"You've seen some of the rhetoric among
Republican elected officials and activists and media. Some of it pretty
troubling and not necessarily connected to facts, but being used
effectively to mobilize people," Obama said at a news conference
alongside Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. "And obviously,
President-elect Trump tapped into that particular strain within the
Republican Party and then was able to broaden that enough and get enough
votes to win the election."
Obama
said countries across Europe, as well as the United States, were
confronting populist movements based on a fear of intruding global
forces, arguing people "are less certain of their national identities or
their place in the world." He said leaders should heed lessons from
results in the US and in Britain, which in June voted to exit the
European Union.
"It starts looking
different and disorienting. And there is no doubt that has produced
populist movements, both from the left and the right," he said. "That
sometimes gets wrapped up in issues of ethnic identity or religious
identity or cultural identity. And that can be a volatile mix."
He
said Americans must guard against those trends during Trump's
presidency, and insisted he, too, would speak out against divisive
language even after he leaves office.
"We
are going to have to guard against a rise in a crude sort of
nationalism or ethnic identity or tribalism that is built around an us
and a them," he said. "And I will never apologize for saying that the
future of humanity and the future of the world is going to be defined by
what we have in common as opposed to those things that separate us and
ultimately lead us into conflict."
Explaining
Trump's win to Europeans, who themselves face rising populist movements
in countries across the continent, Obama theorized Americans were
simply ready for a change in Washington and were not rejecting his
policies outright.
"People seem to
think I did a pretty good job," he said, alluding to surveys showing his
job approval rating near its highest point. "And so there is this
mismatch, I think, between frustration and anger. Perhaps the view of
the American people was just that need to shake things up."
Obama
is on a week-long, three-stop foreign swing that has taken new urgency
following Trump's election. He's expecting questions from leaders in
Greece, Germany and Peru about Trump's motives and his plans going
forward.
Global leaders have
expressed concerns over Trump's suggestion on the campaign trail that
the US might not keep its current level of international commitments,
including to NATO. Obama Tuesday also called Greece a "reliable ally" in
its commitment to the transatlantic alliance, even under tremendous
strain from the country's debt crisis.
"We
are proud to count Greece as one of our closest allies and one of our
greatest friends," Obama said at the news conference, commending the
country's ability to meet its financial obligations to NATO despite
austerity measures.
Greek debt crisis
Air Force One touched down at the
Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport just past 3:30 a.m. ET
(10:30 a.m. local time) on Tuesday, where Obama was greeted with a red
carpet and an ornate display of military pageantry.
In the morning preceding his news conference, Obama paid a courtesy call to Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.
Obama also sat for formal talks with Tsipras at the neo-classical presidential mansion in central Athens.
Ahead
of the meeting, Obama had said he would stress that debt reduction
strategies beyond austerity must be utilized in Europe going forward.
"I
will continue to emphasize our view that austerity alone cannot deliver
prosperity," Obama said, traveling with Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who was expected to discuss Greece's persistent debt crisis with officials here.
Obama
is the first US president to visit Greece in 17 years, and he focused
intently on the debt situation and the influx of refugees fleeing the
Syrian civil war.