Did Barack Obama see it coming? President reassured Americans hours before calling victorious Donald Trump

Barack Obama: He told Americans"the sun will rise in the morning'
Scott Eisen/Getty Images
Saphora Smith9 November 2016

President Obama has called Donald Trump to congratulate him on his election victory, hours after assuring Americans "the sun will rise in the morning".

On Wednesday morning, the President invited Mr Trump to the White House to discuss next steps in the transition from one administration to the next.

The White House said in a statement: "Ensuring a smooth transition of power is one of the top priorities the president identified at the beginning of the year and a meeting with the president-elect is the next step."

Josh Earnest, White House Press Secretary, revealed little of the conversation between President Obama and Mr Trump but said Obama had called in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

President Obama's call to Mr Trump came after his sombre election night speech in which he said: "No matter what happens, the sun will rise in the morning."

The tone of his video message for Buzzfeed News suggested he may have precited defeat for the Democrats.

He said: "Let's face it, this has been an exhausting, stressful and sometimes downright weird election for all of us.

 President Obama at the White House on US election day
Getty Images

"But here's what I want everybody to know. While we've certainly seen some new things this time around, what isn't new is that our democracy has always been rowdy and raucous.

"We've been through tough and divisive elections before and we've always come out stronger for it.

"Remember, no matter what happens, the sun will rise in the morning and America will still be the greatest nation on earth."

Mr Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said President Obama and Mr Trump had resolved to work together.

Ms Conway told Today: "We were happy to receive the call from the President and they had a great, thorough conversation about Mr Trump's victory.

"He was congratulated and I think they resolved to work together, which is exactly what this country needs - to get the current president and the president elect and others who are in leadership position to help unify and heal the country."

Jubilant Donald Trump supporters

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She added: "We expect that the two gentlemen will be meeting soon."

Obama is expected to hold a press conference on Wednesday where Mr Earnest said he will discuss “what steps we can take as a country to come together after this hard-fought election season.”

The outgoing president also called Hillary Clinton and “expressed admiration for the strong campaign she waged throughout the country".

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