, populist voters who eventually propelled Trump into the White House really believed the accusations and innuendo to be true. But they liked that Trump spoke to them when they felt ignored — by the professional class, the Washington establishment and the media elites — and was willing to annoy and disrupt them all.

What Trump accomplished is nothing short of a populist, white working-class revolt — even as he lost the national popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump was able to win giant margins in white, rural counties, especially in the Industrial North and Midwest, like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. It was enough to offset Clinton's margins in the cities and suburbs, upending decades of the fundamentals of political thought and analysis.

 

First Lady Michelle Obama meets with Melania Trump for tea in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House on Thursday.

Chuck Kennedy/White House

Also at the White House on Thursday, first lady Michelle Obama and Melania Trump met. White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough was spotted by the White House pool taking a walk on the White House grounds with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Kushner is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka. Kushner played a key role in Trump's campaign.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has been rumored to potentially serve as Trump's chief of staff, though he told NBC he has had "no conversations" about that. Kushner also appears poised to play a key role as an adviser in President Trump's inner circle; it would be remarkable, though, if he were tapped as chief of staff, given he's a member of the family. He's also the publisher of the New York Observer.

Trump also met with Republican leaders on Capitol Hill this afternoon.

After meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Trump spoke briefly saying his "really great" priorities will be immigration, "big league jobs" and health care. As NPR's Ailsa Chang reports, when asked if he's going to ask Congress to pass a Muslim ban, he declined to answer the question and walked on.

Chief of Staff Denis McDonough takes Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner for a walk on the South Lawn of the White House. Kushner, husband of Ivanka Trump, played a key role in Trump's campaign.

Edward-Isaac Dovere (Politico)/White House Pool

Trump also met with House Speaker Paul Ryan in the speaker's office, saying after the meeting: "I think we are going to absolutely spectacular things for the American people and I look forward to starting —- quite frankly we can't get started fast enough."

Ryan praised Trump's victory as "one of the most impressive" ever seen and also conveyed a sense of urgency saying the two talked about "how we are going to hit the ground running to get this country turned around and make America great again." The two also said they looked forward to working together on health care, immigration, lowering taxes and other issues.
According to a pool report from Politico's Edward-Isaac Dovere, Trump said he had a "great meeting" with Ryan and then the speaker led him out onto his balcony.

Ryan pointed to various sites in the city and as well as Trump's new hotel in downtown D.C. saying "that's it right there, that's the Old Post Office Building."

Trump called the view "absolutely beautiful."

Trump campaign coordinator resigns after blaming Obama for racism

A volunteer coordinator for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in Ohio resigned on Thursday afternoon after the Guardian published a video interview in which she said there was “no racism” until President Obama came into office and that black people who’ve struggled to succeed since the 1960s have no one to blame but themselves.

“If you’re black and you haven’t been successful in the last 50 years, it’s your own fault,” Kathy Miller, chair of the Republican nominee’s campaign in Mahoning County, Ohio, said in the interview. “You’ve had every opportunity, it was given to you.”

“You’ve had the same schools everybody else went to,” Miller continued. “You had benefits to go to college that white kids didn’t have. You had all the advantages and didn’t take advantage of it. It’s not our fault, certainly.”

She added: “I don’t think there was any racism until Obama got elected. We never had problems like this. … Now, with the people with the guns, and shooting up neighborhoods and not being responsible citizens, that’s a big change, and I think that’s the philosophy that Obama has perpetuated on America.”

“My personal comments were inappropriate, and I apologize. I am not a spokesperson for the campaign and was not speaking on its behalf,” she said in a statement. “I have resigned as the volunteer campaign chair in Mahoning County and as an elector to the electoral college to avoid any unnecessary distractions.”

Her resignation comes as Trump continues his attempted outreach to African-American voters in crucial swing states like Ohio.

At a Fox News town hall focused on black issues in Cleveland on Wednesday night, Trump proposed that police departments launch or reinstate controversial “stop and frisk” policies in high-crime cities like Chicago.

Trump gave a grim assessment of black neighborhoods at a rally in North Carolina the night before.

“Our African-American communities are absolutely in the worst shape that they’ve ever been in before, ever, ever, ever,” he said.

Trump began his pitch to Ohio’s black voters last month.

“What the hell do you have to lose?” Trump said at a rally before a predominantly white crowd in Akron on Aug. 22. “Give me a chance. I’ll straighten it out.”

Hillary Clinton and her fellow Democrats have been critical of Trump’s remarks.

“You may have heard Hillary’s opponent in this election say that there’s never been a worse time to be a black person,” Obama said at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation dinner in Washington on Saturday night. “I mean, he missed that whole civics lesson about slavery and Jim Crow.”

“He says we got nothing left to lose,” Obama continued, “so we might as well support somebody who has fought against civil rights and fought against equality, and who has shown no regard for working people for most of his life. Well, we do have challenges, but we’re not stupid.”

We’ll ensure Nigeria does not depend on oil again – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has, at the U.S.-Africa business forum, said that his administration would ensure that “Nigeria does not slip back into a lazy and dangerous dependence on the price of crude oil” again.

Buhari who expressed optimism that “Nigeria is on the rise” said that his government has set an enviably workable modalities to drive the economy out of recession and reposition the country and Africa as a destination point for every investor. Below is the full speech on Bloomberg, titled “Making ‘Africa Rising’ a Reality in Nigeria.”

Until a few years ago, Africa Rising was a dominant theme in conversations about the global economy. That enthusiasm has since cooled, so that in newsrooms and think tanks and conference panels, “Africa Rising!” has given way to a more questioning “Africa Rising?”

While some of that pessimism may be justified, we do not have the luxury of distracting ourselves with lamentations about our current circumstances. Instead of hoping for commodity prices to rise, African countries should seize the opportunities that these times present — not least here at today’s U.S.-Africa Business Forum — to lay a foundation for the kind of economic growth that transforms the lives of our people.

One of our biggest challenges during the boom years was that we failed to convert the benefits of high commodity prices into more jobs and significant improvements in standards of living. Hence the great debate, during those years, about how to ensure that the growth became “inclusive.”

Now that we are face to face with the vulnerabilities somehow hidden during the years of plenty, we should turn away from the unhelpful habits of the past and chart a new course. Since I signed the 2016 budget into law in May, Nigeria’s Ministry of Finance has released more than 400 billion naira for infrastructure spending — more than the total amount spent in 2015.

In the face of dwindling oil revenues, we are turning to debt. We have begun raising a $1 billion Eurobond, our first in three years. We are also raising debt from the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the Chinese Ex-Im Bank and other development finance partners.

Unlike in the past, when borrowed funds were frittered away on unproductive ventures, we will ensure their investment in the revival of stalled road, rail, power and port projects, and in agricultural initiatives that will significantly boost domestic production of food. For far too long we have under-invested in infrastructure — the most critical element for creating sustainable economic growth. The net effect: an avoidably high cost of doing business in Nigeria.

But even more important than what the government is able to spend is the limitless investment potential of the private sector. This is why one of our main priorities is creating an environment in which private-sector capital can thrive. We are in particular using Public-Private Partnership models to support game-changing private-sector projects in power, refining, gas transportation and fertilizer production.

We are also putting in place measures to ensure that monies intended to revamp our infrastructure do not end up in the pockets of corrupt officials and their collaborators. Already we are investigating the theft of several billion dollars in public funds by the previous administration. We are not only bringing these corrupt officials to justice, we are also setting up systems to make it impossible for such a grievous abuse of public trust to happen again.

And of course, we are as committed to playing by the rule of law as we are to accounting for every naira and recovering them for our treasury. These were funds meant to build roads and railway lines and hospitals and schools, and to equip our military — which has for the last seven years been fighting one of the deadliest terrorist groups in the world.

In that regard, we are already seeing the positive results of our anti-corruption efforts. Long starved of both materiel and morale by the corruption in the military’s upper echelons, our reinvigorated troops have now put Boko Haram permanently on the back foot. Some of the more than 2 million persons displaced by Boko Haram have started returning to their homes. Just last week, the people of Nigeria’s northeast celebrated their first incident-free Eid in years.

Our troops have rescued thousands of men, women and children trapped in areas held by Boko Haram. To meet their urgent humanitarian needs, we are working with the United Nations and other partners to provide food, medical help and shelter. We will strive to ensure that no victim is left behind, including the 219 Chibok girls who have, since their abduction in April 2014, served as a global symbol of the war against Boko Haram and a reminder of the horrors that it has inflicted on innocent Nigerians.

Even though the times are still dire, our economic recovery plan is already showing positive results. Investment’s share in gross domestic product is at its highest since 2010. Inflation is slowing; manufacturing confidence is rising. People are seeing and seizing opportunities to make money catering to the needs of Africa’s most populous country.

Finally, our Social Investment Program — the most ambitious in Nigeria’s history — will kick off this month. In its first year it will provide cash transfers to 1 million of our poorest people, hot meals to 5 million primary-school children, cheap loans to more than 1 million artisans and traders, and job opportunities in health care, agriculture and software and hardware development for half a million young people.

The journey ahead remains long and difficult. Our double-digit inflation, currency turmoil and downgraded ratings will not vanish overnight. We also know that the current recession is partly driven by the production outages in Nigeria’s Delta region, and we are confident that growth will accelerate as problems in that region are resolved.

But the real story here is not the challenges, which are all too visible, but the opportunities. We have learned the necessary lessons. We will ensure that Nigeria does not slip back into a lazy and dangerous dependence on the price of crude oil. We will continue to insist on transparency and accountability in the use of government funds. And we will build an economy that prioritizes the ease of doing business and investing, and that thrives on the entrepreneurial energy and ingenuity of our people.

To achieve these objectives, Nigeria needs robust and reliable partnerships such as we have with the United States. This is why I value the Commercial and Investment Policy Dialogue that we have just launched, and which we shall announce at today’s U.S.-Africa Business Forum.

The months ahead will show not only that Nigeria is on the rise, but that this “Rising” is real and lasting — one that touches not just the statistical databases, but the lives of the people who elected us to deliver positive change.

Trump not qualified to be president, says Obama

President Barack Obama condemned Donald Trump as unsuitable to be commander-in-chief Thursday, after the Republican nominee blasted US military brass and praised Vladimir Putin.

“I don’t think the guy’s qualified to be president of the United States and every time he speaks, that opinion is confirmed,” Obama said in unusually caustic language while overseas.

Obama is in Laos for a summit with South East Asia leaders and his final trip to east Asia.

“I can tell you from the interactions I have had over the last eight or nine days with foreign leaders that this is serious business,” Obama said.

“You actually have to know what you are talking about and you actually have to have done your homework. When you speak, it should actually reflect thought out policy you can implement.”

Trump on Wednesday raised eyebrows by saying that Russia’s president was “far more” of a leader than Obama.

Putin is “very much of a leader,” Trump said in a televised interview.

“It’s a very different system, and I don’t happen to like the system. But certainly in that system he’s been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader.”

Trump also drew fire for criticising the military.

“The generals have been reduced to rubble,” Trump said, before noting he had “faith in certain of the commanders”.

The bombastic mogul will face Hillary Clinton in November’s election, which the Democratic former first lady is tipped to win.

Trump has previously angered many in the military community with mocking remarks against US Senator and former prisoner of war John McCain for being captured in Vietnam.

Obama is expected hit the campaign trail with Clinton when he returns to the United States, with voter turnout likely to be a key theme.

Obama won the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections handily by mustering large numbers of young, black, Latino and Asian voters to go to the polls.

AFP