After national tragedies, Obama and Trump are a study in contrasts

WASHINGTON – Before a assemblage of thousands Tuesday night, erstwhile President Barack Obama recalled 1 of the darkest moments of his presidency, when Dylann S. Roof, a white supremacist, killed 9 Black radical astatine a religion successful South Carolina.

“As president of the United States, my effect was not: Who whitethorn person influenced this troubled young antheral to prosecute successful that benignant of violence? And present fto maine spell aft my governmental opponents and use that,” helium said.

Without mentioning President Donald Trump by name, Obama delivered an indictment of the president’s attack to authorities pursuing the assassination of right-wing activistic Charlie Kirk past week successful Utah. In the process, helium demonstrated however overmuch Trump had transformed the American presidency successful the years since Obama walked retired of the White House and Trump archetypal walked in.

In his remarks, Obama said the occupation of an American president astatine a infinitesimal similar this “is to perpetually punctual us of the ties that hindrance us together.”

In his ain speeches arsenic president during times of nationalist tragedy, Obama echoed the efforts of past presidents of some parties, seeking successful moments of nationalist daze and grief to scope for the unity that eluded Americans during his 8 years successful office.

After a antheral changeable Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., Obama called for a caller epoch of civility. After a antheral killed 26 radical – 20 of them children – astatine an simple schoolhouse successful Newtown, Connecticut, Obama wiped distant tears successful the White House briefing room. And when Roof tried to start a contention war with the South Carolina religion attack, Obama concluded his eulogy for the slain pastor by singing “Amazing Grace.”

In some ways, Obama’s actions successful the wake of governmental and radical violence besides proved divisive successful a state that was already showing signs of the utmost polarization that grips the governmental system today.

His attempts to walk sweeping weapon power measures – particularly aft the wide shooting of children astatine Sandy Hook Elementary – mostly failed due to the fact that of a fierce backlash from blimpish voters. Many conservatives went connected to go portion of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.

And Trump’s victories successful 2016 and 2024 suggested that Obama whitethorn person misjudged the country’s tendency for a president to play the relation of uniter. Instead, they elected Trump, who has made it wide that helium sees such tragedies arsenic opportunities for governmental and idiosyncratic advantage. And successful an property when there is such a contention for attention, Trump’s style – bombastic, assertive – has resonated successful ways that a much traditional connection has not.

“Conflict and part person been cardinal to Donald Trump’s governmental task since the beginning,” said David Axelrod, a longtime advisor to Obama. “In some ways, his governmental task relied connected a absorption to Obama’s worldview and attack to the presidency and to politics, due to the fact that 1 feline was virtually preaching astir our communal humanity, and the different seems focused connected dehumanizing his governmental opponents.”

Almost instantly aft Kirk’s killing, the president blamed the “radical left” and threatened a wide crackdown connected his governmental opponents, predicated connected the baseless statement that Democratic organizations are portion of a violent conspiracy against blimpish values. Authorities person said that the 22-year-old suspect successful Kirk’s killing, Tyler Robinson, deplored his views but that helium acted alone.

A charging papers filed by prosecutors successful tribunal said that Robinson’s parent had told investigators that her son had go “more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented” and that his partner, who was surviving with him, had been transitioning to being a woman from a man.

Trump and his allies person argued that the assassination of Kirk represents a antithetic type of governmental violence, adjacent distinguishing it from the caller sidesplitting of a Democratic state lawmaker successful Minnesota and the shooting of Giffords successful Arizona.

For that reason, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and a adjacent state of the president, said helium had nary concerns astir however Trump had responded to Kirk’s death.

“Most Republicans spot this arsenic an onslaught to termination the Trump movement,” helium said. “What happened successful Minnesota was terrible. It wasn’t trying to termination a movement.”

In fact, instrumentality enforcement officials successful Minnesota said the suspect successful that sidesplitting possessed written papers that mentioned dozens of imaginable targets, some successful neighboring states, including politicians, civic leaders, termination rights activists and Planned Parenthood centers.

Referring to the attempted assassinations of Trump arsenic well arsenic the onslaught connected Kirk, Graham added, “They tried to stroke the guy’s caput disconnected past year. They assassinated 1 of the astir visible figures successful the MAGA movement. This is not mean governmental violence.”

As for Obama, Trump has criticized his predecessor for years. In caller months, helium has accused Obama of treason, referring to a study from Tulsi Gabbard, the manager of nationalist intelligence, that sought to undermine the appraisal that Russia favored Trump successful the 2016 election. A spokesperson for Obama called Trump’s allegations “bizarre.”

Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, said successful a statement that Obama “is the designer of modern governmental part successful America.”

“Obama used each accidental to sow part and pit Americans against each other, and pursuing his presidency much Americans felt Obama divided the state than felt helium united it,” she said.

In his remarks Tuesday evening, Obama pointed to respective past Republican leaders arsenic helium portrayed the existent president’s effect arsenic a departure from however presidents person seen their jobs arsenic uniting the state aft a tragedy.

“I think George W. Bush believed that,” Obama said. “I judge that radical who I ran against – I cognize John McCain believed it. I cognize Mitt Romney believed it. What I’m describing is not a Democratic value oregon Republican value. It is an American value. And I think astatine moments similar this, when tensions are high, then portion of the occupation of the president is to propulsion radical together.”

Obama besides complimented Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah, a Republican, for his handling of the shooting, noting that helium disagreed with Cox connected galore issues but appreciated however helium engages with his governmental opponents.

“He has shown, I think, that it is imaginable for us to disagree while abiding by a basal codification of however we should prosecute successful nationalist debate,” helium said.

Jeffrey A. Engel, who leads the Center for Presidential History astatine Southern Methodist University, said Trump’s attack is simply a repudiation of traditional politics.

“Trump is rejecting everything astir American authorities since World War II,” helium said, “which was based connected ταξινόμηση of a communal respect among factions, a consciousness that there was something much important for the state to strive guardant than there was that could perchance disagreement them.”

This nonfiction primitively appeared successful The New York Times.