Obama Says Republicans Are 'Obsessed' With 2 Things — One Of Them Is Trump

Ahead of the mid-term elections on Nov. 8, 2022, former President Barack Obama took a swipe at Republican politicians, saying they are “obsessed” with his successor Donald Trump.

What Happened: “These days just about every Republican politician seems obsessed with two things: owning the 'libs' … and getting Donald Trump's approval,” Obama said at a rally in Michigan, according to a tweet shared by The Hill in October 2022. 

Former President @BarackObama: "These days just about every Republican politician seems obsessed with two things: owning the libs [...] and getting Donald Trump's approval. That seems to be their agenda. [...] They are not interested in actually solving problems." pic.twitter.com/YbZLKRXweq

— The Hill (@thehill) October 30, 2022

The former president said Republicans weren’t “interested in actually solving problems,” according to the report.

"They are interested in making you angry and then finding somebody to blame [because] you may be distracted from the fact that they may not have any answers to your problems."

Why It Matters: Obama was heckled at the campaign rally for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as he was addressing the topic of civility in the wake of an attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)

Barack Obama was twice interrupted by hecklers at a campaign rally in Detroit for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other Democrats, including while he was lamenting the attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, and the rise of violent political rhetoric. https://t.co/DADUtOoIwr

— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 30, 2022

Trump has yet to condemn the violent attack even as politicians from both major parties denounced it. Democrats have reportedly been pointing fingers at Republicans for not containing violent rhetoric.

This story was originally published on Oct. 31, 2022.

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