Barack Obama makes dig at Donald Trump in catty 4th of July message
After the 44th president ripped into his successor's signature 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' on Thursday, he spent his holiday suggesting that the U.S. is 'under attack.'
'Independence Day is a reminder that America is not the project of any one person. The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word 'We.' 'We The People.' 'We Shall Overcome.' 'Yes We Can.' America is owned by no one. It belongs to all citizens,' he wrote to social media.
He then seemed to suggest that the United States under its current president was in deep trouble.
'And at this moment in history—when core democratic principles seem to be continuously under attack, when too many people around the world have become cynical and disengaged—now is precisely the time to ask ourselves tough questions about how we can build our democracies and make them work in meaningful and practical ways for ordinary people.'
Obama - who was last seen with Trump at the inauguration and before that, sharing a laugh at Jimmy Carter's funeral - has hit out at his Republican rival more than once this week without ever naming him.
On Wednesday, the Democrat made a post opposing Trump's massive spending bill, which was eventually passed and signed into law Friday afternoon.
'More than 16 million Americans are at risk of losing their health care because Republicans in Congress are rushing to pass a bill that would cut federal funding for Medicaid and weaken the Affordable Care Act,' he wrote.
The Affordable Care Act - more commonly known as 'Obamacare' - is perhaps Obama's signature piece of legislation.
'If the House passes this bill, it will increase costs and hurt working class families for generations to come. Call your representative today and tell them to vote no on this bill,' he added.
On Monday, Obama reunited with his predecessor, Republican George W. Bush, along with rock star and activist Bono to criticize the Trump administration's ending of USAID.
Monday was the last day of independence for the six-decade-old humanitarian and development organization, created by President John F. Kennedy as a peaceful way of promoting U.S. national security by boosting goodwill and prosperity abroad.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered USAID - which Trump infamously called a 'left-wing scam' - absorbed into the State Department on Tuesday.
The former presidents and the U2 singer spoke with thousands in the USAID community in a videoconference, which was billed as a closed-press event to allow political leaders and others privacy for sometimes angry and often teary remarks.
They expressed their appreciation for the thousands of USAID staffers who have lost their jobs and life's work.
On Wednesday, the Democrat made a post opposing Trump's massive spending bill, which was eventually passed and signed into law Friday afternoon
Their agency was one of the first and most fiercely targeted for government-cutting by the president and his billionaire ally Elon Musk 's Department of Government Efficiency, with staffers abruptly locked out of systems and offices and terminated by mass emailing.
Trump claimed the agency was run by 'radical left lunatics' and rife with 'tremendous fraud.' Musk called it 'a criminal organization.'
Obama, speaking in a recorded statement, offered assurances to the aid and development workers, some listening from overseas.
'Your work has mattered and will matter for generations to come,' he told them.
Obama has largely kept a low public profile during Trump´s second term and refrained from criticizing the monumental changes that Trump has made to U.S. programs and priorities at home and abroad.
'Gutting USAID is a travesty, and it´s a tragedy. Because it´s some of the most important work happening anywhere in the world,' Obama said.
He credited USAID with not only saving lives, but being a main factor in global economic growth that has turned some aid-receiving countries into U.S. markets and trade partners.
The former Democratic president predicted that 'sooner or later, leaders on both sides of the aisle will realize how much you are needed.'
Asked for comment, the State Department said it would be introducing the department´s foreign assistance successor to USAID, to be called America First, this week.
'The new process will ensure there is proper oversight and that every tax dollar spent will help advance our national interests,' the department said.
USAID had provided over 40 per cent of global humanitarian funding until Trump returned to the White House in January.
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