AFP. Washington :
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday insisted that America was full of hope since his election, shrugging off First Lady Michelle Obama’s remarks suggesting otherwise.
“We have tremendous hope, and we have tremendous promise and tremendous potential,” Trump told a rally in Mobile, Alabama, the final stop on his “thank you” tour.
“We are going to be so successful as a country again. We are going to be amazing,” the 70-year-old Republican billionaire said.
In excerpts of an interview released Friday, Michelle Obama told talkshow host Oprah Winfrey that she had concerns about America’s future following the bitterly fought November election that pitted Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
“We feel the difference now,” Obama said.
“See, now we’re feeling what not having hope feels like. You know? Hope is necessary. It’s a necessary concept.”
Without naming Trump she also referred to how important it is to have “a grownup in the White House who can say to you in times of crisis and turmoil, ‘Hey, it’s going to be okay.'”
Trump promised change of his own.
“You watch. It’s going to be so special. Things are going to happen like you haven’t seen happen in many, many decades,” he insisted.
But the first lady indicated she has been sensing a bleak mood.
“What do you give your kids if you can’t give them hope?” she asked.
The president-elect, known for lashing out when criticized, seemed to backpedal a bit after initially criticizing the first lady, suggesting she “meant that statement in a different way than it came out.”
He was even complimentary.
“She could not have been nicer,” Trump said of the first lady, whom he met with her husband following the November 8 election.
Donald Trump sends a strong message to Michelle Obama about the future The president-elect said he didn’t believe Obama meant what she said.
US President-elect Donald Trump has responded to Michelle Obama’s claim that the country has no hope left, telling his supporters that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Obama had answered a question from Oprah Winfrey during a CBS interview about whether the new administration had seen the level of hope achieved by Barack Obama, Fox News reported.
The first lady had responded: “Yes, I do. Because we feel the difference now,” she says. “See now we are feeling what not having hope feels like, you know. Hope is necessary. It is a necessary concept.”
However Trump told a rally of his supporters he felt Obama’s comments had been misconstrued, The Hill reported.
“We have tremendous hope, and we have tremendous promise and tremendous potential,” Trump said at a thank you rally.
“And I actually think she made that statement not meaning it the way it came out.
The Republican added: “Beyond hope, we have such potential. This country has such potential. You watch, it’s going to be so special. Things are going to happen like you haven’t seen happen in many many decades,” he said.
“This is truly an exciting time to be alive. The script is not yet written.”
The president-elect has had to fend off a number of negative comments coming from the White House over the past week.
As news emerged that US intelligence agencies believe Russian president Vladimir Putin was involved in hacks on the US election, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said Trump must have known Russia was involved.
But although Trump slammed Earnest, he made it clear he did not believe the sentiment was necessarily shared by Barack Obama, with the president also attempting to maintain a peaceful transition between the two camps.
President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday insisted that America was full of hope since his election, shrugging off First Lady Michelle Obama’s remarks suggesting otherwise.
“We have tremendous hope, and we have tremendous promise and tremendous potential,” Trump told a rally in Mobile, Alabama, the final stop on his “thank you” tour.
“We are going to be so successful as a country again. We are going to be amazing,” the 70-year-old Republican billionaire said.
In excerpts of an interview released Friday, Michelle Obama told talkshow host Oprah Winfrey that she had concerns about America’s future following the bitterly fought November election that pitted Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
“We feel the difference now,” Obama said.
“See, now we’re feeling what not having hope feels like. You know? Hope is necessary. It’s a necessary concept.”
Without naming Trump she also referred to how important it is to have “a grownup in the White House who can say to you in times of crisis and turmoil, ‘Hey, it’s going to be okay.'”
Trump promised change of his own.
“You watch. It’s going to be so special. Things are going to happen like you haven’t seen happen in many, many decades,” he insisted.
But the first lady indicated she has been sensing a bleak mood.
“What do you give your kids if you can’t give them hope?” she asked.
The president-elect, known for lashing out when criticized, seemed to backpedal a bit after initially criticizing the first lady, suggesting she “meant that statement in a different way than it came out.”
He was even complimentary.
“She could not have been nicer,” Trump said of the first lady, whom he met with her husband following the November 8 election.
Donald Trump sends a strong message to Michelle Obama about the future The president-elect said he didn’t believe Obama meant what she said.
US President-elect Donald Trump has responded to Michelle Obama’s claim that the country has no hope left, telling his supporters that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Obama had answered a question from Oprah Winfrey during a CBS interview about whether the new administration had seen the level of hope achieved by Barack Obama, Fox News reported.
The first lady had responded: “Yes, I do. Because we feel the difference now,” she says. “See now we are feeling what not having hope feels like, you know. Hope is necessary. It is a necessary concept.”
However Trump told a rally of his supporters he felt Obama’s comments had been misconstrued, The Hill reported.
“We have tremendous hope, and we have tremendous promise and tremendous potential,” Trump said at a thank you rally.
“And I actually think she made that statement not meaning it the way it came out.
The Republican added: “Beyond hope, we have such potential. This country has such potential. You watch, it’s going to be so special. Things are going to happen like you haven’t seen happen in many many decades,” he said.
“This is truly an exciting time to be alive. The script is not yet written.”
The president-elect has had to fend off a number of negative comments coming from the White House over the past week.
As news emerged that US intelligence agencies believe Russian president Vladimir Putin was involved in hacks on the US election, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said Trump must have known Russia was involved.
But although Trump slammed Earnest, he made it clear he did not believe the sentiment was necessarily shared by Barack Obama, with the president also attempting to maintain a peaceful transition between the two camps.
