President Barack Obama gave an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Wednesday. He finally opened up about the racism he has experienced during his presidency.
Obama said this about racism in this country:
“I think there’s a reason attitudes about my presidency among whites in northern states are very different from whites in southern states.”
He mentioned that the racism isn’t the reason for mainstream Republican opposition; however, he mentioned that it exists on the “political fringe.”
Obama once heard this from a powerful Republican:
“… You know, we don’t really think you should be here, but the American people thought otherwise so we’re going to have to work with you.”
President Obama didn’t mention race much during his first three years as president. It became unavoidable in 2012 with the death of Trayvon Martin.
Racial tensions have risen over the years with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. After incidents in Ferguson, Missouri; Baltimore, Maryland; and many others, President Obama got thrown into the middle of the argument.
Some people said Obama should’ve supported the Black Lives Matter protesters. Others said that he should do more to help the police officers.
A former senior adviser to President Obama, David Axelrod, said:
“He never ran to be the first black president. He ran to be the president of the United States and he happens to be black. He needed to become a force for healing, and finding the right way to do that was something that he wrestled with.”
It’s 2016, we shouldn’t have to deal with racism, but we still do, unfortunately. The president has served the country with class, and hopefully, President-elect Donald Trump won’t destroy everything Obama’s done.
.@POTUS to @FareedZakaria in #ObamaLegacy: Are there people whose primary concern is that I seem foreign? Absolutely https://t.co/VLBUR6m6es
— CNN (@CNN) December 8, 2016
Featured image via YouTube screenshot
