Trump Says He Would Beat Obama Easily in Hypothetical Matchup

Donald Trump said he believed he would defeat Barack Obama easily in a hypothetical presidential matchup, calling the former president overrated and a divider during an interview with Stephen A. Smith. Trump described himself as someone who brings people together, while Smith challenged both characterizations in the White House conversation released November 12.

Smith asked Trump to consider a scenario in which both men could run for president again. Trump pointed to his vote totals and performances in large states before Smith asked directly whether he thought he would beat Obama. Trump answered that he did, then said he considered Obama highly overrated. Asked to explain, Trump said he had not thought Obama was a good president and viewed him as a divider.

Smith asked Trump how he would describe himself in contrast. Trump said he brings people together through success and referred to investment in the United States. Smith pressed him on how he achieves that, continuing a broader exchange in which the interviewer challenged Trump’s claims about his political record.

The matchup was hypothetical, not a proposed or legally available election under current constitutional rules. The...