Incoming Kansas City Star editor asks first question at Obama’s news conference

President Barack Obama tapped Colleen McCain Nelson, who is leaving The Wall Street Journal to run the editorial page at The Kansas City Star, to ask the first question at his news conference on Monday.

After his opening remarks, Obama called on Nelson, acknowledging that Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary and Kansas City superfan, had put her name at the top of the list of reporters to call upon.

“My understanding is, Colleen, that this is wrapping up your stint here and you’re going to Kansas City,” Obama said.

“Correct,” Nelson replied.

“Josh just happens to be from Kansas City. So I didn’t know if there was any coincidence there. But we wish you the very best of luck in your new endeavors.”

“As it turns out, there’s no place like Kansas City,” said Nelson, who grew up in Salina and has apparently forgotten in her time away that Kansans aren’t keen on Wizard of Oz jokes.

“There you go,” Obama said.

Obama is traveling this week to Greece, Germany and Peru, his final foreign trip as president. Nelson asked Obama if world leaders should be worried about U.S. foreign policy now that Donald Trump is the president-elect. She also asked Obama about the state of the Democratic Party.

The exchange starts at the 48:00 mark in this video. Here’s the full transcript.

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