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8 year oldPresident Obama said Thursday that Donald Trump's controversial public statements confirm his belief that the GOP nominee is unfit to sit in the Oval Office.
"I don’t think the guy is qualified to be president of the United States, and every time he speaks, that opinion is confirmed," the president told reporters during a news conference at the conclusion of his final trip to Asia as commander in chief.
Obama said during the heat of an election "outrageous becomes normalized and people start thinking we should begin grading on a curve."
Reflecting on his international trip, the president took an additional dig at Trump's preparedness for the job, saying "this is serious business and you have to actually know what you’re talking about."
Obama twice laughed during the news conference when asked directly about criticisms Trump has lobbed at him.
Obama expressed confidence the American people won't elect Trump this November after simply listening to the Republican nominee and evaluating his "track record or lack thereof."
"The most important thing for the public and the press is to just listen to what he says and follow up and ask questions to what appear to be either contradictory or uninformed or outright wacky ideas," Obama said.
Obama also said he believes criticisms about his reception in Asia based on a scuffle over how he exited Air Force One upon his arrival in China are "overblown."
"I think that any reasonable person ... would be puzzled about how this became somehow indicative of the work that we’ve done here," the president said of the incident, citing economic programs, development, and the promotion of civil society as measures of success in the region.
"As far as I can tell it’s been terrific," the president said of his reception in Asia broadly, noting that the primary concern he's heard in Asia is not about the success of U.S. engagement but whether it will continue after he leaves office.
Obama will make his way back to the U.S. today after wrapping up the ASEAN summit. Obama made history on the trip when he became the first U.S. president to visit Laos, the small country that still bears the scars of a formerly secret U.S. bombing campaign during the Vietnam War that left behind millions of unexploded bombs.
"It has been a memorable and at times moving visit," the president said.
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