President-elect Donald Trump will have to dial back his rhetoric and keep his temperament in check when he takes office, his predecessor said Monday.
President Barack Obama met with the media at the White House Monday afternoon and was specifically asked about Trump's temperament.
"I think what will happen with the president-elect is there are going to be certain elements of his temperament that will not serve him well unless he recognizes them and corrects them, because when you're a candidate and you say something that is inaccurate or controversial, it has less impact than it does when you're president of the United States," Obama said.
"Everybody around the world is paying attention. Markets move. National security issues require a level of precision in order to make sure that you don't make mistakes. And I think he recognizes that this is different. And so do the American people."
Obama and Trump met in the Oval Office last Thursday for 90 minutes, during which they spoke about the office of president and policy issues (the president called it a "cordial conversation").
Obama was asked on multiple occasions during Monday's press conference whether his opinion of Trump has changed now that they have met in person. He mostly dodged the questions, but when pressed, Obama admitted Trump needs to reassess how he approaches things.
"I think that he successfully mobilized a big chunk of the country to vote for him and he's going to win. He has won," Obama said. "He's going to be the next president. And regardless of what experience or assumptions he brought to the office, this office has a way of waking you up.
"And those aspects of his positions or predispositions that don't match up with reality, he will find shaken up pretty quick because reality has a way of asserting itself."
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