Obama calls out leaders who feed 'a climate of fear and hatred' after mass shootings
Former President Obama on Monday urged Americans to demand tougher gun control laws and reject leaders who normalize racism following two mass shootings that left more than 30 people dead.
Obama in a statement released on Monday afternoon following the weekend tragedies in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio wrote that "we are not helpless here," urging Americans to "insist on holding public officials accountable for changing our gun laws." Otherwise, he said, "these tragedies will keep happening."
The former president also calls on law enforcement and internet platforms to find ways to "reduce the influence" of hate groups, pointing to the fact that the El Paso shooter appears to have been "radicalized by white nationalist websites."
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.
From there, Obama seems to call out President Trump without naming him directly, saying Americans must "reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred or normalizes racist sentiments," as well as "leaders who demonize those who don't look like us, or suggest that other people, including immigrants, threaten our way of life."
Obama concludes by saying that such language has "no place in our politics" and that all Americans must say so "clearly and unequivocally."
President Trump in an address on Monday morning had said that "in one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy," adding that "these sinister ideologies must be defeated" and that "hate has no place in America."
Read Obama's full statement per NBC News below. Brendan Morrow
-
The world’s most romantic hotelsThe Week Recommends Treetop hideaways, secluded villas and a woodland cabin – perfect settings for Valentine’s Day
-
Democrats push for ICE accountabilityFeature U.S. citizens shot and violently detained by immigration agents testify at Capitol Hill hearing
-
The price of sporting gloryFeature The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics kicked off this week. Will Italy regret playing host?
-
Japan’s Takaichi cements power with snap election winSpeed Read President Donald Trump congratulated the conservative prime minister
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
