During a recent appearance on the "Smartless" podcast, former President Barack Obama expressed his astonishment at the lack of internal checks within the Republican Party during Donald Trump's presidency.
"Trump didnt surprise me," Obama candidly shared with host Jason Bateman. He went on to comment on Trump's reputation in New York, stating, "I mean, he comes from New York. Theres nobody in New York who does business with him or lend him money. Hes not considered a serious guy here."
The former president, known for his community organizing work before his political career, expressed surprise at Trump's election. However, he was not taken aback by Trump's behavior during his term.
"I did expect, and I suspect Bill and Joe, youd agree with this, that there would be some folks in the Republican Party who would say, no, you cant go that far. You cant start praising Putin and saying that his intelligence is better than the US intelligence agencies," Obama said, referring to his fellow podcast guests, former Presidents Bill Clinton and Joe Biden.
Despite Obama's criticism, it's worth noting that Trump garnered approximately 74 million votes in the 2020 presidential election, surpassing Obama's 66 million votes in 2012. This significant support suggests that Trump's approach resonated with a substantial portion of the American electorate.
Obama's remarks on the podcast have been perceived as a critique of not only Trump but also his millions of supporters, which constitute more than half the country.
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