We've Got Hollywood Covered
|

Watch Obama Go in on Trump and GOP: ‘What Happened?’ (Video)

”How hard can that be? Saying Nazis are bad,“ ex-president says in fiery Friday speech

| September 7, 2018 @ 10:29 AM

Former President Barack Obama took the stage Friday to unload on President Trump, the Republican Party and the need for people to go out and vote. He criticized Trump for not quickly condemning the white nationalist marchers in Charlottesville, and called what has happened to the Republican party not normal, but “radical.”

“We’re supposed to stand up to discrimination, and we’re sure as heck supposed to stand up clearly and unequivocally to Nazi sympathizers,” Obama said in a speech given in Urbana, Illionis. “How hard can that be, saying that Nazis are bad?”

Obama also chastised the Republican party for “abdicating their responsibilities” in placing checks on Trump and for how the GOP has changed, asking, “What happened to the Republican party?”

“But over the past few decades, the politics of division and resentment and paranoia has unfortunately found a home in the Republican party,” Obama said. “It’s not conservative. It sure isn’t normal. It’s radical.”

Also Read: Spike Lee Informed Obama About Charlottesville Killing While on Golf Course's 18th Hole

Obama also addressed the recent anonymous op-ed that was printed in the New York Times Wednesday, decrying that “that’s not how democracy is supposed to work.” Obama said that the anonymous source is not helping anything by not serving as a real check on presidential power.

“The claim that everything will turn out OK because there are people inside the White House who secretly aren’t following the president’s orders, that is not a check,” Obama said. “They’re not doing us a service by actively promoting 90 percent of the crazy stuff that’s coming out of this White House, and then saying, ‘Don’t worry, we’re preventing the other 10 percent.’ That’s not how things are supposed to work. This is not normal. These are extraordinary times. And they’re dangerous times.”

Obama also took a swipe at how Trump has taken credit for the growth of the economy.

Also Read: Obama Gets Birthday Love From Hollywood: 'It Is an Honor to Be in the World at the Same Time as You'

“By the time I left office, household income was near its all-time high, and the uninsured rate hit an all-time low, poverty rates were falling,” Obama said. “I mention this just so when you hear how great the economy is doing right now, let’s just remember when this recovery started.”

Finally, he urged American voters to make a difference.

“People ask me, ‘what are you going to do about the election?’ No, the question is, what are you going to do about it,” Obama said. “Is it any wonder this Congress doesn’t reflect your values and your priorities? Are you surprised by that? This whole project of self-government only works if everyone is doing their part. Don’t tell me your vote doesn’t matter.”

Watch the full speech above.

Also Read: Obama Asks for 'R-E-S-P-E-C-T' From Donald Trump in Aretha Franklin Mashup (Video)

Hollywood figures are already weighing in on the ex-president’s fiery speech:

https://twitter.com/jonfavs/status/1038107095130812417

Barack Obama's Most Memorable TV Moments, From 'Mean Tweets' to Farewell Speech (Videos)

1 of 16

As the world prepares to say goodbye to President Obama, here are some golden memories from his eight years in office

Obama Slow Jams the News With Jimmy Fallon The soon-to-be former president took the mic with Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” in June, where he mocked Donald Trump’s infamous orange tan, Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” and even the late-night host himself.
View In Gallery