Jan Brewer praises Obama’s optimism toward Trump presidency

PHOENIX — Former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said she is happy to see President Barack Obama being optimistic about Donald Trump’s upcoming time in office.

While many in Obama’s administration have been grimly preparing to transition the presidency to Trump, the president has said several times that the world should take a wait-and-see approach on both Trump’s campaign promises and his actual administration.

“Reality will force him to adjust how he approaches many of these issues,” Obama said Sunday as he closed out his trip in Lima. “That’s just how this office works.”

Obama has also refused to entertain any wallowing in despair, nor has he engaged in the kind of warts-and-all diagnosis of what went wrong that many Democrats crave, in hopes of ensuring their devastating loss isn’t repeated. Instead, his message has been to buck up and keep calm.

Brewer said the message sent by Obama is one of a true statesman.

“When he made that statement, he really became, what I believe, is a statesman as the president,” she told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Mac & Gaydos on Tuesday. “It was nice to see him act in that manner, so I give him a lot of credit for that.”

Brewer said she feels Obama’s optimism is real and was the proper angle for a president to take. And though she disagrees with him on a lot of his policies and the direction he worked to take the country in, Brewer said Obama was worthy of applause.

“When he did that, I thought ‘He too has grown in the office of president,’” she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.