A series of newly released interviews compiled by Columbia University’s Incite Institute in cooperation with the Obama Foundation reveal that former President Barack Obama never imagined that Donald Trump could become a serious candidate to win the White House.
According to a lengthy oral history compiled by The New York Times, then-President Obama and his top inner circle were extremely dismissive of Trump in the years leading up to his 2016 victory.
“I don’t think any of us really anticipated that Donald Trump would be a serious candidate for president, much less president,” former Obama chief strategist David Axelrod recalled, describing overhearing Trump boast at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner that he was “in front of the polls.”
That same night, President Obama also mocked Trump from the stage, ridiculing the future president over his “Celebrity Apprentice” persona and birther claims — a moment that went viral and, some observers have suggested, may have helped galvanize Trump’s political ambitions.
In the interviews, Obama aides described viewing Trump as a “con man,” a “clown,” and a “laughingstock,” according to the Times.
Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau said he believed Trump was “a ridiculous human being who deserves to be ridiculed at every possible chance,” and admitted that not “even a brief moment” crossed his mind that Trump could win the presidency.
However, even as Trump surged in the 2016 Republican primary, the Obama team remained confident he would lose to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Former press secretary Josh Earnest recalled dismissing Trump’s ideas as destined for “the dustbin of history,” a depiction he later conceded was way off.
Following Trump’s 2012 election victory, the Obama White House was “a dark place” in the days after the election, with aides describing a “pall over everything” as they confronted the reality that voters had rejected much of the Obama agenda, the Times reported.
You can listen to the contents of the Obama clips below —