The former president, 64, told an outlet that Trump’s policies and actions are causing him to remain more involved in politics “than I would have preferred.”
That said, his renewed political involvement in left-wing causes has come at a personal cost. “She wants to see her husband easing up and spending more time with her, enjoying what remains of our lives,” Barack said of Michelle in an interview with the New Yorker.
“It does create a genuine tension in our household, and it frustrates her. I’m more forgiving of it, in the sense that I understand why people feel that way, because people aren’t looking at me in historical comparison to other presidents. They don’t care about the fact that no other ex-president was the main surrogate for the Party for four election cycles after they left office,” he said, making the issue all about himself, which is par for the course with him.
Obama went on to falsely claim that he had held back from criticizing Trump since the latter took office in 2017. In reality, Obama has frequently criticized Trump and his policies, though he hasn’t actually referred to Trump by name.
The latest example was a speech he gave at the late civil rights icon Jesse Jackson’s funeral, where comments he made were widely regarded as being directed toward Trump.
“We are living in a time when it can be hard to hope. Each day we wake up to some new assault on our democratic institutions, another setback to the idea of the rule of law, an offense to common decency. Every day you wake up to… to things you just didn’t think were possible,” he said during the speech.
“Each day we’re told by those in high office to fear each other, and to turn on each other. And that some Americans count more than others, and that some don’t even count at all! Everywhere we see greed and bigotry being celebrated, and bullying and mockery masquerading as strength! We see science and expertise denigrated, while ignorance and dishonesty, and cruelty, and corruption ,are reaping untold rewards! every single day we see that and it’s hard to hope In those moments,” he continued.
“So it may be tempting to give to get discouraged, to give in to cynicism. It may be tempting for some to compromise with power, and grab what you can, or even for good people to maybe just put your head down and wait for the storm to pass. But this man, Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, inspires us to take a harder path,” Obama droned on.
“His voice calls on each of us to be heralds of change, to be messengers of hope, to step forward and say, ‘Send me!’ wherever we have a chance to make an impact, whether it’s in our school, or our workplaces, or our neighborhoods, or our cities. Not for fame, not for glory, or because success is guaranteed, but because it gives our life purpose. Because it aligns with what our faith tells us God demands. And because if we don’t step up, no one else will. How fortunate we were that Jesse Jackson answered that call,” he concluded.
The comments were so partisan and over the top that Jackson’s son, Jesse Jackson Jr., rebuked Obama and other former presidents Bill Clinton and Joe Biden for using the occasion to be political.
For the record, Trump spoke highly of Jackson, despite Jackson’s Democratic political leanings, noting that he was a “force of nature like few others before him.”
