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Barack Obama said that part of the reason 73 million Americans voted to re-elect Donald Trump in the election was due to messages from Republicans that the country, white men in particular, are under attack.
In an interview with the Breakfast Club radio show Wednesday to promote his new memoir A Promised Land, Obama said that the Trump administration, which he did not name directly, “has objectively failed, miserably, in basic handling of caring for the American people. and keeping them safe, ”and still got millions of votes.
“What has always interested me is the degree to which they have seen the feeling created in Republican politics that white men are victims,” Obama said. “They are the ones under attack, which obviously doesn’t match the history, the data, and the economy. But that is a sincere belief, which has been internalized, it is a story that is told and how you relax will not be something that is done immediately. “
Later, one of the show’s hosts, DJ Envy, asked Obama how he responds to criticism from blacks and other communities of color who believe he didn’t do enough for them as president.
“I understand this because when I was elected there was a lot of enthusiasm and hope, and I also think that we generally see the presidency as almost a monarchy in the sense that once the president is there, he can do whatever it takes and if he is not doing it. It must be because I didn’t want to, ”Obama said.
Envy challenged Obama, arguing that Trump has behaved in exactly that way.
“Because it violates laws or ignores the constitution,” Obama said. “The good news for me is that I was very confident in what I had done for black people because I have the statistics to prove it.”
Obama went on to highlight how his policies saw black incomes increase, poverty decrease, and increase access to health care.
“The problem is, sometimes we just don’t publicize that because, again, the goal here is to build coalitions where everyone gets something so everyone feels they have something to do with it,” Obama said. “But many of my policies were aimed at the people most in need. Those people are disproportionately African American. “
Obama also spoke about the role of the public and Congress in change. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked much of the Obama administration’s efforts in the Republican-controlled Senate in the final years of his presidency.
A similar fate could be waiting for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris, Obama warned. It is unknown which party will control the Senate until the results of two Georgia runoff elections scheduled for January 5 are obtained.
“If the Republicans win those two seats, then Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will not be able to get any legislation passed that Mitch McConnell and the other Republicans will not accept,” Obama said.
That was one of the only mentions Obama made of the incoming president, who sparked controversy on social media in May after an interview with the Breakfast Club where he said, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you are for me or for Trump, then you’re not black. “
Later that day, Biden apologized: “No one, no one, should have to vote for any party based on their race, their religion, their background.”
