Foreign Policy

Obama's Upcoming Travel Agenda Includes Reassuring US Allies

Facing concerns abroad, President Obama's final official trip will focus on reassuring allies.

Obama's Upcoming Travel Agenda Includes Reassuring US Allies
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President Barack Obama's final international trip could take on a different tone than he might have hoped.

President-elect Donald Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton shocked and concerned some of the country's closest allies. This resulted in protests similar to the ones seen here in the U.S.

SEE MORE: Trump Seems To Be Backtracking On A Few Of His Agenda Items

Obama will travel to Greece and Germany before heading to South America for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. 

Obama's now likely to spend the bulk of his final trip abroad reassuring foreign leaders about the upcoming Trump presidency. He'll likely highlight Trump's public promise for a peaceful transfer of power and pledge continued U.S. support for shared policies.

NATO allies worry Trump's presidency will shake up U.S. support of the longstanding defense agreement. Trump questioned some members' commitment to the alliance while he was on the campaign trail.

Others are concerned about the possibility that Trump could pull out of the Paris climate agreement. And his apparent admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin is also worrying Western nations.

SEE MORE: Putin Congratulates Trump On Election Win

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest reminded reporters in a briefing last week, "... our alliances have transcended individual presidents and individual political parties in part because some of our alliances are rooted in the deep cultural ties between our two countries." 

It's still unclear what Trump's foreign policy agenda will look like, but one White House official did say the current national security team will work closely with Trump's team to help with a smooth transition.