| | | | Obama urges Americans to give Trump a chance | | President Barack Obama encouraged Americans on Monday to give President-elect Donald Trump some time to get adjusted to the responsibilities of the presidency. But in his first news conference since last week's stunning election results, Obama warned that some of Trump's expectations will soon be shaken up by the gravity of the job.
Obama said he was certain after meeting Trump last week that his successor and longtime political foe was "sincere" about being president for all Americans, but also called on the President-elect to reach out to people who felt anxious after the explosive rhetoric of the campaign, including women and minorities. "I don't think he is ideological. I think ultimately he is pragmatic in that way and that can serve him well as long as he has got good people around him and he has a good sense of direction," Obama said. More from CNN's Stephen Collinson.
Obama's worried about Trump: The Wall Street Journal's Michael Bender and Carol Lee report: "During their private White House meeting on Thursday, Mr. Obama walked his successor through the duties of running the country, and Mr. Trump seemed surprised by the scope, said people familiar with the meeting. Trump aides were described by those people as unaware that the entire presidential staff working in the West Wing had to be replaced at the end of Mr. Obama's term. After meeting with Mr. Trump, the only person to be elected president without having held a government or military position, Mr. Obama realized the Republican needs more guidance. He plans to spend more time with his successor than presidents typically do, people familiar with the matter said."
More on Trump's transition: "This is what winging it looks like, America," is the lead of an analysis from Politico's Glenn Thrush. | | Trump didn't think he'd last past October 2015 | | One of many juicy tidbits in "Unprecedented: The Election that Changed Everything," CNN's book on the 2016 election written by Thomas Lake with reporting from Jodi Enda, Susan Baer and CNN's political team: Trump told Chris Christie he didn't think he'd make it past October 2015.
"I think they always had an understanding that the first one out would probably endorse the other," according to a Christie adviser, the book reveals.
Own a piece of history: Preorder "Unprecedented," which comes out December 6, at http://CNN.com/book. | | | Bernie Sanders went on a daylong tweet storm about the future of the Democratic Party: | | Trump's national security 'knife fight' | | From CNN's Ryan Browne, Elise Labott and Jim Sciutto: Donald Trump's transition is being marked by sharp internal disagreements over key Cabinet appointments and direction, both for internal West Wing positions and key national security posts, sources involved in the transition team tell CNN. One source with knowledge of the transition described it as a "knife fight."
The split has put traditional Republican operatives such as Reince Priebus -- named Trump's chief of staff Sunday -- against more nontraditional influences such as Steve Bannon -- the alt-right leader of Breitbart News -- who will be Trump's chief strategist. A particular challenge is lack of clarity about the division of power among Priebus, Bannon and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who also has a key role in transition decisions. Another source tied to the transition described the resulting confusion as "buffoonery." | | "I say, 'Stop it.' If it -- if it helps, I will say this, and I will say right to the cameras: 'Stop it.'" | | | The controversy over Trump hiring Steve Bannon | | From CNN's Tom Kludt: After years operating on the far-right fringe of American politics, Steve Bannon will now be one of the most influential members of Donald Trump's White House. Bannon was the executive chairman of Breitbart News before Trump hired him in August to run the campaign. The site has a history of publishing incendiary and divisive stories, many of which are outright anti-Semitic, misogynist and racist. Now Trump has appointed Bannon as chief strategist and senior counselor, an "equal partner" with Reince Priebus, the Republican Party chairman who will be chief of staff. It is the latest and clearest signal that Breitbart has risen from right-wing outlier to conservative juggernaut.
... And it's not going over well in some quarters. Here's John Weaver, a John Kasich adviser: | | | What's wrong with Breitbart? Check out the propaganda outlet's 10 most incendiary headlines, from CNN's Jill Disis. | | | Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is needling Congress. ... Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone today. | | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Check out CNNMoney's Reliable Sources, an insider's look into the media brought to you by Brian Stelter. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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