Obama Predicts a Dem Successor: ‘I’m Confident in the Wisdom of the American People’

During a press conference in Paris Tuesday morning, President Barack Obama told reporters he is “confident” the American people will elect a Democrat as his successor.

Asked about whether he feared a Republican president hindering the United States’ ability to lead on climate change, Obama replied, “Let me first of all say I’m anticipating a Democrat succeeding me.”

“I’m confident in the wisdom of the American people on that front,” he continued.

Obama suggested “even if somebody from a different party succeeded” him, his successor would quickly discover being president is very different from running for president. “American leadership involves not just playing to a narrow constituency back home — you are now in fact at the center of what happens around the world,” he said.

Obama noted that “99 percent of world leaders” consider climate change a major problem, insisting “whoever is the next president of the United States” is “going to need to think this is really important.”

“The good news is the politics inside the United States is changing as well,” Obama said, adding it is sometimes “hard for Republicans to support something that I’m doing.”

“But that’s more a matter of games Washington plays, and that’s why I think people should be confident that we’ll meet our commitments on this,” Obama concluded.

Watch the video above, via CNN.

[Featured image via screengrab]

—

>> Follow Elizabeth Preza on Twitter (@lizacisms)

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!