Obama, Susan Rice ‘broke down and cried’ after Trump’s 2016 victory: Report

WASHINGTON, DC: A fresh batch of audio and video recordings is shedding new light on the emotions inside the Obama White House when then–real estate mogul Donald Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016.

According to RealClearInvestigations senior reporter Paul Sperry, the material shows former President Barack Obama and his then–National Security Adviser Susan Rice were so shaken by Donald Trump’s win that they “literally broke down and cried” in front of staff. 

Obama, Susan Rice reportedly wept after Trump win

Sperry dropped the claim in a post on X, citing “1,100 hours of new audio and video compiled by Columbia University in cooperation with the Obama Foundation.”

“BREAKING: President Obama and his National Security Adviser Susan Rice were so distraught after Trump won in 2016 they literally broke down and cried in front of White House staff, according to 1,100 hours of new audio and video compiled by Columbia University in cooperation with the Obama Foundation," Sperry wrote.

“After all they’d built, they feared their accomplishments were ‘at risk’ of being town down by a ‘con man’ and a ‘clown,'” Sperry added. “Ergo, Trump had to be stopped?"

The Western Journal reported that “Sperry did not indicate whether the audio would be released publicly or whether transcripts would be made available."

Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton that November sent shockwaves through the Washington establishment. The upset not only stunned Democrats but also sparked early resistance efforts aimed at Donald Trump even before he took office in January 2017.

Additional details surfaced in what was described as “a new interview archive,” which the Daily Mail reported revealed just how emotional Obama and members of his administration were in the wake of the loss. The archive also explained how many in Barack Obama’s orbit had not considered Donald Trump a “serious candidate for president.”

Christy Goldfuss, who at the time served as managing director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, recalled the moment Barack Obama addressed senior staff after the election. "He came to speak to the senior staff," Goldfuss said.

"He got up to give a speech, and he started crying, and he thanked everybody, and he thanks all of us for believing in him." Former Obama communications director Jen Psaki described a similar scene involving top officials. "All these people who are so tough and smart and complete badasses... were tearing up," Psaki recalled. Among those reportedly overcome with emotion were Susan Rice and then, Treasury Secretary Jacob J Lew.

From 2011 mockery to 2016 shock over Trump

The tears in the Obama White House stood in stark contrast to the mood that filled a Washington ballroom five years earlier.

At the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner, Donald Trump was still years away from launching his presidential campaign, yet he was already commanding attention.

David Axelrod, the strategist behind Barack Obama’s rise, recalled weaving through the crowd when he heard Donald Trump’s unmistakable voice.

"I know it's crazy," Donald Trump was heard saying, "but I'm in front of the polls." The real estate mogul, then known more for his reality television persona than electoral politics, was holding court and embracing his outsider image.

As Axelrod passed by, he overheard Donald Trump boasting to guests about his growing popularity with voters.

"I kind of chuckled at it and went to my seat," David Axelrod said. "I don't think any of us really anticipated that Donald Trump would be a serious candidate for president, much less president."

During the comedy portion of that same 2011 dinner, Obama publicly mocked Donald Trump in his remarks. By November 2016, however, the laughter had long faded.