Ex President Barack Obama stumps the campaign trail in Miami Friday in support of Democrats Bill Nelson and Andrew Gillum and delivered a speech aimed squarely at President Donald Trump without ever mentioning his name.
In recent weeks, the Ex president Obama has ramped up his campaign presence, stumping for a slate of candidates across the country, and Friday, he joined rising Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, Senate incumbent Bill Nelson and several statewide candidates on the trail in Miami.
Obama blasted Trump and the Republicans supporting him as attempting “to scare folks with whatever boogey man or divisive social issues they can come up with” in the campaign.
“They promised to take on corruption,” Obama said of the Trump administration, “and instead they have racked up enough indictments to field a football team.”
Obama was interrupted repeatedly by roughly a half-dozen hecklers, at the start of his speech.
“This is what I look forward to, is a few hecklers, to get me back in the mood,” Obama said, adding, ““Here’s the deal, if you support the other candidates, then you should go support the other candidates.”
Majority of Obama’s remarks were focused on health care and what he views as Republican efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act, his biggest legislative accomplishment. “The health care for millions is on the ballot,” Obama said, before calling out Trump and the GOP over recent promises to protect health coverage for preexisting conditions, one of Obamacare’s signature provisions.
The former president also criticized his successor for undermining the democratic process after Trump announced a plan to end birthright citizenship for children born to non-citizens.
“I’m assuming that they recognize that a president doesn’t get to decide on who’s an American citizen and who’s not. That’s not how the Constitution of the United States works. That’s not how the Bill of Rights works. That’s not how our democracy works.”
Just four days before Americans head to the polls, and with many concerned over health care, Obama went after Republicans who he said have spent zero time campaigning on the GOP tax cuts that they passed earlier this year, instead telling voters they will protect pre-existing conditions, despite their countless efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“I do have to make this point because right now, Republicans are all, look, the economy is so good. Where do you think that started,” he posed. “When did that start?”
“If Republicans thought their tax cut for billionaires was popular, they would be campaigning on it. You don’t hear a peep out of them,” he said. “This was their main act in Congress. They have not mentioned it in a single ad.”
“In fact, right at election time, suddenly Republicans are saying they’re going protect your pre-existing conditions when they literally have been doing the opposite,” Obama asserted. “That’s some kind of chutzpah.”
“Florida, we can’t let Rick Scott become the deciding vote for your pre-existing conditions protections,” he added.
Obama sought to portray a different America to the Miami crowd, telling the audience that Tuesday’s midterm elections “might be the most important election of our lifetime.”
The former President said in summary, adding, “If you don’t like what’s going on right now, don’t just complain,” “Vote!”
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