‘Didn’t Think He’d Win’: Obama’s Ex-Press Secretary Recalls Somber Mood After Trump’s Victory

Last Updated:July 12, 2025, 21:27 IST

Josh Earnest made the comments during a fireside chat at the 2025 Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) conference in Chicago

Former US President Barack Obama speaks during a surprise appearance at White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest's last daily press briefing in 2017. (AFP file photo)

Josh Earnest, who served as White House press secretary during much of Barack Obama’s second term, has recalled the somber mood that gripped the White House after Donald Trump’s surprise 2016 election victory over Hillary Clinton.

“I did not think he was going to win," Earnest said, reflecting on the emotional atmosphere that followed the result.

He made the comments during a fireside chat at the 2025 Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) conference in Chicago.

Speaking at the event, Earnest described how tough it was for the then Obama administration to accept the result and prepare for a peaceful transfer of power. This was despite the many warnings during the election campaign about the risks of Trump becoming president, The Guardian reported.

These concerns were partly based on intelligence reports that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump defeat Clinton. Earnest said the administration had to both defend these reports and promise to hand over power – including the nuclear launch codes – to Trump.

“Did [Obama] not mean how dangerous [Trump] could be?" Earnest asked, reflecting the questions faced by the administration while briefing the media. “It was a tough message."

Many staff members were visibly upset. Earnest and his team gathered them to talk through the result and try to focus on the final months of the Obama presidency.

During that day, President Obama had asked Earnest about the staff’s mood before inviting the team to the Oval Office. Standing by the Resolute Desk with then Vice President Joe Biden, Obama delivered an early version of a speech later given in the Rose Garden.

“We have to remember that we’re actually all on one team," Obama said. “We are Americans first. We’re patriots first. We all want what’s best for this country."

Earnest recalled how Obama’s official photographer, Pete Souza, captured the moment. For many, it was their first time in the Oval Office. “It was very poignant," he said.

After the election, Trump had called Earnest a “foolish guy" and criticised his defence of the intelligence reports on Russia.

Since 2018, Earnest has worked as a spokesperson for United Airlines. He said he found working as a media commentator during Trump’s presidency “not particularly fulfilling," as the chaotic style made it hard to provide meaningful analysis.

“The questions could all be boiled down to, ‘Isn’t this outrageous what Trump is doing?’" Earnest said. “It became about finding different ways to say, ‘Yes.’ I wasn’t doing journalism. I was doing commentary. And it was pretty close to entertainment."

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News world ‘Didn’t Think He’d Win’: Obama’s Ex-Press Secretary Recalls Somber Mood After Trump’s Victory