VIDEO: Obama Says Opposition To Him Is Partly Racist/Xenophobic

Speaking with NPR’s Steve Inskeep for an interview released on Monday, President Barack Obama implied that racist attitudes towards him as the first black president were part of the reason why some “ordinary voters” have anxieties about his political vision. At his most gracious, Obama implied that opposition towards his presidency and policies was rooted in ignorance. At his worst, he described such Americans – particularly those supportive of Donald Trump – as racist, conspiracy-minded and paranoid, xenophobic, and dishonestly partisan.

Inskeep asked, “And you mentioned Donald Trump taking advantage of real anxieties in the country but that the anxieties are real. Some of that anxiety, as you know, focuses on you, Mr. President. And I want to set aside the politicians for a moment and just talk about ordinary voters. Do you feel over seven years that you’ve come to understand why it is that some ordinary people in America believe or fear that you are trying to change the country in some way that they cannot accept?”