Former President Barack Obama finally let lose on President Donald Trump today, slamming his successor for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Although Obama didn’t mention Trump by name, it was clear who his target was.
Obama made the comments during an online commencement speech to the class of 2020 of historically black universities.
He said, “More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing. A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge. If the world’s going to get better, it’s going to be up to you.”
Obama also alluded to the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, who was fatally shot while jogging by two white men earlier this year.
According to the Daily Mail:
The two men claimed they suspected Arbery of being linked to recent burglaries in the area and that they were legally permitted to detain him until law enforcement officials arrived. After a struggle in which Arbery tried to flee, he was shot. Video of the incident shows him collapsing to the ground after he was stopped by the two men.
Public outrage grew as it was learned that local authorities declined to prosecute the men, who were known to be friends with officials in the prosecutor’s office. It took more than two months for authorities to make an arrest and charge Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis McMichael, 34, with murder.
Obama told the graduates that the pandemic “just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country.”
He argued that not only are such inequalities visible due to coronavirus but also “just as we see it when a black man goes for a jog, and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him if he doesn’t submit to their questioning.”
This piece was written by Objectivist Staff on May 16, 2020. It originally appeared in Objectivist.co and is used by permission.
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