Donald Trump might be the GOP front-runner, but he won't succeed him in office, says President Barack Obama.
"He's the classic reality TV character and at this early stage it's not surprising that he's gotten a lot of attention," Obama said in an interview broadcast Sunday on "60 Minutes." http://www.cbsnews.com/60-minutes/
"I think that he is a great publicity seeker at a time when the Republican Party hasn't really figured out what it's for as opposed to what it's against," Obama told CBS News' Steve Kroft. "I think that he has tapped into something that exists in the Republican Party that's real. I think there is genuine anti-immigrant sentiment in a large portion of at least Republican primary voters. I don't think it's uniform."
The billionaire real estate mogul and television personality has aroused controversy with his provocative remarks on illegal immigration. He has promised to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and to deport the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants already in the United States.
Obama declined to say whether he thinks Trump will run out of steam before winning the Republican nomination, but added: "I don't think he'll end up being president of the United States."
Trump is usually not one to take an attack like that lying down. Sure enough, he took to Twitter, his favored medium of counterpunching later Sunday night.
Others had thoughts as well, including one person who mocked Obama for citing Trump's reality show background.
Others did have thoughts, including mocking Obama for citing Trump's reality show background.
Someone else noted that Trump may actually use the jab from Obama to hit one of his GOP rivals:
Another said she wants to vote for Trump only to hear his signature "Apprentice" line used on the outgoing president:
Discussing Joe Biden's possible entry into the Democratic race, Obama called him one of the finest vice presidents ever and said: "If you're sitting right next to the president in every meeting and ... wrestling with these issues, I'm sure that for him he's saying to himself: 'I could do a really good job.'"
Asked if he thought he himself could be re-elected if not constitutionally barred from a third term, Obama replied: "Yes. I do."
Reuters contributed to this report.
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