Obama ‘confident’ a Democrat will succeed him

by Jordan Fabian - 12/01/15 9:03 AM ET

Obama, 2016, Wisdom, American People, Democrat, President — Getty Images

President Obama on Tuesday predicted a Democrat would keep control of the White House next fall.

“I am anticipating a Democrat succeeding me. I am confident in the wisdom of the American people on that front,” Obama said during a press conference from Paris, where he has been attending negotiations on an international climate deal.

{mosads}Obama is expected to campaign for the Democratic presidential nominee, widely expected to be former secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in 2016.

Many of Obama’s top policy priorities, including his landmark healthcare law and a global climate change agreement, could hinge on whether a Republican or Democrat succeeds him.

Republican candidates have pledged to repeal ObamaCare and roll back Obama’s efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions if they are elected. But Obama predicted it could be difficult to deliver on that promise.

“Even if somebody from a different party succeeded me, one of the things you find when you’re in the this job, you think about it differently than when you’re just running for the job,” he said. “What you realize is American leadership involves not just playing to a narrow constituency back home, but you now are in fact at the center of what happens around the world.”

Obama said world leaders across the political spectrum believe climate change is a problem that warrants a sweeping global response.

“Your credibility and America’s ability to influence events depend upon taking seriously what other countries care about,” the president said. “Everyone is taking climate change seriously, they think it’s a pretty big problem.”

Tags 2016 Presidential race Barack Obama Climate change Hillary Clinton