In front of Abbas, the president said today:

…Our position on Hamas is very clear, it’s a well-known position and it hasn’t changed about Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist group, it’s on a terrorist list for a reason. As the elections go forward, of course, we want everybody to participate in the vote. There is something healthy about people campaigning, saying, this is what I’m for. The President ran on a peace platform; you know, maybe somebody will run on a war platform — you know, vote for me, I promise violence. I don’t think they’re going to get elected, because I think Palestinian moms want their children to grow up in peace just like American moms want their children to grow up in peace. As a matter of fact, I think the people that campaign for peace will win.
The goal of a — is, of course, a Palestinian state based upon rule of law, and you cannot have a democracy based upon rule of law if you have armed bands of people who will use their weapons to try to achieve a political outcome. We discussed this with the President….