Obama: 'I Don't Think We Need to Fundamentally Transform the Nation'

In an apparent reversal of his past campaign statements, President Barack Obama told Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly in a Sunday interview that he does not believe in fundamentally transforming America.

O’Reilly read Obama a question from a viewer who asked, “Mr. President, why do you feel it is necessary to fundamentally transform the nation that has afforded you so much opportunity and success?”

“I don’t think we need to fundamentally transform the nation,” said Obama.

“But those are your words,” explained O’Reilly.

“I think what we have to do is make sure that here in America, if you work hard, you can get ahead,” said Obama. 

On October 30, 2008, then-candidate Obama said at a Columbia, Missouri, campaign event, “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”