Obama: Give Trump time

LIMA: US President Barack Obama did in Latin America what he tried to do in Europe: tell worried citizens not to draw negative conclusions about the man he once called unfit to serve in the White House, President-elect Donald Trump.

In the last stop of an international farewell tour that included visits to Greece and Germany, Obama continued his efforts to calm anxieties since the Republican businessman won on Nov 8.

“My main message to you ... and the message I delivered in Europe is don’t just assume the worst,” Obama told a group of young people during a question-and-answer session in Peru yesterday.

“Wait until the administration is in place, it’s actually putting its policies together, and then you can make your judgements as to whether or not it’s consistent with the international community’s interest in living in peace and prosperity together.”

Trump won the election after promising to build a wall on the US border with Mexico, rip up trade deals and ban Muslims temporarily from entering the US.

Obama has sought to soothe fears by pledging to ensure a smooth transition of power and expressing optimism that the president-elect would shift away from inflammatory campaign rhetoric once he faced the realities of the job.

“It will be important for everybody around the world to not make immediate judgements but give this new presidentelect a chance to put their team together, to examine the issues, to determine what their policies will be, because as I’ve always said, how you campaign isn’t always the same as how you govern,” Obama said. – Reuters