US President Barack Obama once joked that if Donald Trump is elected as the 45th President of the United States, he will not leave the Oval Office.
The Kasangga Team has covered Official State Visits of the President of the Philippines, several times in the past. Only a limited number of journalists can enter the Oval Office, the Kasangga Team is one of them.
I remember how it was like. Protocol officers would screen interviews and strictly prohibits it without prior approval of the White House.
Barack Obama joked with the Media that he will not vacate the “Oval Office” if Donald Trump is elected President of the United States. This is exactly the “Oval Office” at the White House with Pres. Barack Obama.
FACE TO FACE
President-elect Trump and his wife Melania flies from New York on his private Jet to meet with the First Couple. In the Oval office, President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump faced the media and calmly told everyone that they shall both cooperate with each other for a peaceful turn over of duties. This was a far cry from the exchanges each have made during the campaign period.
EXCHANGED INSULTS
Their face to face encounter showed a different side to the two men. During the campaign they told the public:
“The Republican nominee is unfit to serve as president. He’s woefully unprepared to do this job.”
“President Obama has been the most ignorant president in our history.”
“If somebody can’t handle a Twitter account, they can’t handle the nuclear codes.”
Obama quiped regarding Trump’s temper
“He’s the founder of ISIS.” When Trump blamed Iraq’s situation on Obama.
“He has been a disaster.”
This was Trump’s favorite line when describing Barack Obama.
Of course, adding to this is the never ending question of Barack Obama’s citizenship and the promise the change and scrap everything he established to achieve.
Which is why the public was shocked when US President-elect Donald Trump told Obama that meeting him was:
” It is a great honour… “
And this is the “rostrum” of the 45th President of the United States of America, Donald J.Trump
ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTS
President Obama called for calm and national unity when Hillary Clinton lost the elections. However thousands continued their march in cities across the US to demonstrate their remorse and anger at how the elections turned out. They could not accept that Trump, a known racist, mysoginist won.
” Not my PRESIDENT! “ They cried when told that one of things things Trump will do during his first 100 days is to build a wall between the US and Mexico. Some protests were peaceful, some were not. In New York 65 protesters were arrested and in California, fires broke out.
200 anti-Trump protesters marched into Union Square, Washington bearing the placards:
“White men stop ruining everything.”
” No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA.” could be seen from the anti-Trump rally in Los Angeles.
The similarities and differences between both presidents are stark and glaring. Trump has shown that he can talk rough and shoot straight from the hip, compared to Obama’s tact and diplomacy.
The “Kasangga Team” visits the White House in Washington DC. USA.