President Barack Obama Says Trump Is Committed to NATO Despite Campaign Rhetoric

Obama delivered his first White House speech since meeting with the president-elect last week.

November 14, 2016

During his first press conference since last week’s unsettling presidential election, President Barack Obama said the President-elect was committed to the country's NATO relationships despite comments made on the campaign trail strongly suggesting otherwise. Obama also spoke about how Democrats can best move forward following the election, the President-elect's transition process, and the election's international impact.

"In my conversation with the President-elect, he expressed a great interest in maintaining our core strategic relationships," Obama said Monday. "So one of the messages I will be able to deliver is his commitment to NATO and the Transatlantic Alliance." Across the campaign trail, the President-elect's stance on NATO had many fearing a total collapse of the organization.

"I don't know anyone, anywhere on the political spectrum who would question whether we should uphold Article 5," Philip Gordon, a former top national security council aide, toldPolitico in July following the GOP nominee's hesitance to say he'd fully commit to defending Baltic states in the event of a Russian invasion. "I've just never head that before. Whether it's Bernie Sanders or Ron Paul, no matter how noninterventionist they are, I've never heard it."

Though Obama didn't directly address the President-elect’s other equally disastrous campaign promises, he did plead with the nation to understand that America's strength lies solely in its dedication to acceptance. "America at its best is inclusive and not exclusive," Obama said. "That we insist on the dignity and God-given potential and worth of every child." Watch Obama's full speech above.