Obama: Hillary would be 'a great president'

By Rebecca Shabad

President Obama in an interview Sunday said Hillary Clinton would be “a great president.”

“If she decides to run, I think she will be a formidable candidate and I think she’d be a great president,” Obama said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Clinton was “an outstanding secretary of State” and she’s “a friend,” Obama added.

Host George Stephanopoulos mentioned Clinton’s decision to publicly endorse Obama’s latest executive actions on immigration last week. He then asked the president whether he will coordinate with Clinton on certain issues in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.

“Well, she hasn’t announced so I don’t wanna jump the gun,” said Obama, who indicated he still talks regularly with Clinton.

Obama said there are a number of other possible Democratic candidates who would make “terrific presidents,” he said, but declined to identify others.

Vice President Joe Biden has repeatedly hinted he might run again for the White House in 2016.

“I am very interested in making sure that I’ve got a Democratic successor. So I’m gonna do everything I can, obviously, to make sure that whoever the nominee is is successful,” Obama said.

Obama said the American people will want “a new car smell” and don’t “wanna drive something off the lot that doesn’t have as much mileage as me.”

He added: “You know, they’re probably not gonna be looking at me to campaign too much.”