Mr. Earnest said Obama also called fellow Democrat Hilary Clinton to express his “admiration for the strong campaign she waged throughout the country”.
The president will later on Wednesday give a speech on the election results, including “what steps we can take as a country to come together after this hard-fought election season”, with Vice President Joe Biden expected to be in attendance.
“Ensuring a smooth transition of power is one of the top priorities the president identified at the beginning of the year and a meeting with the president-elect is the next step,” Earnest added.