Barack Obama in the Trump Era
5/8/202626 min
The contributing writer Peter Slevin met with Barack Obama at the new Obama Presidential Center, which opens next month, in Chicago, and asked him the question on a lot of Democrats’ minds: Where is he, and why isn’t he doing more to help the country in a moment of crisis? Slevin shares excerpts from his interview, during which Obama explains the limits of his role, and why he should no longer be the figurehead for his party. Slevin also speaks with David Remnick about why the famously optimistic President has lost some of his confidence in the American prospect. “I would be dishonest if I didn’t acknowledge that,” Obama admitted.
Further reading:
- “Barack Obama Considers His Role in the Age of Trump,” by Peter Slevin
- “Presidents’ Days: From Obama to Trump,” by David Remnick
New episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour drop every Tuesday and Friday. Join host David Remnick as he discusses the latest in politics, news, and current events in conversation with political leaders, newsmakers, innovators, New Yorker staff writers, authors, actors, and musicians.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
[intro music] The New Yorker Radio Hour is a co-production of WNYC and The New Yorker.
David Remnick· Host0:06
Welcome to The New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm David Remnick. The Obama Presidential Center opens next month on the Chicago lakeshore. It has the usual replica of the Oval Office and many floors of art installations by some spectacular living artists, but it also describes itself not as a museum, but as a center for civic engagement.
Barack Obama· Soundbite0:31
Yeah, we've got a, a storytelling booth, so we want every visitor to go in there and talk about their own lives and what's happening in their communities, and what frustrations they have, and what changes they think they could bring about, um, much like working did back then, except this will be digitally recorded.
David Remnick· Host0:52
Tickets to visit went on sale this week. When Barack Obama left office in January of 2017, his approval ratings were relatively high, and yet he was handing over the reins to a man whose policy and character was in every way a repudiation of what Obama meant to people. Trump promised to undo Obama's accomplishments, nearly every one. He would end the Iran nuclear deal. He would certainly go after Obamacare, and to this day, Trump insults the Obamas in blatantly racist terms. So the question of Barack Obama's legacy