Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:13 pm
In his final speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Barack Obama urged Americans and the international community to reject the dark worldview that has given rise to Donald Trump.
He never mentioned the GOP nominee by name, but it was clear several times throughout his address that it was Trump’s vision of the world he was warning against.
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Obama: “Our identities do not have to be defined by putting someone else down” but by “lifting somebody else up†https://t.co/hZyaxsRhcz
— CNN (@CNN) September 20, 2016
Obama said:
As president, I have learned that our identities do not have to be defined by putting someone else down, but can be enhanced by lifting somebody else up. That they don’t have to be defined in opposition to others but rather by a belief in liberty and equality and justice and fairness. The embrace of these principles as universal doesn’t weaken by particular pride, my particular love for America – it strengthens it. My belief that these ideals apply everywhere doesn’t lessen my commitment to help those that look like me or pray as I do or pledge allegiance to my flag.
In direct contrast with a Republican nominee who has made putting other people down – whether it’s Mexican immigrants, Muslims, women or the disabled – the president spoke of a world where we lift each other up and work together to meet that challenges we face.
He also rejected a central component of Trump’s campaign: that America needs to wall itself out from the rest of the world.
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Pres. Obama at #UNGA: “A nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself.” https://t.co/Keywb6Nmps https://t.co/g3cWgpEYBd
— CNN (@CNN) September 20, 2016
“Today, a nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself,” Obama told the UN.
The president also urged the international community to reject those who are using refugees to stoke fear and instead “open our hearts” to people who are “desperate for a home,” even if it’s not good politics.
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Pres. Obama: “We have to open our hearts and do more to help refugees who are desperate for a home.†https://t.co/KC0FPbM5A4
— CNN (@CNN) September 20, 2016
“We have to open our hearts and do more to help refugees who are desperate for a home,” Obama said. “We should all welcome the pledges of increased assistance hat have been made at this general assembly gathering … We have to follow through, even when the politics are hard.”
The Republican nominee, on the other hand, has consistently used refugees as political pawns to stoke fear among his supporters. On Monday, Donald Trump Jr. even tweeted an image that compared them to poisonous Skittles.
The contrast between Barack Obama’s vision of the world – and, of course, Hillary Clinton’s, as she shares much of the same ideals – couldn’t be starker.
We can either choose a path built upon fear, paranoia, and bigotry – where we point fingers at each other and close ourselves off from the rest of the world – or we can work together and recognize that most of us, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation, share much of the same hopes and fears about the future.
Obama’s presidency is coming to a conclusion in a few short months, but he knows his vision of the world is most certainly still on the ballot – and he’s not about to let Trumpism take its place.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
