Obama criticizes Trump’s leadership as failure

“No interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves."

Former U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday (local time) that democracy in the United States is at stake while calling Trump's presidential leadership a failure. “Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t.”

It in effect is the first instance where Obama issued a blistering rebuke of President Donald Trump in public, although he had been careful about expressing criticism, since he took office. Political pundits analyze that Obama stands on the forefront to help democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, who usually plays a weak offense, as Biden has seen a reduction in his lead over President Trump.

Obama spoke at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention. Standing against the wall with "Writing the Constitution” written in a big red font on it, he spent most of his 19-minute speech criticizing the current president.

Obama said, “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. But he never did. For close to four years now, he’s shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground.” Adding, “And the consequences of that failure are severe,” he listed the economic downturn, human loss and damage to the United States’ global reputation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The former U.S. president diagnosed the incumbent one's unsuccessful leading role as a challenge posed to democracy, saying, “Because that’s what [is] at stake right now. Our democracy.” He also stated, “The Commander-in-Chief doesn’t use the men and women of our military, who are willing to risk everything to protect our nation, as political props to deploy against peaceful protesters on our own soil.” “They understand that political opponents aren’t “un-American” just because they disagree with you; that a free press isn’t the “enemy” but the way we hold officials accountable.” His remarks intended to criticize President Trump's order to respond to protesters against racism in repressive way. The word "democracy” was uttered 17 times by Obama during the speech.


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