President Obama's Speech after Historic Election: "We're Not Democrats First, We're Not Republicans First, We Are Americans First ... We Are Now All Rooting for His Success"

News Staff : Nov 9, 2016
NPR.org

The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy, and over the next few months, we are going to show that to the world. 

Watch an NPR video of President Obama's speech from the White House this morning by clicking here. Below are some excerpts. (Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP/via Guardian UK)

"It's no secret that the President-elect and I have some significant differences. But remember eight years ago, President Bush and I had significant differences, but Bush's team couldn't have been more gracious so that we could have a smooth transition and hit the ground running ... I have instructed my team to follow that example and to work as hard as we can to make sure Trump's team has a smooth transition. 

"We are now all rooting for [Trump's] success in uniting and leading the country. The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy, and over the next few months, we are going to show that to the world.
 
"Everybody is sad when their side loses an election. But we have to remember, the day after, we're all on one team ... we're not democrats first, we're not republicans first, we are Americans first. We're patriots first. We all want what's best for this country..."