On his first meeting with President-elect Donald Trump in the White House, Barack Obama told those in attendance “we are all now rooting for his success.” That was a head-scratcher for many, since Trump promised throughout his campaign to do things that most people aren’t rooting for at all and wouldn’t consider a success — building a wall, deporting 11 million people, making a database of Muslims, and repealing the Affordable Care Act among them.
Now in Germany during his last foreign trip as President, Obama again spoke about his hopes for President Trump, saying he hoped his successor will be “willing to stand up to Russia where they are deviating from our values and international norms.” Trump has professed an admiration for Russia and its authoritarian leader Vladimir Putin and it is reported that Trump has widespread business entanglements with Russia. As President, Trump is exempt from federal ethics laws on conflicts of interest that apply to other federal employees and cabinet members.
