Ready to back Clinton, Obama works to unite fractured Dems

NEW YORK (AP) — President Barack Obama opened a determined fence-mending mission Wednesday, hoping to use his popularity among Democrats to unite the party behind Hillary Clinton and draw in Bernie Sanders supporters reluctant to give up after a grueling primary fight.

In his first public remarks on the primary since Clinton clinched the nomination, Obama acknowledged the lingering bruised feelings and sought to shower praise on both candidates.

Later, Obama made a delicate reference to the party's awkward transition period as he talked up donors at a top-dollar fundraiser.

There was little reason for overconfidence among Democrats, who haven't seen that powerful coalition of minorities, young people and women reliably show up for candidates not named Obama during the last two midterm elections.

In New York, Obama was raising money for Democrats and reaching out to young voters, taping an appearance on the late show hosted by Jimmy Fallon, who's very popular with that key voting group.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama has deliberately kept in close touch with his supporters even after his last election in 2012 and would be a "particularly influential advocate" for the Democratic nominee.

In addition to campaign events, Obama is likely to keep up his social media profile and capitalize on his skill with pop culture interviews and the humor-laced digs at Trump, as he's demonstrated in recent speeches.