Former President Obama on Tuesday took aim at President Donald Trump, saying “those in power seek to undermine every institution or norm that gives democracy meaning.”
During the 2018 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg, Obama said that “strongman politics are ascending suddenly, whereby elections, some pretense of democracy, are maintained, the form of it.”
“Unfortunately, too much of politics today seems to reject the very concept of objective truth. People just make stuff up…we see the utter loss of shame among political leaders where they’re caught in a lie and they just double down,” Obama added.
According to The Hill, one of his most direct criticisms toward Trump administration was the withdrawal from the Paris climate deal, adding that he can’t “find common ground” with people who claim that climate change is a hoax, “when almost all the world’s scientists say it is [real].”
Obama also talked about the type of leaders that spread lies.
“We see the utter loss of shame in political leaders when they’re caught in a lie and they just double down and lie some more,” Obama said, warning that the undermining of facts and reality could “be democracy’s undoing.”
Obama’s comments weren’t only directed at Trump, he also talked about the actions of autocratic leaders in countries across the world.
“Democracy depends on strong institutions,” Obama said, calling on people to reject election results where “the winner somehow gets 90 percent of the vote because all of the opposition is locked up or can’t get on TV.”
Obama ended the address with a call for action to young people.
“My message to you is simple,” he said. “Keep believing, keep marching, keep building, keep raising your voice.”
Obama since leaving office last year hasn’t been active publicly, but from time to time he criticizes Trump and his policies.
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