Conciliation: President and Donald Trump have developed relationship

In what might seem a strange turn of events, President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump seem to have developed a certain sense of rapport as one ends his tenure as leader of the free world and the other begins his.

The two men have talked several times in recent weeks, and despite the rancor between them that was evident during the campaign, they have apparently come together and decided to put the past behind them for the good of the country.

Trump said this week that he and Obama have "a really good chemistry" and Obama has said that people should not judge Trump until he has a chance to show how he will govern. Campaigning is not the same as governing, Obama says, and Trump deserves a chance to show how presidential he truly can be before people make up their minds about him.

The reality of sitting in the Oval Office could change some of Trump's thinking, Obama said.

We don't know how true that will be, but it is certainly true that Obama has shown himself to be gracious in his final days in office, displaying a courteousness that befits a president who understands the peaceful exchange of power that is at the heart of America's political system.

Published in Editorials on December 9, 2016 10:06 AM