FIGURING IT OUT

Obama: Trump Used ‘Troubling Rhetoric’ to Win

Said one day after calling Trump a “pragmatist.”

President Obama said Tuesday that President-elect Donald Trump and others in the Republican party won partly because they were able to effectively “moblize people” using rhetoric that was “troubling” and “not necessarily connected to facts.” Speaking from Athens, Greece, Obama said Trump played on Americans’ “anger and fear” of globalization to win the presidency. He added, “That sometimes gets wrapped up in issues of ethnic identity or religious identity or cultural identity. And that can be a volatile mix.” The president didn’t cite any specific quotes, but made reference to the oft-repeated concept that Trump’s appeals to the anti-trade, anti-immigrant sentiments of working-class whites helped secure his election. The remarks come just days after Trump and Obama met at the White House for what was described as a cordial, “excellent” meeting. On Monday afternoon, during his pre-trip press conference, Obama claimed that Trump told him he’s interested in preserving “strategic relationships” with nations abroad.