Obamas congratulate Trump, urge 'good faith and grace'

Former President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama congratulated President-elect Trump on his election victory and urged the country to have “good faith and grace.”

“In a country as big and diverse as ours, we won’t always see eye-to-eye on everything. But progress requires us to extend good faith and grace — even to people with whom we deeply disagree,” Obama said in a statement.

Both the Obamas were on the campaign trail with Vice President Harris looking to stop Trump from securing a second term. Still, they congratulated him and Vice President-elect JD Vance on the win.

“This is obviously not the outcome we had hopes for, given our profound disagreements with the Republican ticket on a whole host of issues. But living in a democracy is about recognizing that our point of view won’t always win out, and being willing to accept the peaceful transfer of power,” Obamas' statement said.

The Obamas said they were proud of Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, her running mate, for their “remarkable campaign” and noted how the country has “been through a lot over the last few years,” including the COVID-19 pandemic and price hikes.

“Those conditions have created headwinds for democratic incumbents around the world, and last night showed that America is not immune,” their statement said. “The good news is that these problems are solvable — but only if we listen to each other, and only if we abide by the core constitutional principles and democratic norms that made this country great.”

The Hill and Decision Desk HQ called the presidential race for Trump early Wednesday morning. He skated to a second term after securing the critical battleground states of Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Results are still being counted in Arizona.