Obama congratulates Trump, invites him to W. House

Thursday, 10 November 2016 00:39 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

AFP: US President Barack Obama called Donald Trump, his newly-elected successor, Wednesday to congratulate him on his victory and invited him to the White House for talks on Thursday.

Obama also called Hillary Clinton, his one-time Secretary of State and fellow Democrat, to express his “admiration for the strong campaign she waged throughout the country,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement.

The President was set to make a statement later Wednesday about the election results, which sent a shockwave across America and through world markets.

At the White House, Obama - whose own 2008 campaign to make history as the country’s first black President hinged on unifying a divided country - plans to discuss, “what steps we can take as a country to come together after this hard-fought election season,” Earnest said.

During their talks on Thursday, Obama and Trump - who once spearheaded the so-called birther movement questioning the president’s place of birth and legitimacy to be president - are set to discuss the presidential transition.

“Ensuring a smooth transition of power is one of the top priorities the president identified at the beginning of the year and a meeting with the president-elect is the next step,” added Earnest.