A video of former President Barack Obama exposing the double standards of MAGA Republicans is going viral.
Obama was speaking at Hamilton College back in April when he compared how he was treated after minor controversies compared to President Donald Trump.
Obama discussed what he describes as a glaring inconsistency in how political figures are judged by the media and the public.
Highlights
- Obama's viral video exposes MAGA Republicans' double standards in media scrutiny and political accountability.
- Obama highlights how he faced intense backlash for minor issues, unlike Trump who has escaped with lenient treatment.
- Trump has banned AP journalists from the White House and targeted law firms, actions Obama says would have caused outrage if he'd done the same.
Obama said he never would have gotten away with what Trump has
Image credits: Scott Olson/Getty Images
He said that during his presidency, he was subjected to intense scrutiny for relatively minor issues, and he often became the target of relentless media coverage and political attacks.
But in contrast, Trump, despite facing numerous serious allegations and controversies, often received far more lenient treatment.
Obama said that if he had done even a “fraction” of what Trump had done, “the outrage would’ve been deafening.”
The discussion regarding political accountability and bias has now once again gained the attention of social media, with the old clip going viral.
“Imagine if I had pulled Fox News’ credentials from the White House press corps,” Obama said in the clip.
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“You're laughing, but no. This is what's happened.”
Trump banned Associated Press (AP) journalists from the White House press pool for refusing to follow his executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
AP is fighting to have White House credentials restored.
“Imagine if I had said to law firms that were representing parties that were upset with policies my administration had initiated, that you will not be allowed into government buildings,” Obama added.
Obama was referring to Trump targeting five large law firms as of March, claiming they were dishonest and had engaged in litigation that was detrimental to America’s interests.
Trump has used executive orders to threaten federal contracts, banned the law firms from entering federal buildings, and removed their security clearances.
The actions are widely seen as a retaliatory measure for law firms representing parties that do not support Trump.
“We will punish you economically for dissenting from the Affordable Care Act or the Iran deal. We will ferret out students who protest against my policies,” Obama continued.
“It’s unimaginable that the same parties that are silent now would have tolerated behavior like that from me or a whole bunch of my predecessors,” he said.
Foreign students taking part in university protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza have repeatedly been targeted by the Trump administration.
Image credits: The White House
Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked student visas and implemented harsher vetting for what he deems as students showing “pro-Hamas views.”
Universities such as Harvard and Columbia have also been directly targeted by the administration over student protests.
“I say this not on a partisan basis,” Obama continued. “This has to do with something more precious, which is, who are we as a country, and what values do we stand for?”
Many social media users have echoed Obama’s concerns about media bias and political favoritism.
“Obama would have been impeached in 3 seconds if he had done 1% of what is going on now. Where are the former presidents? Are they not going to speak up?” one user wrote.
“Imagine he had used his power to make sure the right to an abortion couldn’t be taken away,” another added.
“Remember when Fox News freaked out that he asked for Dijon mustard because it was too fancy and not relatable to the common man,” a third said.