VIENTIANE, Laos, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama on Thursday urged the American people to challenge what he called "contradictory or uninformed or outright wacky ideas" from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Obama made the comments during a press conference at the end of his visit to Laos for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. He warned against Trump's perceived outlandish behavior becoming part of the normal discourse in the United States.
"People start thinking behavior that in normal times we would consider completely unacceptable and outrageous becomes normalized," Obama. "People start thinking that we should be grading on a curve ... but I can tell you from the interactions I have had over the last eight or nine days with foreign leaders that this is serious business."
Obama has previously suggested Trump is not prepared or fit for the U.S. presidency -- last month saying Trump was not qualified to succeed him as commander in chief.
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"Every time he speaks that opinion is confirmed," Obama said before boarding Air Force One for the trip back to Washington, D.C. "I think the most important thing for the public and the press is to just listen to what he says and follow-up and ask questions about what appears to be either contradictory or uninformed or outright wacky ideas."
Obama's comments came hours after Trump answered questions about the military and foreign policy in a forum held by NBC. Host Matt Lauer came under fire from some political pundits for not asking Trump follow-up questions when the Republican candidate appeared to give a contradictory response about his support -- or lack thereof -- for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
On the topic of the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba, Obama reaffirmed his commitment to close the facility before he leaves office in January -- though Congress remains reluctant. The White House's plan to close Guantanamo Bay would see detainees being sent to other countries and to prisons within the United States.
"I expect to work very hard over the next four and a half months. I continue to believe Guantanamo is a recruitment tool for terrorism," Obama said. "There is no doubt that because of the politics in Congress right now, it is a tough road to hoe," Obama conceded Thursday."
