Obama rips Trump's record in 2020 campaign trail debut

[webfact]

Obama rips Trump's record in 2020 campaign trail debut

By Trevor Hunnicutt and James Oliphant

 

Former U.S. President Barack Obama campaigns on behalf of Democratic presidential nominee and his former Vice President Joe Biden in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 21, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Former President Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail on Wednesday, launching a blistering attack on Donald Trump with less than two weeks to go before the Republican president's Election Day face-off with Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

 

Speaking at a drive-in rally in Philadelphia on behalf of Biden, his former vice president, Obama offered his most pointed critique yet of his successor.

 

"He hasn't shown any interest in doing the work or helping anybody but himself," Obama said of Trump.

 

Obama, who governed for two terms and remains one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, blasted Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, noting that the president himself had fallen victim to the virus.

 

"Donald Trump isn't suddenly going to protect all of us," he said. "He can't even take the basic steps to protect himself."

 

Obama's appearance filled a gap left by Biden, who has stayed at home in Delaware since Monday for meetings and preparation ahead of his Thursday debate with Trump in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

Earlier in the day, Obama spoke to Black community leaders in Philadelphia.

 

"I've never lost hope over these last four years," Obama said. "I've been mad. I've been frustrated, but I haven't lost hope, and the reason is because I never expected progress to move directly in a straight line."

 

Americans are voting early at a record pace this year, with 42 million ballots cast both via mail and in person ahead of the Nov. 3 election, on concerns about the coronavirus and to make sure their votes are counted.

 

The record early vote so far represents about 30% of the total ballots cast in 2016, according to the University of Florida's U.S. Elections Project.

 

Former President Barack Obama made his first appearance on the campaign trail on Wednesday for Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who is locked in a tight race with President Donald Trump in crucial states with just 13 days to go in the campaign.

 

While Obama was speaking, Trump headed to North Carolina, another battleground state where opinion polls show a tight race, for a rally in Gastonia on Wednesday evening.

 

Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris, was also in North Carolina to mobilize voters in Asheville and Charlotte.

 

VIRUS SURGE IN FINAL WEEKS OF CAMPAIGN

The last days of campaigning are taking place amid a surge in new cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations in battleground states, including North Carolina and Pennsylvania but also Wisconsin, Ohio and Michigan.

 

Pennsylvania has averaged 1,500 new cases a day over the past week, a level it has not seen since April, according to a Reuters analysis. North Carolina is averaging 2,000 new cases a day over the past week, its highest level ever. The virus has claimed the lives of more than 221,000 Americans.

 

Polling shows a majority of voters are disappointed in the way Trump has handled the pandemic, which he has repeatedly said would disappear on its own.

 

On a call organized by the Biden campaign and Texas Democrats on Wednesday, several Texas Republicans urged fellow conservatives to vote for Biden, citing the coronavirus crisis as well as Biden's character.

 

“This is not a decision I took lightly. I love the GOP, and I love most GOP officials. But I love my country more," said Jacob Monty, a Republican immigration lawyer who resigned from Trump’s national Hispanic advisory council in 2016.

 

Biden and Trump are scheduled to meet in their second and final debate on Thursday night, giving the Republican an opportunity to change the trajectory of a race that Biden is leading in national polls.

 

Biden believes he must win his birth state of Pennsylvania and has visited it more than any other state during the campaign. Trump narrowly won the state over Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

 

Trump has gained ground there, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday, which showed the challenger leading by 49% to 45%, slightly narrower than a week earlier.

 

"If we win Pennsylvania, we win the whole thing," Trump said on Tuesday at a rally in Erie, in the state's northwestern corner.

 

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Philadelphia; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax in New York; Jason Lange and John Whitesides in Washington and Lisa Shumaker in Chicago; Writing by Sonya Hepinstall and James Oliphant; Editing by Scott Malone and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-22

 

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[Tug]

He certainly did rip trump a new one lol it’s gotta sting coming from a black man that’s way smarter self made respected dare I say loved than him and know he’s right that’s gotta sting 

[Somtamnication]

Finally, the voice of reason. Thanks, Obama.

[Silurian]

The Republican nominee that ran against Obama/Biden didn't vote for Donald. Romney, the last Republican presidential candidate before Donald, made it clear that he doesn't support Donald. How sad is that?

 

Mitt Romney says he did not vote for Trump in the 2020 election

 

Quote

Sen. Mitt Romney said Wednesday he did not vote for President Donald Trump's reelection, the latest break between the GOP's 2012 presidential nominee and the leader of his party.

The first-term Republican senator, who already voted in Utah, declined to say if he voted for Democratic nominee Joe Biden or wrote in another candidate. But he made clear that Trump did not get his vote.

"I did not vote for President Trump," Romney told CNN on Capitol Hill.

 

[Silurian]

Donald can't even get prominent members of his own Republican party to endorse/vote for him including a previous RNC chairman. Crazy!

 

Nearly 600 Prominent Republicans Voting for Joe Biden

 

Quote

With two weeks until Election Day, former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has endorsed Democratic nominee Joe Biden for president, joining 593 other prominent Republicans who are voting blue come November 3.

 

Also, is the "43 Alumni for Biden" organization that includes administration and campaign officials of former US president George W. Bush trying to get fellow Republicans to vote for Biden. 

[Scott]

Troll posts reported and removed.  

 

[bendejo]

DT has been laying the facepaint on pretty thickly these past few weeks.  Is he trying to look like Obama?

 

[Berkshire]

President Obama is really hitting Trump where it hurts.  This guy is good.

 

[“Can you imagine if I had a secret Chinese bank account when I was running for reelection?” Obama said. “You think Fox News might have been a little concerned about that? They would have called me ‘Beijing Barry.’ ”]

[“The idea of taking health care from people at the very moment where people need it most — what’s the logic of that?” Obama asked. “There is no logic.”]

[“I get this president wants full credit for the economy he inherited and zero blame for the pandemic he ignored,”]

[Tweeting at the television doesn’t fix things. Making stuff up doesn’t make people’s lives better. You’ve got to have a plan.”]

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/obama-delivers-blazing-critique-of-trump-in-debut-on-2020-campaign-trail/ar-BB1agP1E?ocid=wispr

 

[Eric Loh]

7 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

President Obama is really hitting Trump where it hurts.  This guy is good.

 

[“Can you imagine if I had a secret Chinese bank account when I was running for reelection?” Obama said. “You think Fox News might have been a little concerned about that? They would have called me ‘Beijing Barry.’ ”]

[“The idea of taking health care from people at the very moment where people need it most — what’s the logic of that?” Obama asked. “There is no logic.”]

[“I get this president wants full credit for the economy he inherited and zero blame for the pandemic he ignored,”]

[Tweeting at the television doesn’t fix things. Making stuff up doesn’t make people’s lives better. You’ve got to have a plan.”]

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/obama-delivers-blazing-critique-of-trump-in-debut-on-2020-campaign-trail/ar-BB1agP1E?ocid=wispr

 

Right to Trump's jugular. Obama sure know how to use words efficiently and effectively. All those can be famous quotes instantly. Trump has been going around begging for loves and votes. After this he will have to get down on his knees to beg and pray. What a smackdown by Obama. 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

The risk of Obama talking is that it can remind some people of why they voted for Trump 4 years ago. Obama is an excellent speaker, but he can come across to some voters as a bit smug and dismissive when he talks about Trump. Of course, it's hard not to come across that way when talking about a narcissistic dunce like Trump.

in this speech though there were no smug smiles but just a passionate outline of what has happened and a comparison about how America can be in the future. Excellent job. Hopefully followed by a good Biden performance in the debate tomorrow. 

[Chomper Higgot]

18 minutes ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

The risk of Obama talking is that it can remind some people of why they voted for Trump 4 years ago. Obama is an excellent speaker, but he can come across to some voters as a bit smug and dismissive when he talks about Trump. Of course, it's hard not to come across that way when talking about a narcissistic dunce like Trump.

in this speech though there were no smug smiles but just a passionate outline of what has happened and a comparison about how America can be in the future. Excellent job. Hopefully followed by a good Biden performance in the debate tomorrow. 

People put off by Obama are already voting for Trump.

 

The battle has always been the middle ground and decency.

[Tie Dye Samurai]

50 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Right to Trump's jugular. Obama sure know how to use words efficiently and effectively. All those can be famous quotes instantly. Trump has been going around begging for loves and votes. After this he will have to get down on his knees to beg and pray. What a smackdown by Obama. 

I anticipate that a tweet-tantrum of biblical proportions is on the horizon...making all caps great again.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

36 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

People put off by Obama are already voting for Trump.

 

The battle has always been the middle ground and decency.

I take your point. I just think there's that working class white men vote who, for right or wrong, saw Obama and Hillary as a bit dismissive of them. They felt that, despite the nice words, 8 years of Obama didn't do much for them.  Maybe there's even a bit of racism there. They are both attracted to, and repelled by, Trump and Biden gives them a decent option.

Obama gives a great speech but I think Biden is good at coming across as the 'everyman'. Even Biden's struggle  to get the message across sometimes can be seen as likeable and relatable.

[Silurian]

Where is Melania? It makes for a pretty sad statement when your own wife won't campaign for you.

 

Inside Melania Trump's unprecedented campaign trail absence

 

Quote

The campaign has sought her presence. But with the election less than two weeks away and no scheduled events, it's unlikely the first lady will engage in any significant way. This stands in stark contrasts to nearly all modern first ladies, many of who served a critical role in humanizing their husbands to women voters.

 

[dexterm]

Obama's speech became even funnier and more cutting, when he moved onto Trump's $750 tax paid in 2016. Obama suggested that as a 15 year old he himself probably paid more tax serving ice cream at Baskin Robbins.

[PatOngo]

4 hours ago, bendejo said:

DT has been laying the facepaint on pretty thickly these past few weeks.  Is he trying to look like Obama?

 

 

Well if he is, he's failed, he looks like Bobo the Clown!

[animalmagic]

27 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

 

Well if he is, he's failed, he looks like Bobo the Clown!

He certainly acts like him!

[pmarlin]

Yes sir he sure did as he spoke to about a dozen cars in a parking lot. Trump got elected because of Obama.

[Sujo]

1 hour ago, pmarlin said:

Yes sir he sure did as he spoke to about a dozen cars in a parking lot. Trump got elected because of Obama.

Following the science, and it was to millions on tv.

 

trump doesnt follow science and risks his supporters lives. Then Biden gets more audience than him on tv.

[Eric Loh]

2 hours ago, pmarlin said:

Yes sir he sure did as he spoke to about a dozen cars in a parking lot. Trump got elected because of Obama.

Obama’s slam heard all over the major news media in US, social media and even in Asia. 

https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/obama-slams-trump-for-alleged-secret-chinese-bank-account-says-fox-news-would-have-called-him-beijing-barry-94344261770

 

 

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/obama-trump-tweets-biden-pennsylvania-rally-13333082

[Berkshire]

7 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

2 hours ago, pmarlin said:

Yes sir he sure did as he spoke to about a dozen cars in a parking lot. Trump got elected because of Obama.

Obama’s slam heard all over the major news media in US, social media and even in Asia. 

https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/obama-slams-trump-for-alleged-secret-chinese-bank-account-says-fox-news-would-have-called-him-beijing-barry-94344261770

 

 

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/obama-trump-tweets-biden-pennsylvania-rally-13333082

55555....yeah pmarlin, a dozen or so cars and several hundred million people worldwide. 

[dunroaming]

1 hour ago, Sujo said:

Following the science, and it was to millions on tv.

 

trump doesnt follow science and risks his supporters lives. Then Biden gets more audience than him on tv.

Obamas speech is being played on news channels around the world.

[placeholder]

3 hours ago, pmarlin said:

Yes sir he sure did as he spoke to about a dozen cars in a parking lot. Trump got elected because of Obama.

Refreshing. Usually it's someone else Republicans blame for Trump's election.

[Tug]

8 hours ago, bendejo said:

DT has been laying the facepaint on pretty thickly these past few weeks.  Is he trying to look like Obama?

 

I don’t think so more like a really really scary jack o lantern and instead of passing out Halloween treats he’s spreading covid unbelievable utterly unbelievable we all see it come on November third let’s end this fiasco

[canuckamuck]

Biden isn't well enough to leave the basement more than two or three days a week, It is good of Obama to give that poor man some help. 

[placeholder]

41 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

Biden isn't well enough to leave the basement more than two or three days a week, It is good of Obama to give that poor man some help. 

We've seen Biden discourse knowledgeably and at length re subjects that are clearly beyond Trump's scope to master. Give it up already.

[Isaan sailor]

Why does Obama campaign, while Joe Biden has a five-day lid on appearances?  Does he really need that much time? It sounds like desperation to me.

[canuckamuck]

16 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

Why does Obama campaign, while Joe Biden has a five-day lid on appearances?  Does he really need that much time? It sounds like desperation to me.

The magic required to make Joe coherent for a whole debate is quite elaborate. It takes days to perform the rituals.

[placeholder]

16 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

Why does Obama campaign, while Joe Biden has a five-day lid on appearances?  Does he really need that much time? It sounds like desperation to me.

Actually Trump campaigning in states he claims are locked down sounds like desperation to me. Biden taking the time to prepare for the debates seems pretty relaxed.

[placeholder]

Just now, canuckamuck said:

The magic required to make Joe coherent for a whole debate is quite elaborate. It takes days to perform the rituals.

Well whatever magic is allegedly used on Biden to make him coherent is obviously not strong enough to make Trump so.