Latest news with #ObamaDerangementSyndrome

USA Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Trump, anxious about Epstein, knows he'll never measure up to Obama. It kills him.
Trump will always exist as a low-brow carnival barker yapping nonsensically in Obama's shadow. And it haunts him. President Donald Trump – who seems existentially worried about the Jeffrey Epstein files – has suffered an intense flareup of Obama Derangement Syndrome, ludicrously accusing the former Democratic president of 'treason' and 'trying to lead a coup.' On July 23, his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, used a White House press briefing to repeat farcical claims that Obama, via U.S. intelligence agencies' investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, was part of 'a yearslong coup' and 'a treasonous conspiracy.' It's a dishonest, predictable and addled attempt at distraction, as Democrats and the MAGA base push for a full accounting of the government's evidence against Epstein, the longtime Trump pal and convicted sex offender who died in jail awaiting sex trafficking charges. Trump's stressed about the Epstein files – time to blame Obama! Whenever Trump's back is against the wall, you can count on him reverting to beloved MAGA conspiracies about former President Barack Obama. The popular former president lives rent-free in Trump's predominantly vacant mind, and Trump's jealousy of Obama has always been palpable. With good reason. Obama left office with a 59% approval rating, according to Gallup. At the end of Trump's first term, his approval rating was a weak 34%. Obama never lost a presidential race. Trump did. Trump will never be as well-regarded as Obama, and it kills him Obama stabilized the U.S. economy following the Great Recession, opened up health care for millions of Americans with the Affordable Care Act and oversaw the killing of Osama bin Laden. Trump refused to accept the results of the 2020 election and was president while his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol and attempted to overturn a free and fair election. Obama is younger than Trump, fitter than Trump and has a Nobel Peace Prize that clearly drives Trump crazy. But worst of all, Obama doesn't seem to fear the release of the Epstein files or have any historical connection to the notorious former financier. Obama is not a felon who was convicted for falsifying business records to cover up hush money paid to an adult-film star. Which brings us back to Trump's current Obama-blaming. At Trump's behest, Gabbard bends reality to claim an Obama-led coup Rather than releasing the Epstein files – as 89% of Americans want the government to do, according to a recent CBS News poll – Trump had Gabbard release declassified intelligence documents relating to investigations of Russian interference in the 2016 election that Trump won. Gabbard trumpeted the documents as revealing a 'treasonous conspiracy in 2016' by Obama and others that was 'essentially a years-long coup.' Opinion: You're paying attention to the wrong conspiracy: A message from the White House Trump said, incorrectly: 'This was treason. This was every word you can think of. They tried to steal the election. They tried to obfuscate the election.' He also called Obama 'sedcacious,' by which I assume he meant 'seditious,' but it doesn't matter because one isn't a word and the other is a lie. Trump wants to arrest Obama for ... something. Good luck, buddy. What Gabbard released are cherry-picked documents that wrongly conflate two elements of the investigation into Russian activity surrounding the 2016 election. The intelligence community examined whether Russian actors hacked actual U.S. election infrastructure AND whether Russian actors tried to influence the election by releasing hacked documents and using troll farms to stoke division and spread misinformation on social media. They found no evidence of the former, but ample evidence of the latter. There's nothing controversial about any of that. In fact, in 2018, Trump himself said: 'I accept our intelligence community's conclusion that Russia's meddling in the 2016 election took place.' Opinion: Trump is unpopular, polls show, and he's building an America most Americans hate The investigation started before Trump had even been elected, and the Obama administration never claimed the election was illegitimate or did anything to impede Trump's presidency. As University of Missouri law professor Frank O. Bowman III told PolitiFact regarding Gabbard's document release and Trump's allegation of a coup: 'Nothing in her document even shows that Obama tried to put his finger on the scale on either the information leak conclusion or the 'election infrastructure' conclusion. And even if he had, that would not be a 'coup.' Or indeed a crime of any kind.' A 'laughable' attempt to distract Americans from the Epstein files Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said July 23: 'When you have nothing to present that's affirmative to the American people, Republicans blame Barack Obama. It's laughable.' He's right. Trump has acute Obama Derangement Syndrome and will always exist as a low-brow carnival barker yapping nonsensically in Obama's shadow. Showing far more class than Trump deserves, an Obama spokesperson released this statement: 'Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction. Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.' That would be the same Marco Rubio who is Trump's Secretary of State. Sick burn. Every mention of Obama makes Trump look more worried about Epstein Trump can blather and holler all he wants about Obama, but all it's going to do is show sane Americans two things: Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @ and on Facebook at
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Obama isn't coming to rescue Democrats in desperate need of leadership: NY Times columnist
New York Times columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom said Friday that former President Barack Obama will not be coming to Democrats' collective rescue as the party struggles to find national leadership in the wake of their stinging defeat in 2024. Cottom argued that Democrats desperate for Obama to save the party are "undignified" and weak, asserting that change will not come from above, but rather from "the streets." "We must start asking how we can save ourselves. We are seeing the start of that in places like Los Angeles, San Antonio and Raleigh, N.C.," she wrote, referencing the anti-ICE protests occurring across the country. "Only direct, sustained protest will protect us." The Times columnist claimed that President Donald Trump has led the country into "dangerous territory" by deploying the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, suggesting the moment feels significant enough to warrant Obama's intervention. Democrats Forge Strange Bedfellows As Party Flounders In Trump's 2Nd Term She noted that the social media murmurs and essays questioning Obama's whereabouts at such a pivotal moment speak to an accepted truth: "The Democratic Party lacks leadership" in the wake of Kamala Harris' 2024 defeat. Read On The Fox News App Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., offer "glimmers of a charismatic party head waiting in the wings," she wrote. While Obama may feel like a good option, she wrote, she gave his presidency a mixed review from a liberal perspective, saying he was a "product of his times." Cottom diagnosed those who believe that Obama will come back to save the party with "Obama Derangement Syndrome" (ODS). She argued that even if Obama did make his return to the political arena, he would have a difficult time competing in the "outrage era" of social media algorithms and big tech monopolies. Hospitals Warned They Must Protect Children From Chemical And Surgical Mutilation: Hhs Agency Memo "Anyone who has talked to a stranger about the news knows how our shared reality has deteriorated. It's not just the uninformed. It's the ill informed who believe A.I.-generated videos, share political memes about stolen elections and engage in the most unhinged political infotainment imaginable," she stated. "That's the bell that those with O.D.S. imagine Obama can unring." She contended that the Democratic Party's search for a "charismatic preacher" is what has led to the "silly calls" for a Joe Rogan of the left — or a politician with entertainment chops like Trump to sell their political message. "If we assume that the left is a coherent ideology with committed adherents — and I would argue that is debatable — it does not need a Rogan. It needs a Spotify," Cottom declared, reinforcing her argument by pointing out what Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter has done for conservative discourse online. Obama Called Out By Progressives For Not Doing Enough To Counter Trump In The Atlantic this week, writer Mark Leibovich quoted progressives who felt Obama was too absent given the gravity of countering Trump. "No matter how brazen Trump becomes, the most effective communicator in the Democratic Party continues to opt for minimal communication. His 'audacity of hope' presidency has given way to the fierce lethargy of semi-retirement," he article source: Obama isn't coming to rescue Democrats in desperate need of leadership: NY Times columnist