A shift has taken over President-elect Trump in the weeks since his astonishing election upset, predictable and irksome all at once. Remember that illegitimate Kenyan-born terrorist sympathizer Trump warned for years was wrecking havoc from the White House? Well these days Trump seems to be a big fan of President Obama. And that’s understandable as both sides work towards a peaceful transition of power, a cornerstone of our democracy.
But that congeniality can only go so far, and for his part, Obama has been tight-lipped, saying he’s rooting for Trump’s success because “We all want what’s best for this country.” What else can he say, really?
Trump, on the other hand, is playing up his relationship with the outgoing president to the point of insult, which if he were a character in Street Fighter, would be a signature offensive move. Most recently, Trump hsd spoken about consulting with the president on his impending appointments, suggesting Obama helped guide them.
Related: The 10 Worst Homophobes Among President Elect Trump’s Appointees
Speaking to NBC’s Today, Trump said, “I have asked [President Obama] what he would think of this one and that one. I would say that, yes, I take his recommendations very seriously, and there are some people that I will be appointing, and in one case have appointed, where he thought very highly of that person, yes.”
He declined to mention which of his public appointments have come at the supposed blessing of Obama, but scanning the list of them, it’s hard to see where the President’s influence might be felt.
Obama’s administration was the most diverse in history — women and minorities held the majority of top positions for the first time ever. It fought for LGBTQ rights, for women, for minorities, for families.
Related: Trump’s Pick For National Security Adviser Outed Her Brother While He Died Of AIDS
Trump doubled down in an interview with Time, after being named the magazine’s “Person of the Year” (for reference, Hitler was person of the year in the same publication 78 years ago).
Speaking of the president, Trump said, “We talked about some of the potential appointments that I would make. I wanted to get his opinion. And he gave me some opinions on some people that were very interesting to me, and that meant something to me. I believe in asking people. We have different views but he loves our country. And he wants what’s good for our country. So I did talk to him about certain people that I’m thinking about. Got his ideas.”
Related: Another One Of Trump’s Cabinet Candidates Has Made Horrific Comments About LGBTQs
Trump may try and take credit for Obama’s progress on healthcare, or jobs, or the economy — but if he’s hoping to pin the despicable cast of characters he’s lined up in the wings to assume the most powerful positions in the land on the outgoing president, he needs a new game plan.
Trump’s “drain the swamp” appointments have been proven time and time again to be the exact opposite, and that’s to say nothing of the fact that many of his incoming ilk have some serious antigay skeletons in their closets. Sorry Donald, this one’s on you.
After the two met in the White House for a 90-minute post-election meeting, Trump explained, “I’ve now gotten to know President Obama. I really like him. We have — I think, I can say at least for myself, I can’t speak for him, but we have a really good chemistry together.”
Related: Oh Look, Another Antigay Skeleton In Trump AG Pick Jeff Sessions’ Closet
Obama presidential historian and journalist David Remnick put it a bit differently in The New Yorker:
The official line at the White House was that the hour-and-a-half meeting with Trump went well and that Trump was solicitous. Later, when I asked Obama how things had really gone, he smiled thinly and said, “I think I can’t characterize it without . . . ” Then he stopped himself and said that he would tell me, “at some point over a beer—off the record.”
He, like us, isn’t expecting that beer any time soon. But it doesn’t take a mind reader to detect some signature-Trump bull crap in this whole “Obama thinks I’m fantastic and helped me pick my antigay cabinet” narrative.
NateOcean
Yes, please, “drain the swamp”, but not directly into your cabinet Mr. Trump.
nmharleyrider
And we all know Trump speaks truth at all time lol.
batesmotel
I believe that. We know Obama had NOTHING to do with Same Sex Marriage Equality. That was the Supreme Court. But Obama sure jumped on that bandwagon to paint the White House with rainbow lights only AFTER it was legal and everyone else was doing it. And first of all, it’s not like Obama or Trump are nominating people that are anti-gay. He’s nominating them because there is something else they are capable of that benefits the country as a whole. Unfortunately, they may just happen to be anti-gay or in truth anti-gay marriage.
Paco
Obama always seemed to be like a moderate Republican about a lot of things. Of course today, in the Republican party, a moderate Republican is viewed the same as being a liberal Democrat.
AxelDC
Trump is a liar. If you haven’t learned that by now, you are an epic fool.
AxelDC
@Paco: Obama got rid of DADT, created executive orders protecting gay employees and appointed 2 Supreme Court Justices who voted twice to support gay marriage.
What more did you expect from Obama? I’m sorry he didn’t kiss your butt enough, so now we stuck with the homophobic Trump and his cabinet of deplorables.
AxelDC
@batesmotel: In 2 5-4 decisions, 2 Obama appointees voted for gay marriage. Saying he had nothing to do with supporting gay marriage after he openly endorsed it shows how ignorant you are of the way American government works. If McCain had appointed those 2 justices, it would have be 6-3 against gay marriage.
OzJosh
@nmharleyrider: Americans who want to understand how their President Elect operates should read Trump Revealed by Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher. It’s extremely well-research and goes into all the murky deals and dubious relationships that are mostly only hinted at in daily media coverage. After reading it, you’ll be hard pressed to find any occasion on which Trump has told the truth about anything. He’s lied his way into every deal and cheated just about every person he’s ever met. But then he was mentored in his early years by Roy Cohn, the evil genius behind Joe McCarthy, and a leading contender for the most devious, duplicitous megalomaniac in American history. But maybe his protege is about to overshadow him.
dean_mellen
@batesmotel: well put
Arconcyyon
World the Wolrd Congrattulleiton Obamma x Trump .
AntBee
@dean_mellen: You and batesmotel can GTFO!
I can’t stand gay people like the two of you, you self-loathing fuckheads. Go and find some log cabin orgy to join and leave people with better things to say, the hell alone.
Jack Meoff
Trump only says that Obama’s comments influenced his decisions not that he agreed with him. For all we know he listened to Obama and then dud the opposite of what he recommended. The article states that he has only appointed ONE of Obama’s suggestions so far.
cabe
@batesmotel:
1) Obama is the most pro-gay President we’ve ever had – he is responsible for federal law protecting gays and lesbians against hate crimes,ending the ban on openly gay members of the U.S military and theSupreme Court ruling striking down the law banning federal recognition of same-sex marriage.
2) At least Obama picked some moderates in his cabinet. Every single cabinet member Trump has picked has been a radical, far-right lunatic.They are all anti-gay and while that isnt necessarily an issue for some cabinet posts, for many others it has grave effect. You see that as a minor flaw to be overlooked but I care enough about who I am as a gay person and my relationship to someone of the same sex that this 100% anti-gay cabinet under Trump looks like a facist state.
ErikO
@batesmotel: That’s very true, he did not end Don’t ask Don’t Tell as much as he wants to take credit for it, and he and his his administration actually defended DOMA but so did Hillary Clinton who got Bill to pass it.
Bob LaBlah
His choice of Linda McMahon for SBA has me wondering if ol’ Brother Love will get resurrected to hold the bible at the swearing in ceremony. Nothing can shock me anymore. I had figured all along Ben Carson would be offered and except his position. He is the only man alive that can make Alan Keyes look like Flava Flav.
excusemydust
The headline is rather misleading; Mr. Trump said only that he takes the President’s recommendations seriously. I take Mr. Trump’s statements seriously, too: seriously horrifying and usually seriously wrong.
As for the one person he already appointed that President Obama thought highly of, I’d wager that it’s probably Ms. Elaine Chao or Ms. Nikki Haley. Any establishment GOP figures at this point serve as a moderating force in a cabinet of extremists. It doesn’t mean they’re good people or going to do anything to help our country…only that they’re less likely to actively harm us.
1EqualityUSA
President Obama may have said that he respected General BetrayUs, as he has spoken favorably of him in the past before the scandal took the General down. President Obama is professional, so it is likely that this naive, fledgling apprentice doesn’t understand nuance.
Ronbo
@AntBee: Before going nuclear in your emotions, please read how Obama worked to delay repeal of DADT and try to remember how “God was in the Mix”. Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi were the hero’s of this story. https://newrepublic.com/article/112457/obamas-false-dont-ask-dont-tell-narrative
1EqualityUSA
Ronbo, A long lens will be that Obama helped us, so these little pissant stories you conjure up will be but a wisp.
GayEGO
Who can believe what Trump says, especially when Obama supports us and would not choose anti-LGBT cabinet members.
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maxdadmark
@AntBee: I’ll second that. Self-loathing asshats.