Obama says Trump has caused ‘damage’ by refusing to concede defeat and warns: ‘This is not normal’

Barack Obama says Donald Trump has caused ‘damage’ by refusing to concede defeat in this month’s election, and warned the nation: ‘This is not normal’

While Mr Trump’s predecessor says he usually shrugs off his words – saying he does not take them “personally or seriously” – he said that they can often be “destructive and harmful”.

Speaking to CBS Sunday Morning, he said: “I think it’s fair to say that there are many things he says that I do not take personally or seriously, although I think they can often be destructive and harmful.”

He added that it has been “disappointing” to see few Republicans stand up to Mr Trump, who refuses to concede the election more than a week after it was called.

He said: “It’s been sort of par-for-the-course during these four years. They obviously didn’t think there was any fraud going on cause they didn’t say anything about it for the first two days.

“But there’s damage to this because what happens is that the peaceful transfer of power, the notion that any of us who attain an elected office, whether it’s dogcatcher or president, are servants of the people. It’s a temporary job. We’re not above the rules, we’re not above the law, that’s the essence of our democracy.

“I think we were in a circumstance in this election in which certain norms, certain institutional values, that are so extraordinarily important, had been breached. That it was important for me, as somebody who had served in that office, to simply let people know ‘This is not normal.'”