US president-elect Barack Obama returned to Chicago to work on setting up his new administration after getting his first look at the Oval Office on Monday during a nearly two-hour meeting with US President George W. Bush to discuss the transfer of power at a time of war and financial crisis.
As the 43rd and 44th US presidents held their first face-to-face talks since Election Day last week, the next first lady, Michelle Obama, talked with Laura Bush about raising daughters in the White House.
At the end of their highly symbolic visit, Bush walked Obama to a waiting black limousine for the trip to the airport and the return flight by jet charter to his transition headquarters in Chicago. His team is working there to put together the next Cabinet and to fill the hundreds of jobs that come open in a change of administrations.
Neither Bush nor Obama made a statement before or after their meeting.
Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said they “talked extensively” about the economic situation and foreign policy. Obama inherits from Bush an economy in deep crisis and wars that are far from won in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other problems, when he takes office on Jan. 20.
Topics included the housing industry, foreclosures, the auto industry in crisis, as well as “the need to get the economy back on track,” Gibbs said.
Obama’s aides said he and Bush discussed the need for urgent action to help US automakers.
Gibbs said “it was a discussion about the broad health of the industry” that was not just limited to any one of the three largest US car makers.
As for Obama’s first glimpse of the Oval Office, Gibbs said: “He said it was a very, very nice office.”
Presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush described the meeting as “constructive, relaxed and friendly,” covering problems at home and abroad, and said he personally pledged a smooth transition. Bush gave Obama a sneak peek at White House highlights, such as the Lincoln Bedroom and the president’s office in the residence, after their hour-plus in the Oval Office.
Michelle Obama arrived in the nation’s capital before her husband on Monday, and stayed after he had left. She was hunting for a new school for the Obama daughters — Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, — by visiting two of the city’s best-known private schools.
Mrs Bush and Mrs Obama spent time in the White House “West Sitting Hall, where they discussed raising daughters in the White House,” said Stephanie Cutter, spokeswoman for the Obama transition.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS