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POTUS sounded hopeful, but the weeping aides in the background gave the game away.

US President Barack Obama addressed a large gathering in the Rose Garden at White House on Wednesday after Donald Trump’s surprising – read: heartbreaking for the Democrats – win over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Obama seemed to deliberately avoid speaking his mind at length on Trump. He did, however, say, “It is no secret that the President-elect and I have some pretty significant differences,” adding, with Vice President Joe Biden by his side, “we are now all rooting for his success in uniting and leading the country.”

Obama focused more on upholding everything America stands for as a democracy, promising to ensure that the transition goes as smoothly as possible. This was, understandably, a far cry from his approach on Monday, when he was a lot more assertive in his bid to see Clinton win the elections, stating that Trump is “unfit” to be president and his coming to power would seriously hinder progress.

This time around, Obama made no mention of Trump’s proposals or his personality.

“The path that this country has taken has never been a straight line,” he said. “We zig and zag and sometimes we move in ways that some people think is forward and others think is moving back, and that’s OK.”