Earlier today, former President Obama gave a well-received speech at the University of Illinois in which he warned about the dire threats currently facing our democracy. He said that one need only glance at headlines to see how serious our current predicament is, a clear, albeit oblique, reference to Trump.
Obama’s speech was comprehensive and insightful, sketching out the challenges the United States still has to overcome, and providing prescriptions for the problems that ail us.
Of course, it was only a matter of time before Trump — who still rightfully feels like he stands in Obama’s shadow — struck back in typical, petty fashion.
During his speech shortly after Obama’s Trump claimed that he tried to watch his predecessor’s speech but instead fell asleep. It was a petty jab, more befitting a child on a schoolyard than the President of the United States.
“I watched it but I fell asleep. I found him very good, very good for sleeping. I think he was trying to take some credit, some for this incredible thing that’s happening in our country,” Trump said, once again trying to take credit for Obama’s accomplishment, including the resurgence of the American economy which began under Obama.
If Trump actually fell asleep (which is doubtful) it was because of his infamously short attention span and not because of the nature of Obama’s speech.
TRUMP quickly gets to criticizing OBAMA's speech: "I watched it, but I fell asleep. I found him very good — very good for sleeping. I think he was trying to take some credit, some credit for this incredible thing that's happening to our country." pic.twitter.com/FQkX467J0H
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 7, 2018
Obama’s speech was urbane and moving, a far cry from the daily drivel we are forced to endure from our current president and a stark reminder of what we lost in the 2016 election.
OBAMA: "And as a fellow citizen, not as an ex-president, but as a fellow
citizen, I'm here to deliver a simple message, and that is that you need to vote because our democracy depends on it… a glance at recent headlines should tell you that this moment really is different." pic.twitter.com/XmOovToppX— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 7, 2018
At one point during the proceedings, Obama mentioned that our country has taken two steps forward at some points in its history only to take one step back. Once again, the former president was clearly talking about Trump, who represents a regressive, racist, idiotic backslide after eight years of Obama’s compassionate, intelligent leadership.
Obama’s message was one of realism, of grappling with the problem we currently face, but also thrumming with hope for the future.
OBAMA: "There's always been a darker aspect to America's story. Progress doesn't move in a straight line. There's a reason why progress hasn't been easy & why 2 steps forward sometimes produces a step back… each time we've gotten closer to our ideals, somebody has pushed back." pic.twitter.com/fDatJj73IZ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 7, 2018
Eventually, Obama mentioned Trump by name and accurately explained that the Donald Trump presidency is not the cause of our democracy’s current crisis, but rather a symptom of underlying problems. We must come together and address the rot that allowed a conman like Trump to seize the Oval Office.
Obama mentions Trump by name!
"He's just capitalizing on resentments that politicians have been fanning for years, a fear and anger that's rooted in our past but it's also born out of the enormous upheavals that have taken place in your brief lifetimes." pic.twitter.com/fmoaPfCiHu
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 7, 2018