Obama 'Worried' About Republican Party, Says Trump Nomination Not Good for Country
President Barack Obama took aim at the Republican Party and their presumptive presidential nominee, Donald Trump this week, saying he was concerned about current direction of the party and that Trump's nomination isn't good for the country.
During an appearance Thursday on "The Tonight Show" with host Jimmy Fallon, Obama was asked if he was happy the GOP had chosen the real estate mogul and reality TV star as their nominee.
"We are, but I don't know how they feel," he said cautiously.
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He then continued: "The truth is, actually I am worried about the Republican Party. I know that sounds, you know what it sounds like. But democracy works, this country works when you have two parties that are serious and trying to solve problems. They've got philosophical differences and they have fierce debates and they argue and they contest elections but at the end of the day what you want is a healthy two-party system and you want the Republican nominee to be somebody who could do the job if they win."
Obama explained without calling Trump by name that he was not happy with Trump as the GOP's presidential nominee.
"You want folks who understand the issues and where you can sit across the table from them and have a principled argument ... I actually am not enjoying it and I haven't been enjoying it over the last seven years watching some of the things that have happened in the Republican Party cause there are good people in the Republican Party, there are wonderful Republicans out in the country who want what's best for the country and may disagree with me on some things but are good decent people," said Obama. "What's happened in that party culminating in this current nomination I think is not actually good for the country."
Obama said he hoped that once the primary season is over things will change.
"My hope is once you get through this cycle. There's some corrective action and they get back to being a center-right party. And the Democratic Party being a center-left party and we start figuring out how to work together," he said.
The appearance was taped on Wednesday, one day before Obama released an online video endorsing Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.
"The main role I'm going to be playing in this process is to remind the American people that this is a serious job," Obama said. "This is not reality TV."
He went on to mock the GOP choosing Trump.
"Thank you, Congress, for spending eight years wishing you could replace me with a Republican," Obama said, as Trump's image appeared onscreen. "Or, to put it another way, how do you like me now?"
He further highlighted some of his accomplishments.
"I'm proud of the many progressive steps our country has taken in recent years, both socially and environmentally," he said. "The United States has been a leader in developing clean energy to ensure the health of our planet for future generations. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, an additional 20 million Americans now have access to quality health care, and same-sex couples across the country now have a constitutional right to marry."
He continued: "The American people face an important decision this fall. The entire world is watching, and they look to us for stability and leadership. I know some of the candidates have been critical of my foreign policy. I don't want to name any names, but I believe it is of the utmost importance to work alongside other world leaders. That's why I signed the Iran nuclear deal. That's why we reopened diplomatic ties with Cuba. And that's why I negotiated the new trade deal called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP."
Asked if he'd been watching the election coverage of Trump, Obama said: "No, but I have been watching my new favorite show, 'Orange Is Not the New Black'" Obama joked.
