Obama urges media to scrutinize Trump: 'This is a really serious job ... not a reality show'



WASHINGTON (AP) -- In his first remarks about Donald Trump's presumptive nominee status, President Barack Obama has a message for the media: "This is not entertainment. This is not a reality show."

Obama is urging reporters to take Trump seriously and vet him thoroughly. At a brief news conference at the White House on Friday, Obama told reporters to scrutinize the candidates closely, to fact check their policies and to hold them to their past statements.

“We are in serious times, and this is a really serious job,” Obama said after being asked about Trump at a White House news conference. “This is not entertainment. This is not a reality show. This is a contest for the presidency of the United States.”

He says, "emphasizing the spectacle and the circus, that's not something we can afford."

Obama says if reporters do their job and people are well informed "I'm confident our democracy will work."