Barack Obama and his successor Donald Trump held a 90-minute transition meeting in the Oval Office Thursday, with the outgoing president vowing his support after an "excellent conversation."  Mr Obama pledged his administration would "do everything we can to help you succeed, because if you succeed, then the country succeeds".  Trump said the pair "discussed a lot of different situations - some wonderful and some difficulties", and said he looked forward to receiving Obama's counsel.  The two men ended the historic White House encounter with a handshake, refusing to take questions.  Read more: Trump blasts ‘very unfair’ protests on Twitter as fresh rallies break out  While they sat down in the Oval Office, Michelle Obama took the First Lady-to-be Melania Trump on a tour of the White House and the east wing where the family lives, the Guardian reports.  The full transition of power will officially take place on January 20.  Overnight, anger over the Trump win spilled out on the streets of cities from New York to Los Angeles as chanting protesters lit bonfires and snarled traffic.  Read more: Billionaire's win sparks protests as NYPD builds 'wall' around Trump Tower  Mr Trump has questioned whether President Obama was born in the United States -- a suggestion laden with deep racial overtones -- and the Democratic commander-in-chief has described the celebrity businessman as "uniquely unqualified" to be president.  But the 24 hours has seen efforts to bring this deeply divided country together after a brutal two-year battle for the White House that at times appeared more tribal than partisan.  Donald Trump is in Washington DC for talks with President Obama at the White House.  Vanquished Democratic rival Hillary Clinton fought back the bitter disappointment of not becoming America's first female president to urge Americans to give the billionaire a chance, at least from the outset.  "We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead," she said in a concession speech.  Mr Obama, addressing disconsolate staff in the White House Rose Garden, played down the extraordinary win, painting it as democracy being its messy self.  "Sometimes you lose an argument," he said, adding that all Americans would now be "rooting" for Trump's success.  "We are Americans first. We're patriots first. We all want what's best for this country," the outgoing president said as staff wiped away tears and pondered whether his administration's eight years of toil had come to naught.  In the battle for the soul of America, those who helped elect America's first black president now appear to be in retreat.  Both Mr Obama and Ms Clinton issued a faint but definite warning that Mr Trump must respect institutions and the rule of law if a modicum of goodwill is to hold.  In remarks that would once have seemed unthinkable, the president of the world's foremost democracy and military power subtly urged his successor to respect the 240-year-old system of governance and its institutions.  "The country," Obama said "needs a sense of unity, a sense of inclusion, a respect for our institutions, our way of life, rule of law, and a respect for each other."  White House spokesman Josh Earnest demurred when asked whether Trump would respect the rule of law.  His tone "would seem to suggest that certain basic principles of our democracy are likely to be upheld."
A triumphant Donald Trump heads to the White House Thursday for talks with President Barack Obama on securing a smooth transition of power and steading nerves after an election that shocked the world.