President Donald Trump repeatedly invoked the name of his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, hurling multiple jabs at America’s first Black president, from his 2015 Iran nuclear deal and his recent remarks at Rev. Jesse Jackson’s funeral to the way he “bobbed down” Air Force One.
During his remarks at a rally with thousands of MAGA supporters in Kentucky to promote his economic policies and defend his war in Iran, Trump called out Obama and suggested that when he leaves office, America would return to “weak” and “pathetic” leadership.
“There’ll be some day when you don’t have me as president….perhaps you’ll have a weak, pathetic person like we’ve had in the past, mostly all, like Barack Hussein Obama, who signed one of the worst deals ever with Iran,” said Trump, who later condemned Obama’s signature health care law, Obamacare.
Trump also took a dig at Obama over the former president’s recent remarks at the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s funeral, which were very critical of Trump and his administration and later condemned by Jackson’s son, Jesse Jackson Jr.
“He went to Jesse Jackson’s funeral, he spoke, and it was like a political hit job, and the family of Jesse Jackson got angry as hell at him, because they [Jackson and Obama] hated each other,” said Trump. “But I loved watching that…the family then goes outside, and they start screaming at him.”
While Rev. Jackson and Obama’s relationship was tense at times, characterizing their differences as hate is an exaggeration. During his remarks at the funeral, Obama shared that he visited the ailing Jackson before his death.
“I couldn’t help smiling. Because it took me back. And I started reminiscing with him,” shared Obama.
Despite Trump’s remarks and praise of Jackson after his death, the civil rights leader was very critical of Trump before his death.
“I think that Trump has done an awful lot to set race relations back by inciting fear in people,” Jackson said during a 2020 interview with Planet America. “Trump reversed the norms, and gave white people a sense of unfounded fear…It’s based on fear of Black people.”
President Trump brought up Obama again while taking shots at former President Joe Biden, who fell and tripped multiple times as president.
“The only thing I admired about Barack Hussein Obama, which was nothing, actually, but…the only thing is the way he bobbed down. Remember, he’d bob?” said Trump, referring to Obama’s signature walk down stairs while departing Air Force One.
However, what appeared to be a compliment quickly turned into yet another insult.
“Hey, you talk about unpresidential. He’s bopping. And I couldn’t believe that he made it without at least a noticeable, major fall,” he said.
