Did Chuck Todd say President Obama failed to unite the country?

The presidential candidate fielded what seemed like a loaded question from the 'Meet the Press' host

Mar 18, 2019

On the Sunday’s episode of “Meet The Press,” the show’s host, Chuck Todd, appeared to blame former President Barack Obama for failing to bring Americans of different backgrounds and races together, but got an even tempered, but solid retort to what sounded like shade on Todd’s part.

While interviewing newly declared presidential candidate, Beto O’Rourke, Todd asked O’Rourke to comment on why Obama was unsuccessful in being a bridge over America’s longstanding and troubled waters.

“You aren’t the first candidate to say, ‘I’m going to bring this country together,’” Todd told O’Rourke during the show. “The most recent Democratic president, a lot of people put their hope in the thought he was the answer that was going to do that. Why do you think that didn’t happen in Obama’s eight years?”

O’Rourke replied to Todd with some defense of Obama: “Yeah. I don’t know. I know that President Obama worked incredibly hard to find common ground with Republicans and Democrats alike, took a message to the entire country. But I’ll say he was able to achieve a heck of a lot in those eight years.”

This must be why #ChuckTodd is trending rn…#Beto pic.twitter.com/UVWiGaGPOa

— heykim (@heykim) March 18, 2019

In truth, O’Rourke likely consulted with Obama before making his decision to run for president.

According to The Washington Post, the two linked up on Nov. 16 at Obama’s Washington D.C. offices, as a result of Obama’s aides putting the heat on him to have a sit down with O’Rourke and capitalize at the height of his popularity.

The Texas representative lost in a narrow race for the Senate against Sen. Ted Cruz in November and rumors swirled about him running for president until he announced his candidacy last week.

Since then he has seen a groundswell of support, raising $6.1 million in his first day on the campaign trail, outpacing Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to NBC News.

O’Rouke finds himself in a crowded field of Democrats who are determined to unseat President Trump. Fellow candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, however, said she doesn’t mind.

“As far as I’m concerned, the more the merrier,” Harris, who launched her presidential campaign in January, said during her airtime on MSNBC. When asked about O’Rourke’s candidacy, the D-Cali Senator said there is an “embarrassment of riches” among the Democrats who are running for president.

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