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President Obama ate a serving of humble pie Friday after Britain ignored his advice and voted to leave the European Union.
“Yesterday’s vote speaks to the ongoing changes and challenges raised by globalization,” Obama said while attending a tech conference in Silicon Valley.
“The world has shrunk. It is interconnected . . . It promises to bring extraordinary benefits, but it also has challenges,” Obama said.
One of those challenges is to the president’s credibility, which is taking a beating after he heavily advocated for the Brits to remain in the EU.
Conor McCann, a Dublin-based political-affairs analyst, wondered if Obama’s lost Europe.
“Obama, with his great status in Europe — if he couldn’t sway it, it’s an indication things have changed,” McCann told Bloomberg News.
In April, Obama traveled to the UK in part to advocate that it remain in the EU. He even threatened the UK directly, saying it would have to go to the “back of the queue” in trade negotiations with the United States because the EU is so much bigger.
On Friday, the president’s language was far more deferential.
“Based on our conversation, I’m confident that the UK is committed to an orderly transition out of the EU,” he said.
Vice President Joe Biden’s reaction was blunt: “We preferred a different outcome.”
Presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump rubbed salt in the wound on his trip to Scotland.
“A lot of people don’t like him,” Trump said of Obama.
Trump, who backed the “Leave” campaign, added, “I was actually very surprised that President Obama would’ve come over here and he would’ve been so bold as to tell the people over here what to do.”



