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"If you look at the data from the election, if it were just young people who were voting, Hillary would have gotten 500 electoral votes," Obama said. "So we have helped, I think, shape a generation to think about being inclusive, being fair, caring about the environment."
He said young Americans "will have growing influence year by year, which means that America over time will continue to get better."
President-elect Donald Trump's electoral-vote total reached 306 after Michigan's results were certified and the state was awarded to him. Clinton won 232 electoral votes.
Asked if the US can still be considered a progressive country, Obama said "nothing is determined."
"But that the number of people who have a strong belief in a fair, just, equal, inclusive America is the majority and is growing," he said.