President Obama will follow coverage of Thursday’s Republican presidential primary debates but has no “rooting interest” in the outcome, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Thursday.
Mr. Earnest could not say for sure whether the president will watch Thursday’s debates. He did say, however, that Mr. Obama and others in the White House believe the debates will serve a political purpose by highlighting differences between the Republican and Democratic parties.
“I don’t know the president will have a rooting interest in the debate tonight, to the extent he watches it, and I’m not sure he will. I do think he will be interested in the coverage of the debate and I’m confident he will interested in the arguments presented,” Mr. Earnest said. “I expect he, like many Americans, will find the values and priorities that are articulated in that debate to be rather illuminating, particularly when you contrast them with the priorities this administration has been advocating for for seven years now.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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