PITTSBURGH: Former President Barack Obama took the campaign trail on Thursday to bolster support for Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, delivering a speech that fought back against the new norms that Trump has established.
Obama didn’t care for the applause, supporting his call for honesty, or for the boos, aimed at Former President Donald trump for his lies. Rather, the 44th president of the United States seemed to be in disbelief of the state of the political landscape in America, and frustrated with the antics that have become all too common in the past ten years.
“I’m not looking for applause right now,” Obama said sternly, trying to bring the audience back to reality. His demeanour and cadence contrasted dramatically from Trump, who leans in to the concert-like rallies, in which he played a large role in making the norm.
LIES, LIES, AND LIES
Throughout his campaign, Trump has been showered with cheers from his fans whenever the former president disparaged his opponents, making claims with no basis in reality. One of his most recent attempts centred around the Biden administrations response to Hurricane Helene which devastated Florida in the previous weeks.
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Obama brought attention to the made-up stories of “withholding aid from republican areas, and siphoning off aid to give to undocumented immigrants,” that Trump spewed without a care in the world.
“Just made the stuff up,” Obama said, stupefied that one would go such lengths to “score political points,” while President Biden and Vice President Harris “were down there meeting local officials and comforting families.”
“Someone may be discouraged from getting the help they need,” the former president said, urging the audience to take notice of the detrimental effects such claims can have.
Outrageous as the claims may be, the reasoning behind them is quite simple.
“Donald Trump wants us to think that this country Is hopelessly divided between us and them, the real Americans who support him and the outsiders who don’t,” Obama said, explaining that Trump believes inducing anger in the populace stands to benefit him.
That’s the lengths that Trump is willing to go to according to Obama, as he stated that the Republican nominee “doesn’t care who gets hurt.”
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“I want you to watch what happens in the next few days,” Obama said, alluding to more lies on the horizon as another hurricane ravages Florida.
THE NEW NORMS
When did it become okay to “deceive people in their most desperate and vulnerable moments?” was the question Obama posed to the audience. He went on to explain that the political landscape has shifted, largely due to new norms that Trump has established.
The Republican nominees continued lies, incitement of violence, and lack of respect for his compatriots have all been met with applause in lieu of consequences.
Honesty didn’t use to be a democratic or republican value Obama explained, bringing light to the stark change the entire world sees in American politics every day. With the abundance of lies, and the claims that the other side is spreading ‘fake news,’ Trump has effectively created an echo chamber from which his supporters dare not step foot out of.
The conversation rarely concerns actual policies, leading Obama to reminisce on the days when tax policy and foreign policy were the subjects of debate, not whether one “should tell the truth or not.”
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TRUMP’S CHARACTER
A “78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems,” is how Obama described Trump, slamming the Republican nominee for ranting and raving about crazy conspiracy theories,” and his “word salad” two-hour speeches.
“If you say it on SNL, you’d say well that’s going too far,” he said, referencing Trump’s newest product, the “god bless the united states bible.”
“Who does that?” said Obama, criticising Trump for his constant attempts to sell stuff to voters, adding that the Republican nominee only “cares about his ego and his money and his status.”
“He’s not thinking about you,” Obama exclaimed, using the example of Trump’s anti-abortion agenda, namely Project 2025, which seeks to increase surveillance of pregnancies and ban abortion pills.
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Trump “doesn’t care if he costs more women their reproductive freedom because they won’t make a difference in his life,” Obama said, and was quickly met with an abundance of boos directed at Trump.
“Do not boo, vote!” the former president said, once again illuminating the state of political discourse in the US. With an election less than a month away, Obama attempted to bring an end to the sensationalised political discourse, putting a focus on results.
“They can’t hear your boos but they can hear your votes,” Obama said.