The day after Donald Trump won the election, President Obama promised the country that he and his administration would work hard to ensure a smooth transition of power took place.
"So I have instructed my team to set the example that President Bush's team set eight years ago, and work as hard as we can to make sure this is a successful transition for the president-elect," Obama said during a press conference on Nov. 9.
Since that press conference, it appears the smooth transition will have a few bumps in it.
The first bump is the United States-Israel relationship. The Obama administration failed to veto a United Nations resolution condemning Israel for its settlement activity. The president's refusal to defend the Jewish state at the U.N., which broke with decades of U.S. policy, caused a fray in the bilateral relationship. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his disappointment in the Obama administration's actions.
President-elect Trump spoke out against Obama's decision and promised things would change when he takes office.
As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2016
Trump will not only enter the White House with a strained U.S.-Israel relationship; he will also have to confront Russia and the growing tension between the two countries that became worse during Obama's tenure.
The Obama administration recently announced new sanctions against Russia for its interference in the U.S. election. The move comes as Trump casts doubt on Russia's role in the Democratic National Committee cyber breaches. Trump's reluctance to blame Moscow caused White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest to strongly criticize the president-elect's views of Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin.