M.N.: I do not know Mrs. Clinton. But I absolutely trust her. It is a gut feeling. And I hope that the others do absolutely trust her too. We choose our leaders on the basis of how we feel about them, not what we think, or how much we know or do not know about them. This knowledge, which is always limited and incomplete, changes very little, and most often just confirms our feelings. We believe in our leaders, that's how they become our leaders.

M.N.: I do not know Mrs. Clinton. But I absolutely trust her. It is a gut feeling. And I hope that the others do absolutely trust her too. We choose our leaders on the basis of how we feel about them, not what we think, or how much we know or do not know about them. This knowledge, which is always limited and incomplete, is almost irrelevant, it changes very little, and most often just confirms our feelings. We believe in our leaders, that's how they become our leaders. 

"The president did not mention the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, but it was clear Mr. Obama was referring to him.

Declaring that he had “made a very deliberate effort to make sure that I don’t look like I’m meddling in what are supposed to be independent processes for making these assessments,” Mr. Obama nonetheless expressed confidence in Mrs. Clinton.

“I trust her,’’ he said. “I know her. And I wouldn’t be supporting her if I didn’t have absolute confidence in her integrity and her interest in making sure that young people have a better future.’’

White House officials later downplayed Mr. Obama’s remarks about the F.B.I. and insisted he had not meant to criticize Mr. Comey."