Andrew Harnik, AP
President Obama speaks in the White House briefing room on May 6, 2016.
WASHINGTON — President Obama pleaded with the news media and the American people to take a closer
look at Donald Trump's record and positions now that the billionaire real estate mogul and reality
television star is the likely Republican nominee for president.
"This is not entertainment. This is not a reality show. This is a contest for the presidency of the United
States. What that means is that every candidate, every nominee needs to be subject to exacting standards
and genuine scrutiny," Obama told reporters in an unscheduled question-and-answer session at the White
House on Friday.
But no sooner did he implore the media to take Trump more seriously than a reporter asked about his
response to Trump's tweet about his taco salad.
"I have no thoughts on Mr. Trump's tweets. As a general rule, I don't pay attention to Mr. Trump's tweets.
And I think that will be true for, I think, for the next six months," Obama said. And he suggested that he
doesn't want to be asked again, or he'll give the same answer: "You could just file that one."
Obama's remarks Friday were a more serious version of a critique he gave last Saturday at the White
House Correspondents' Dinner. After a few Trump jokes, Obama told reporters, "I don’t want to spend too
much time on The Donald. Following your lead, I want to show some restraint. Because I think we can all
agree that from the start, he’s gotten the appropriate amount of coverage befitting the seriousness of his
candidacy."
On Friday, Obama said Trump "has a long record that needs to be examined. And I think it’s important for
us to take seriously the statements he's made in the past."
He didn't cite any specific Trump comments, but suggested that some of his statements have been
tantamount to provoking war and upending relations with allies.
He said reporters and voters should press for details on how Trump's campaign proposals would actually
work. And he said he would play a role in that as well, suggesting a role as fact-checker-in-chief during
the election campaign.
