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Obama and Merkel Press Conference. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired November 17, 2016 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:00:00] CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, GERMANY: Republic of Germany that is in our mutual interest. So we will continue this. I will continue this with - I approach this with an open mind and I'll do it on the basis of a deep conviction with President-elect Donald Trump.

Secondly on Russia. I can only repeat what the president said previously. This is all about respecting certain principles. And I'm saying this from a European vantage point, from a European - from a German vantage point, sorry. The fact that for over 70 years we have been able to enjoy peace, to live in peace, very much depends on territorial integrity and sovereignty of each and every European country being respected. In view of the European history, the reverse would be the start of a very bitter road down a slippery slope. And we have to nip this in the bud. We have to stand up resolutely against any such attempts.

But we are pinning our hopes on political efforts. This is why we launched the Normandy process in close coordination with the United States of America. And particularly from a German perspective, from a European perspective, I can only say again, Russia is our neighbor. Just look at Poland. The sort of European perspective this has. So we have an interest in seeing this relationship be a good one. We have a lot of historical ties, of course, a history that we share. But this mustn't keep us from wherever we feel there are very grave differences of opinion to raise them with them. But again with political means and always trying to work for political settlements. And this is what I'm going to continue to work on with all my heart. So on the question whether I will put up a candidacy, I will do this at the appropriate time and this is not today.

QUESTION (through translator): German Press Agency, Christina Jones (ph).

Mr. President, your country is divided. You, as first black president, as first African-American president, who did so many things so differently, who raised so much hope all over the world, do you think that you have perhaps in a way too - put too much of a strain, maybe too much of demands on the Americans? And to what extent do you think your successor may well be a threat to the rest of the world, to the security, because there are, after all, nuclear weapons here in Germany to which he has access now. Will you want to be, now, Madam Chancellor, see to it, under this new administration, try to make Europe and Germany less dependent on the United States and are you afraid of this wave of populism hitting Germany, hitting Europe as well? And a personal question, President Obama, I pay tribute to you as an

outstanding politician. You are somewhat most sober in when you describe your partner. How difficult is it for you to take leave today of your partner?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My guiding principle as president has been to try to do the right thing, even when it's not politically convenient, to look at long-term trends in our economy, in our society, in the international sphere. And using my best judgement, shape policies that will serve the American people, keep them safe, keep our economy growing, put people back to work and best ensure peace, cooperation and stability around the world. And based on current surveys of public opinion in the United States, it turns out that the majority of Americans think I've done a pretty good job. That we haven't, in fact, gone too fast, as you describe it.

But what is certainly true is that the American people, just like the German people, just like the British and people around the world are seeing extraordinarily rapid change. The world is shrinking. Economies have become much more integrated. And demographics are shifting. Because of the Internet and communications, the clash of cultures is much more direct. People feel, I think, less certain about their identity, less certain about economic security. They're looking for some means of control.

[12:05:08] And what that means is, is that the politics in all of our countries is going to require us to manage technology and global integration and all these demographic shifts in a way that makes people feel more control, that gives them more confidence in their future, but does not resort to simplistic answers or divisions of race or tribe or a crude nationalism, which I think can be contrasted to the pride and patriotism that we all feel about our respective countries.

And, you know, I think that our politics everywhere are going to be going through this bumpy phase. But as long as we stay true to our democratic principles, as long as elections have integrity, as long as we respect freedom of speech, freedom of religion, as long as there are checks and balances in our governments so that the people have the ability to not just make judgments about how well government is serving them, but also change governments if they're not serving them well, then I have confidence that over the long term, progress will continue.

And I think it's especially important for those of us who believe in a world where we're interdependent, that believes in mutual interest and mutual respect between nations. It's particularly important that we reach out to everybody in our countries, those who feel disaffected, those who feel left behind by globalization, and address their concerns in constructive ways as opposed to more destructive ways. And I think that can be done. But it's hard. It requires creativity. It requires effective communications. Part of what's changed in politics is social media and how people are receiving information. It's easier to make negative attacks and simplistic slogans than it is to communicate complex policies. But we'll figure it out. So, ultimately, I remain optimistic about not just America's futures

but the direction that the world is going in. And part of what makes me most optimistic is if you look at the attitudes of young people. Across the board, young people are much more comfortable with respecting differences. They are much more comfortable with diversity. They are much less likely to express attitudes that divide us between us and them. They see themselves as part of a global economy that they can navigate successfully and are showing enormous creativity and entrepreneurship and working with each other across borders.

So that's where the future is. But we have to create that bridge to the future. And that means making sure we're paying attention to the wages of workers in countries and making sure that we're investing in their education and their skills, that we are growing the economy in smart ways and rebuilding our infrastructure and investing in science and development and that, you know, we - we stay true to those values that helped get us here. And if we do that, I think we're going to be fine.

[12:10:03] MERKEL (through translator): Well, on the issue first of independence of Germany, after the time of national socialism, Germany has been given an enormous amount of help, particularly and also from the United States of America. The fact that we were able to enjoy European - sorry, German unification is due first and foremost to the help of the United States of America. And ever since Germany was able to regain its unity, it is in an even stronger position to give its contribution to upholding this order to which we feel committed and for which particularly people in the German democratic republic stood out there in the streets to keep this up, to maintain this order, and particularly also in our country.

Now, we're trying to do more than it used to be 26 years ago, and there are a number of other areas where we have to also make a stronger contribution. We will all have to make - do more in development cooperation. It's important that these disparities in the living conditions cannot be allowed in this digital period to be too marked. Each and every one must be given an opportunity to participate, which is why Germany's fate in many ways depends on the firmness of its alliance with NATO, with the European Union. We cannot stand alone with 80 million people. In this world of today, you cannot, when you just stand on your own, achieve much, even though you may be economically strong. So alliance are part of our destiny as a nation, part of our future as a nation, and this is what guides me in my policy, what guides my government as a whole.

Secondly, this wave of populism that seems to engulf us. Well, look at the - (INAUDIBLE) seems in your words to come from the United States. Look at the European parliament. We - there are a lot of people who are looking for simplistic solutions, for - who are sort of preaching policies of - well, very unfriendly policies. We have them here in Europe too. We have them here in Germany too.

And to take up where the president left off, digitization is a way a disruptive force, a disruptive technological force that brings about deep-seated change, transformation of a society. Look at the history of the printing press, when this was invented, what sort of consequences this had, or industrialization, what sort of consequences that had. Very often it led to enormous transformational processes within individual societies and it took a while until society has learned how to find the right kind of policies to contain this and to manage and steer this. And I think we live in a period of profound transformation. Very similar to when we had a transition from agricultural societies to industrial societies.

Now, when we, for ,example, see shifts of huge production lines from certain areas to other countries, people tend to ask the question, where's my place in this modern world? We have this here, this tendency in our country. We have it in other countries. Trying to keep a society together. Trying to keep the older and the younger people together. Trying to keep those who live in rural areas together with those who live in cities is one of the most important and most noble tasks of politicians these days. Trying to see to it that each and every one can find his or her place. But those who are - belong purportedly to certain groups say, we are the people and not the others. That is something that we cannot allow to happen.

That is something that I think at the time in the GDR, at the time when we had this in the GR (ph), when the people stood in the street and said, "we are the people," that was something that filled me with great joy. But the fact that these people have hijacked it certainly is not something that fills me with great joy. We have to find new ways of addressing people, new ways of getting into contact with people, but I'm optimistic that we were able to do so.

Now, taking leave from my partner and friend, well, yes, it is hard. If you've worked together with somebody very well, leave taking is very difficult. But we are all politicians. We all know that democracy lives off change. So in the United States of America, the Constitution has very clear stipulations on this. It's a tough rule. Eight years and that's it. Out goes the president and a new one comes in.

So if it's in the German interest to have good transatlantic relations, well, the task is also to look ahead. But our personal - we have freedom of movement in the whole of Germany. So if we want to see each other, well, I'm game. So we're not completely out of this world, as we would say.

[12:15:17] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

QUESTION: Thank you very much, Mr. President.

You've spoken a great deal about what you've characterized as kind of a crude form of nationalism perhaps on the rise. I'm wondering if you would advise some of those protesters at home to stop demonstrating against some of the charged rhetoric that has been used by Donald Trump. And I'm wondering as well if you've advised your successor to be extra mindful of what you see as some very worrisome trends, particularly when it comes to making his own potential powerful staff picks.

Lastly, sir, in these final weeks of your presidency, do you believe you have any leverage to stop Bashar al Assad and Vladimir Putin from continuing to bomb Aleppo? Chancellor Merkel, I'd like to ask you, Bashar al Assad has described

Donald Trump as a natural ally. Your own foreign minister has described Donald Trump as a preacher of hate. I'm wondering, would you tell Americans that they now have a perception problem?

OBAMA: One of the great things about our democracy is it expresses itself in all sorts of ways. And that includes people protesting. I've been the subject of protests during the course of my eight years. And I suspect that there's not a president in our history that at some point hasn't been subject to these protests. So I would not advise people would feel strongly or are concerned about some of the issues that have been raised during the course of the campaign, I wouldn't advise them to be silent. What I would advise - what I advised before the election and what I will continue to advise after the election is that elections matter, voting matters, organizing matters, being informed on the issues matter.

And what I consistently say to young people, I say it in the United States, but I'll say it here in Germany and across Europe, do not take for granted our systems of government and our way of life. I think there is a tendency because we have lived in an era that has been largely stable and peaceful, at least in advanced countries, where living standards have generally gone up. There is a tendency, I think, to assume that that's always the case. And it's not. Democracy is hard work. In the United States, if 43 percent of eligible voters do not vote, then democracy is weakened. If we are not serious about facts and what's true and what's not, and particularly in an age of social media where so many people are getting their information in sound bites and snippets off their phones, if we can't discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems. If people, whether they are conservative or liberal, left or right, are unwilling to compromise and engage in the democratic process and are taking absolutist views and demonizing opponents, then democracy will break down.

And so I think my most important advice is to understand what are the foundations of a healthy democracy and how we have to engage in citizenship continuously, not just when something upsets us. Not just when there's an election or when an issue pops up for a few weeks. It's hard work. And the good news is, I think there's are a lot of young people, certainly who were involved in my campaigns, and I think continue to be involved in work, not just politically, but through nonprofits and other organizations that can carry this hard work of democracy forward.

[12:20:16] But I do think sometimes there's complacency. Here in Europe, I think that there are a lot of young people who forget the issues that were at stake during the Cold War, who forget what it meant to have a wall. And I'll be honest, there have been times when I'd listened to the rhetoric in Europe where an easy equivalent somehow between the United States and Russia and between how our governments operate versus other governments operate, where those distinctions aren't made. I've said many times around the world that, like any government, like any country, like any set of human institutions, we have our flaws. We've operated imperfectly. There are times we've made mistakes. There are times where I've made mistakes or our administration hasn't always aligned ourselves with the values that we need to align ourselves with. It's a work of constant improvement.

But, I can say to the German people that the United States has been good for Germany, has looked out for Germany, has provided security for Germany, has helped to rebuilt Germany and unify Germany. And I can say across Europe that many principle that have been taken for granted here around free speech and around civil liberties and an independent judiciary and fighting corruption, those are principles that, you know, not perfectly, but generally, we have tried to apply, not just in our own country, but also with respect to our foreign policy.

And that should be remembered because at an age where there's so much active misinformation and its packaged very well and it looked the same when you see it on a FaceBook page or you turn on your television, where some overzealousness on the part of, you know, a U.S. official is equated with constant and severe repression elsewhere, if everything seems to be the same and no distinctions are made, then we won't know what to protect. We won't know what to fight for. And you - we can lose so much of what we've gained in terms of the kind of democratic freedoms and market-based economies and prosperity that we've come to take for granted.

That was a long answer, wasn't it? I don't - I don't remember if there was a second part to it. I - I got all caught up in that one.

QUESTION: I asked you if you (INAUDIBLE).

OBAMA: Yes, I did. I did. He ran an extraordinarily unconventional campaign and it resulted in the biggest political upset in perhaps modern political history, American history. And that means that he now has to transition to governance. And what I said to him was that what may work in generating enthusiasm or passion during elections may be different than what will work in terms of unifying the country and gaining the trust even of those who didn't support him. And he's indicated his willingness to - his understanding of that. But you're absolutely right, that that has to reflect itself not only in the things he says, but also how he fills out his administration.

And my hope is, is that that's something that he is thinking about, because not only is the president of the United States somebody that the entire country looks to for direction, but sets the agenda internationally in a lot of ways.

[12:25:19] QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

OBAMA: With respect to Syria, we are going to continue to work, as we have over the last five, six years to push towards a political transition and settlement. It would be naive of me to suggest that with Russia committed militarily as it is to supporting what in many cases are barbarous tactics by the Assad regime to crush the opposition. The sort of indiscriminate bombing that we've been seeing, not just in Aleppo, but in many parts of the country over the last several years. It would be naive of me to suggest that there's going to be a sudden 180-degree turn in policy by either Assad or Russia or Iran at this point.

But we are going to continue to make the argument. We are going to continue to try to find humanitarian steps that can reach the people there. We're going to continue to try to obtain cessations of hostilities that lesson the human tragedy and the migration that's taking place. But, ultimately, the way this is going to be resolved is going to have to be a recognition by Russia and a willingness to pressure Assad that a lasting, durable peace with a functioning country requires the consent of people. You cannot purchase people's consent through killing them. They haven't made that transition yet, but we're going to keep on trying.

MERKEL (through translator): I think I can speak for the whole of the federal government when I say that we are no longer in a - in election mode in the United States. We're in post-election mode. There is an interest of the Federal Republic of Germany to cooperate well with the United States of America. This goes for each and every president on the basis of shared values. And I believe that these are indeed shared values, and should be shared values.

So as to my position on President Assad, Assad, as president, has actively tried to kill his own people. He has bombed them with barrel bombs in the most terrible way. He has brought untold suffering over his people. If you look at Aleppo and other places. When you talk to the (INAUDIBLE) refugees who have fled here to Germany, they will be able to tell you their own personal story. And the majority of them, the great majority of them, fled from Assad and most of them not even fled DIS (ph). So I don't see him as an ally.

QUESTION (through translator): Thank you very much.

Mr. President, you describe your hopes rather more in great historical terms. Let me break this down to months and years. The fact that Steven Bannon was made as chief strategist, meeting Mr. Faraj (ph), and the fact that prominent Republican representatives did not decide to join this transition team, what makes you confident against the background of this, that President Trump can be a partner to the world and to Europe and Germany?

Now, Madame Chancellor, if you hear those words of praise of the president with regard to you, this - what he said, can this not sort of demand too much from you and from Germany? Because too much is demanded, too much is expected from you, too great are the expectations, you can't meet them?

[12:29:47] OBAMA: I'm always optimistic. There are times where I was in the Oval Office and people would come to me with all kinds of political problems and policy problems and international problems. And my team would be getting discouraged and depressed.