Obama: ‘Many of the Things Said About Me Are Terribly Unfair\

President Barack Obama told a gathering of young Southeast Asian leaders that democracy has led to "terribly unfair" things being said about him.

“As I always point out, democracy is hard,” Obama told the town hall gathering of 75 people with the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative at the White House Monday. “I think many of the things said about me are terribly unfair.”

President Barack Obama speaks during an event as part of the Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative in the East Room of the White House, June 1, 2015. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

“But the reason American democracy has survived so long is because people, even if they are wrong, have the right to say what they think,” Obama continued. “George Washington, our first president, complained terribly about some of the foolishness that was said about him.”

Still, he said "it's important for America to realize we are not perfect either."

"So we have to make sure we are constantly seeing how we improve our democracy,” Obama said. “The amounts of money for example that are involved in our elections these days is disturbing because it makes it seem like a few people have a greater influence in the democracy than the many.”