Former President Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump for his performance and failure as a US president at the virtual Democratic National Convention.
During his keynote address, Obama emphasized that a president must be the custodian of democracy.
“I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president. I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care,” the former president said.
“But he never did,” he continued, saying Trump has never shown interest in “putting in the work” and “in finding common ground.”
Obama accused Trump of treating the presidency as another reality show where he can get the attention he wants.
“Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t,” Obama stressed.
“And the consequences of that failure are severe. 170,000 Americans dead. Millions of jobs gone while those at the top take in more than ever. Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished, and our democratic institutions threatened like never before,” he added.
Support for Joe Biden
Obama also explained why he believes Joe Biden, his former vice president, should be the next president of the US.
“Twelve years ago, when I began my search for a vice president, I didn’t know I’d end up finding a brother. Joe and I came from different places and different generations. But what I quickly came to admire about him is his resilience, born of too much struggle; his empathy, born of too much grief. Joe’s a man who learned – early on – to treat every person he meets with respect and dignity, living by the words his parents taught him: “No one’s better than you, Joe, but you’re better than nobody.”
Obama said that Joe shows empathy, decency, and deep care for everybody, praising the candidate’s ability to listen to people who are suffering.
“When he talks with someone who’s lost her job, Joe remembers the night his father sat him down to say that he’d lost his. When Joe listens to a parent who’s trying to hold it all together right now, he does it as the single dad who took the train back to Wilmington each and every night so he could tuck his kids into bed. When he meets with military families who’ve lost their hero, he does it as a kindred spirit; the parent of an American soldier; somebody whose faith has endured the hardest loss there is,” Obama said.
“For eight years, Joe was the last one in the room whenever I faced a big decision. He made me a better president – and he’s got the character and the experience to make us a better country,” he added.
Young people
Obama concluded his speech by addressing the young people.
“To the young people who led us this summer, telling us we need to be better – in so many ways, you are this country’s dreams fulfilled. Earlier generations had to be persuaded that everyone has equal worth. For you, it’s a given – a conviction. And what I want you to know is that for all its messiness and frustrations, your system of self-government can be harnessed to help you realize those convictions,” he said.
He expressed his confidence in the ability of youth to give democracy a new meaning.
“You can take it to a better place. You’re the missing ingredient – the ones who will decide whether or not America becomes the country that fully lives up to its creed.”
