Barack Obama gets angry – Newsweek

Former President Barack Obama delivered a sharp criticism of Donald Trump while campaigning for Kamala Harris in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Obama made battleground Pennsylvania the first stop on his tour of swing states, with less than four weeks until Election Day and with voting already underway. Polls show Harris and Trump are in a tight contest that could be decided by narrow margins in swing states.

At a rally at the University of Pittsburgh, Obama called Harris “a leader who has spent her life fighting for people who need a voice and an opportunity.”

He portrayed her Republican opponent as selfish and egotistical and said Trump “hasn't stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.”

Obama's tone was harsher at some points in his speech, including when he criticized Trump for spreading false claims about the Biden administration's response to Hurricane Helene “to score political points.”

“Everyone knew that wasn’t true,” Obama said. “Even local Republicans said that wasn't true and now the people of Florida are dealing with another devastating storm and I want you to watch what happens in the next few days… you will have leaders trying to help.” , and Then… you have a man who only lies to score political points, and that has consequences.

“The idea of ​​intentionally trying to deceive people in their most desperate and vulnerable moments. And my question is, when did that become okay?”

He continued to question why Trump's fellow Republicans support Trump's behavior.

“When Donald Trump lies or cheats or completely disrespects our Constitution, when he calls prisoners of war losers or fellow citizens vermin, people make excuses for it,” he said. “They think it’s OK. You think well, at least he owns the libraries.”

Obama said Trump's penchant for bullying and belittling was not a real strength.

“True strength is working hard and carrying a heavy load without complaining,” he said. “Real strength is about taking responsibility for your actions and speaking the truth, even when it is uncomfortable. Real strength is about helping people who need it and standing up for those who can't always stand up for themselves. That's what we want for our daughters and for our sons, and that's what I want to see from a president of the United States of America.”

Obama's office and the Trump campaign were contacted via email seeking comment.

Some commented on Obama's tone on social media.

“Parts of this Obama speech are really intense, even angry,” wrote lawyer Daniel Miller on X, formerly Twitter. “It seems like a warning for us to wake up, especially when he talks about Trump calling his fellow citizens 'vermin'.”

Symone Sanders-Townsend, host of MSNBC The weekend and former senior adviser to Harris, shared a clip from Obama's speech on X.

“That’s four minutes of Barack Obama getting tired of the shenanigans and being very effective at the same time,” Sanders-Townsend wrote.

Singer-songwriter Ricky Davila wrote, “President Obama is pissed and scared as hell for our democracy, as we all should be.”

Thomas Gift, associate professor of political science and director of the Center on US Politics at University College London, said Newsweek: “I wouldn't describe Obama's speech as angry. I would characterize them as sincere and with a level of concern that I think is commensurate with the gravity of the moment and the stakes of the election.”

He added: “There was nothing Obama said in Pittsburgh that we haven't heard from Democrats before. Obama's tone may have been harsher than we are used to, but precisely because he is not known for sharp criticism, it made his speech all the more effective.”