During Barack Obama's final overseas trip as the president of America, the outgoing Democrat sat down for an interview with German reporters in a discussion that ranged from the victory of Republican President-Elect Donald Trump to the likelihood that many items in the Democrat's legacy will be reversed when he leaves the White House.
The first question in the interview by Klaus Brinkbaumer and Sonia Seymour Mikich was: “Donald Trump won the election, revealing massive discontent and rifts within American society. Did the amount of anger actually surprise you?”
Obama responded:
I think it's important not to overstate what happened. The truth is that America has been closely divided politically for quite some time. That was reflected in some of the challenges I had with the Republican Congress.
American politics is always somewhat fluid. … I mean, there were probably millions of voters who voted for me and supported me, and this time also voted for Donald Trump, and it just indicates that some of this is less ideological and more just an impulse towards some sort of change.
Some of the vote “has to do with the fact that economic growth and recovery tends to be stronger in the cities and in urban areas,” he stated. “In some rural areas, particularly those that were reliant on manufacturing, there has been weaker growth, stagnation, people feeling as if their children won't do as well as they will.”
In addition, “cultural, social and demographic issues ... came into play,” Obama continued. “They're not that different from some of the issues that Europe faces with immigration, the changing face of the American population.”
“And the question now, going forward, is whether the president-elect is able to move on those elements of his agenda that I think can garner broad support, like rebuilding our infrastructure,” he noted, “and if he can lessen some of the more controversial rhetoric that could divide the country more.”
“That's going to be the test for him in the years to come,” the Democratic official asserted.
The reporters' next question was: “When you took office, you sent a message of hope and reconciliation to the American people, and yet today the USA seems to be completely divided. I think we can call it a 50-50 nation, with one half not really understanding or knowing the other side. Have you missed your goals?”
“We're probably more like a 60-40 nation,” Obama replied while obviously dodging any responsibility he might have had for the result of the election. “The problem is that we're 50-50 when it comes to voting.”
He then added:
If you look at the new generation of Americans, they reflect the vision that I spoke about. They're diverse. They believe in tolerance. They're accepting of things like same-sex marriage. They believe in integration.
The problem, though, is that young people are less likely to vote than older people. What results is a situation in which sometimes the elections don't fully reflect the views of the American population.
“My view,” he noted, “is that over the long term, … if we are able to address the legitimate economic concerns of those who feel left behind by globalization, then many of these tensions will be reduced, and we will see a world that is less divided.”
“During your presidency, you were confronted with a very hostile Congress,” the reporters then asserted. “Donald Trump now is going to enjoy Republican majorities (in both the House and the Senate). Do you fear that your reforms like ObamaCare, the nuclear deal with Iran and the Paris climate change agreement will be overturned or, as Donald Trump has put it, 'canceled?' What remains of your legacy?”
“First and foremost, it's important to remember that, from my perspective at least, my most important legacy was making sure that the world didn't go into a Great Depression,” Obama stated.
However, “working with people like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, working with the G-20 and other institutions internationally, we were able to stabilize the financial system, stabilize the U.S. economy and return to growth,” he claimed.
Obama then declared:
With respect to some of the specific legislation or initiatives that I've made, it's true that Republicans often opposed these things. Sometimes they opposed them because I proposed them. Now that they are responsible for governing, I think they'll find that reversing them would be counterproductive.
Unemployment is low, incomes are up, poverty is down -- and that's going to be a lasting change. When I turn over the keys to the president-elect, the country will be much stronger than it was when I came into office.
Interestingly, neither of the German reporters challenged any of the outgoing president's claims during the interview. They probably learned such "softball" tactics from watching the American “mainstream” media.
