Barack Obama is Rolling Stone's newest cover man. In his 10th Rolling Stone interview and fourth with the magazine's longtime editor-in-chief Jann Wenner, the president reflected on the presidential election and what it means for the policies he implemented in his eight years in office.
Obama expressed concerns about the next Supreme Court nominee and the fate of the Affordable Care Act but emphasized that he is not "chagrined, pissed off, upset, dismayed."
"Probably the main reason that I don't feel dismayed, but do feel disappointed, is the incredible young people who have worked in my administration, worked on our campaigns," he said. "If you look at the data from the election, if it were just young people who were voting, Hillary would have gotten 500 electoral votes. So we have helped, I think, shape a generation to think about being inclusive, being fair, caring about the environment. And they will have growing influence year by year, which means that America over time will continue to get better."
He explained factors that led to Trump's election and admitted the the Democratic Party "not working at a grassroots level" shaped the election outcome. He concluded the interview with the following advice for Trump:
"I think the main thing that I will say to him is, number one, however you campaigned, once you're in this office, you are part of a legacy dating back to those first Revolutionaries. And this amazing experiment in democracy has to be tended. So aside from any particular issue, the president needs to recognize that this is not about you. This is not about your power, your position or the perks, the Marine band. This is about this precious thing that we’ve inherited and that we want to pass on. And for me at least, that means you surround yourself with really good people, that you spend time learning and understanding what these issues are because they really actually have an impact on people. They're not games that we're playing. And that to the best of your ability, you're making the decisions that you think are right for the American people – even when they're not popular, even when they're not expedient. And the satisfaction you get from that is that when you leave this place, you can feel like you've been true to this immense privilege and responsibility that’s been given to you."
Read Obama's full Rolling Stone interview here.