President Obama’s Latest Jab At Donald Trump: ‘America’s Pretty Darn Great Right Now’
President Obama’s latest jab at Donald Trump was one directly aimed at the GOP presidential candidate’s slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
While Trump retains front-runner status in primaries and caucuses around the nation, President Barack Obama has largely remained silent — other than his attempt at reassuring Americans Trump would never be President of the United States. On Friday, however, he responded to one thing Trump keeps touting in his campaign, ABC News reports.
“America’s pretty darn great right now,” Obama told reporters.
President Obama’s #SOTU: America is already great https://t.co/26mHhnlgYR by @OKnox pic.twitter.com/m15xmpEliN
— Yahoo Politics (@YahooPolitics) January 13, 2016
The president is celebrating a stronger economy with a report demonstrating an increase in jobs. Obama said this proved that Republicans’ “doomsday rhetoric” more than a “fantasy.”
Obama’s comments expressed a need to set things straight with GOP critics following the jobs report.
“I don’t expect that these facts and this evidence will convince some of the politicians out there to change their doomsday rhetoric, talking about how terrible America is, but the American people should be proud of what they have achieved because this speaks to their resilience, innovation risk taking and grit,” Obama said.
A new Gallup poll reveals that Obama’s approval rating is at 51 percent one day after the Republican debate in Detroit took place. Three of the candidates — Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, and Sen. Marco Rubio — spent more time arguing than addressing the issues presented. Gov. John Kasich of Ohio had a good night, addressing the issues and making the case that he’s the most mature candidate among his rivals.
According to the new Labor Department report, it showed employers added 242,000 workers in February. Obama saw this as a great opportunity to lash out at skeptics.
“Our businesses have created jobs every single month since I signed that job-killing Obamacare bill,” Obama said, referencing Republicans who skewer the health care bill they despise.
Obama avoided dropping Donald Trump’s name in his remarks but made clear he’s following the GOP presidential campaign.
The president said he looks forward to “forcefully” changing the discussion to a debate over investing in education and infrastructure and increasing wages, “not fantasy, not name-calling.”
Trump has resorted to vicious name-calling in the Republican campaign. His oft-repeated reference to Sen. Rubio as “little Marco” and Sen. Cruz as “lying Ted Cruz” has been a new turn in political in-fighting not ever before seen on a world stage. Even the size of hands and other body parts has played a role in this mud-slinging campaign that has become embarrassing for the country. The Republican party is suffering with Donald Trump as the front-runner. It’s gotten so desperate for the party that Mitt Romney has come out and openly insulted Trump’s run for the White House, implying he’s the one who’s a con-artist in an effort to sway votes away from him. It’s not a favorable position for the party to be in if they want to win the 2016 presidency.
For his part, Obama doesn’t see the doomsday position Republicans claim the nation is in. He views many as being pessimistic and unhinged in their policies.
President Obama is certain to say something to nullify Trump, to the effect that America is great already #SOTU pic.twitter.com/iwU9ffugH2
— Doug Kempf (@dougkempf) January 13, 2016
“There’s a huge gap between the rhetoric that’s going on out there and the reality of success that we’re seeing in America’s economy even as we acknowledge that there’s more work that can be done,” Obama added.
Market Watch reports that the same report President Obama is celebrating also indicates that average hourly earnings declined.
Writes one of its reports out on March 4, 2016, “Wages typically rise 3% to 4% a year when the economy is at full throttle, but they have been stuck in a 2% range for the past six years.”
President Obama’s comment that “America’s is pretty darn great right now” was meant to defy Donald Trump’s presidential campaign slogan. Voters would argue it depends on what data you look at and the overall state of our country.
[Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP]
