Trump says he had a ‘nice conversation’ with Obama after Twitter tiff
PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump told Yahoo News he spoke with President Barack Obama on Wednesday after he sent a tweet accusing the White House of using “roadblocks” to prevent a “smooth transition.”
“He phoned me. We had a very nice conversation,” Trump said, briefly speaking with reporters outside of his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Yahoo News asked Trump whether he brought up any of his concerns about transition roadblocks with the president. Trump replied by referencing a speech earlier in the day by Secretary of State John Kerry, who he said Israel was undermining the Middle East peace process by building settlements on occupied land in the Palestinian territories. Trump did not specify exactly how he feels Obama undermined the transition, but his tweet came as he criticized the current administration for allowing the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution condemning Israeli settlements on Friday.
“We had a general conversation,” Trump said of his discussion with Obama. “I think the secretary’s speech really spoke for itself, but we had a very general conversation. Very, very nice. Appreciated that he called.”
President Obama and the president-elect have spoken regularly since the election. After their initial meeting on Nov. 10, the Wall Street Journal reported that Obama planned to “spend more time with his successor than presidents typically do.”
White House press secretary Josh Earnest did not respond to an email from Yahoo News asking for the Obama administration’s take on the conversation with Trump.
The president-elect discussed his call with Obama when he took a pair of questions from reporters outside the main entrance of his Florida country club. Trump spent his Christmas holiday at the club, and has conducted transition meetings there.
He came outside to announce that the telecom company Sprint promised him they would bring 5,000 jobs back to the United States and the company OneWeb was planning to create 3,000 new jobs. Trump attributed these moves to “what’s happening, and the spirit and the hope.” Trump said the deal was conducted with the help of SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. It wasn’t immediately clear if the Sprint and OneWeb jobs claims were part of Trump’s earlier announcement regarding SoftBank’s investments in the U.S.
Trump has also tweeted criticism of the United Nations in recent days. ABC’s Katherine Faulders asked him if he is considering having the United States pull out of the U.N. once he takes office. Trump’s answer to the question was noncommittal.
“The U.N. has such tremendous potential,” he said, adding, “Here is such tremendous potential, but it is not living up to it. When do you see the United Nations solving problems? They don’t. They cause problems. So, if it lives up to the potential, it’s a great thing and, if it doesn’t, it’s a waste of time and money.”
