CNN
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Former President Barack Obama said at a private fundraiser Monday night that Donald Trump is “someone who is clearly rallying white supremacists,” calling out the former president for a series of violent campaign rallies in recent days. He made a statement that went further than how he had penetrated.
The comment, which was relayed to CNN by two people who heard the remarks, was in response to a question President Obama took from a small audience at the home of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. This fundraiser brought in $4 million for Kamala Harris’ campaign
President Obama mentioned Harris, Trump’s hosting of Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago in 2022, and the white supremacist attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. “She’s confronting a guy who had lunch with a Holocaust denier,” he said, referring to both of Trump’s responses to the march. . When there was a procession with lanterns, all that was missing was a pitchfork, and they said, “We cannot be replaced.” He said, “There are good people on both sides.” ”
The comments came as President Trump dug deeper into his anti-immigrant rhetoric and warned of the “enemy from within,” with former White House chief of staff John Kelly saying that Trump had spoken out about Adolf Hitler. He publicly stated that he had made several supportive statements. The former president’s camp denies the allegations.
While President Trump appeals to Americans’ worst impulses, President Obama said Monday that Harris and his running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, appeal to Americans’ best impulses.
President Obama said that President Trump is “taking advantage of people’s latent biases and inciting them.” It starts with people thinking it’s funny that Trump disrespects immigrants, people with disabilities and other groups, and then people “start to feel like, ‘Oh, this is fair game,'” Obama said.
President Obama said the impact of President Trump’s comments is not only being felt by the people being “knocked down” and American politics. But it also affects how Americans interact with each other and the children who hear it.
“When those guardrails start to break down, it’s going to change the direction of not only our public discourse, but also our private discourse,” Obama said. “Our children absorb it in a destructive way.”
As CNN previously reported, President Obama is in the midst of his busiest late-election campaign since his last campaign, so far campaigning in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin and Michigan. He plans to stop by again Thursday night, his first time performing with Harris, and will also perform with Bruce Springsteen. He also appears in a slew of ads for Senate candidates and participates in interviews with online influencers and podcasters. More information will be announced soon.
Mr. Obama’s speeches at these rallies included mocking Mr. Trump (e.g., claiming he didn’t know how to drive a truck and never changing a diaper) and the former president’s claims about his own record. It was a combination of trying to dismantle it. The focus is on President Trump’s often cited claim that the strong economic performance is due to “my economy.”
For Obama, this is both personal and political. He has urged voters, especially black men, not to give up on government just because they feel it is inadequate or because they identify with President Trump.
