Barack Obama said Donald Trump should put his feelings to one side and respect the vote. Former President Barack Obama has insisted Donald Trump should put Americans before own ego and concede his election defeat once and for all.
Mr Obama warned the outgoing president that he has caused ‘damage’ by refusing to accept Democratic rival Joe Biden’s win more than a week ago, and that it is ‘absolutely time’ to do so. In an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, Mr Obama reminded Mr Trump that as president, he is a public servant and only a temporary occupant of the Oval Office who is ‘not above the law’. ‘And when your time is up then it is your job to put the country first and think beyond your own ego, and your own interests, and your own disappointments,’ said the former president.
‘My advice to President Trump is, if you want at this late stage in the game to be remembered as somebody who put country first, it’s time for you to do the same thing.’
Obama invited his successor to the White House soon after his election win four years ago and pledged co-operation in the transfer of power. Obama says Trump should concede presidency as his ‘time is up’
More than week after Joe Biden was named the winner, Mr Trump is still refusing to concede He said he is not shocked that a man who ‘never admits loss’ is refusing to acknowledge defeat now but warned his unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud is putting the US on a ‘dangerous path’.
Obama also criticised Republicans who are going along with the false allegations and that it was ‘disappointing’ to see so few challenge him.
He said: ‘It’s been sort of par-for-the-course during these four years. They obviously didn’t think there was any fraud going on because they didn’t say anything about it for the first two days.’ ‘I’m more troubled by the fact that other Republican officials who clearly know better are going along with this, are humouring him in this fashion,’
Obama added. ‘It is one more step in delegitimising not just the incoming Biden administration, but democracy generally. And that’s a dangerous path.’