Former President Barack Obama became emotional in a private speech to senior White House staff after Donald Trump’s election win, according to newly archived interviews that outline the final days of his administration.
The interviews, released as part of a presidential oral history project, show Obama as mostly calm on election night in November 2016 but visibly affected when he later gathered his top aides inside the White House.
Per the Daily Mail, Christy Goldfuss, who served as managing director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, recalled the moment in the archive. “He came to speak to the senior staff,” Goldfuss said. “He got up to give a speech and he started crying and he thanked everybody for believing in him.”
Trump’s victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton marked a significant political shift after eight years of Obama’s presidency. The result shocked many Democrats and led to immediate preparations for a transition of power to a candidate who had often criticized Obama’s policies during the campaign.
Those interviewed said Obama kept his public composure as the outcome became clear, even as many staff members grappled with the result. The emotional moment happened later when he spoke directly to senior aides.
Jen Psaki, who served as Obama’s communications director and later as White House press secretary under President Joe Biden, described the response among top officials in the room. She noted that even senior figures were visibly shaken.
Psaki remembered that Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew and National Security Adviser Susan Rice were overcome with emotion during the private gathering. She said the scene reflected the weight of the moment for officials who had worked closely with Obama throughout his presidency.
Obama had campaigned for Clinton in the last weeks of the 2016 race, warning that Trump’s proposals on immigration, climate policy, and international alliances posed risks to the country. After the election, he promised a peaceful transition and invited Trump to the White House for a meeting in the Oval Office.
In public comments the day after the election, Obama said he instructed his team to ensure a smooth transfer of power. “We are now all rooting for his success in uniting and leading the country,” Obama said at that time, standing next to Vice President Joe Biden.
The private speech described in the oral history interviews took place separately from those public statements. According to Goldfuss and others, Obama thanked staff members for their service and acknowledged the emotional toll of the election result.
The interviews suggest that while Obama accepted the result and stressed institutional continuity, the mood among aides was very different from the outward message presented to the nation. The archival accounts show a staff facing the end of an administration that had focused on environmental regulation, health care reform, and multilateral diplomacy.
Trump would go on to reverse or roll back several signature Obama-era policies, including pulling out of the Paris climate agreement and seeking to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. The 2016 election changed the political landscape and deepened partisan divisions that continued through subsequent administrations.
The newly revealed memories add detail to the closing chapter of Obama’s presidency, offering insight into how senior officials dealt with the unexpected outcome. The former president remains an influential force in the Democratic Party and is frequently targeted by Trump.
The president recently courted controversy when he shared a social media post with the Obamas portrayed as apes.
