Former US presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush have used speeches at separate events to voice their concerns about the current state of politics in the US.
Obama, who was on the campaign trail for a fellow Democrat for the first time since leaving office, urged Americans to “reject the politics of division and fear”, while Bush took aim at “bullying and prejudice” in public life, claiming that politics had fallen prey to “conspiracy theories” and “outright fabrication”, reports CNN.
Despite neither of the former commanders-in-chief mentioning Trump by name, the comments were seen as an indictment of the current president’s time in office.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
CNN adds that with the comments, both Bush and Obama were “breaking the code of silence that retired commanders-in-chief normally maintain about their successors”, but that Trump would likely “not feel a thing” due to his habit of dismissing dissenting opinions.
The comments were met with mixed reactions. Evan McMullin, a former CIA operations officer and independent candidate at last year’s election, told Twitter followers he was encouraged by the speeches.
Others used Twitter to express their agreement with the comments, deriding Trump’s controversial leadership.
There was also a realisation among some Twitter users that Bush had never once used his platform to criticise Obama’s presidency, with some suggesting it indicates how controversial the Trump administration is:
Others saw it as hypocrisy:
-
Is MAGA melting down?Today's Big Question Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, Laura Loomer and more are feuding
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in Serbia
Speed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Trump wants to build out AI with a new ‘Tech Force’The Explainer The administration is looking to add roughly 1,000 jobs
-
Are Donald Trump’s peace deals unraveling?Today’s Big Question Violence flares where the president claimed success
-
‘City leaders must recognize its residents as part of its lifeblood’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem might not be long for TrumplandIN THE SPOTLIGHT She has been one of the most visible and vocal architects of Trump’s anti-immigration efforts, even as her own star risks fading
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Will there be peace before Christmas in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Discussions over the weekend could see a unified set of proposals from EU, UK and US to present to Moscow
-
‘The menu’s other highlights smack of the surreal’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
