Obama Team Issues Rare Rebuttal To Continued Trump Nonsense

Posted on 22/07/2025 by Boris Clair

A spokesperson for former President Barack Obama on Tuesday dusted the cobwebs off his keyboard to type out a rare rebuttal to President Donald Trump’s incessant nonsense.

“Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,” wrote Patrick Rodenbush.

“But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”

Rodenbush was responding to Trump’s false assertions last week that he never sought, nor benefited from, Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

“Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes,” Rodenbush continued.

“These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.”

Trump levelled the charge last week with the assistance of Russia-friendly spy chief Tulsi Gabbard, going so far as to say that Obama “manufactured and politicised intelligence” to launch a “years-long coup against President Trump.”

(The claim is plainly false: Even casual readers likely remember when Trump publicly called for Russian hackers to obtain and release private emails from Hillary Clinton’s private email server ― and they obeyed the same day.)

Nevertheless, Trump doubled down on the conspiracy on Tuesday, telling reporters in the Oval Office that he believed Obama ought to face “consequences.”

“They tried to rig the election, and they got caught. And there should be very severe consequences for that,” he said.

Rodenbush told HuffPost Trump’s Oval Office comments today called for a response.

Ned Price, a former spokesman for the National Security Council in the Obama administration, previously told HuffPost it sure looks like Gabbard is helping Trump try to distract the nation from the Epstein files.

“She’s fabricating a scandal as part of a cover-up, namely the Trump administration’s efforts to keep the Epstein files under wrap,” said Price.

“Gabbard’s trick here is a pretty obvious one: She’s intentionally conflating hacking and influencing.”

Barack Obama Pays Touching Tribute To ‘Rare Leader’ Pope Francis

Posted on 21/04/2025 by Boris Clair

Former President Barack Obama mourned the loss of “rare leader” Pope Francis in an emotional statement on Monday, hours after the announcement of the death of the pope.

“Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people,” the former president said in a statement shared on X, formerly Twitter.

“In his humility and his gestures at once simple and profound — embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners — he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral obligations to God and one another,” Obama wrote, alongside a photo of the two men shaking hands and smiling at each other.

“Today, Michelle and I mourn with everyone around the world — Catholic and non-Catholic alike — who drew strength and inspiration from the Pope’s example,” Obama added. “May we continue to heed his call to “never remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope.”

Francis and Obama first met at the Vatican in 2014, and shared a warm relationship with each other.

<div class="js-react-hydrator" data-component-name="Twitter" data-component-id="4932" data-component-props="{"itemType":"rich","index":7,"contentIndexByType":2,"contentListType":"embed","code":"

Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people. In his humility and his gestures at once simple and profound – embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners – he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we… pic.twitter.com/AFI0BEotUO

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 21, 2025

","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Barack Obama","author_url":"https://twitter.com/BarackObama","cache_age":86400,"description":"Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people. In his humility and his gestures at once simple and profound – embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners – he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we… pic.twitter.com/AFI0BEotUO— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 21, 2025\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":1279,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GpD1TGvWgAAJAx0.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1920,"title":"Barack Obama on Twitter / X","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1914299709344133351","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"6806701be4b08b23340b40ac","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/barack-obama-pays-touching-tribute-to-rare-leader-pope-francis_uk_6806701be4b08b23340b40ac","entryTagsList":"barack-obama,pope-francis,@us_huffpost_now,@widget-imported","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"16b0ecc6-802c-4120-845f-e90629812c4d","clickToPlayPlayer":"823ac03a-0f7e-4bcb-8521-a5b091ae948d","videoPagePlayer":"05041ada-93f7-4e86-9208-e03a5b19311b","defaultPlaylist":"2e062669-71b4-41df-b17a-df6b1616bc8f"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"https://img.connatix.com/d3ef9bca-3061-4c6a-b827-a5af1768ab29/1_th.jpg?crop=629:354,smart&width=629&height=354&format=jpeg&quality=60&fit=crop","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":6},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"6806701be4b08b23340b40ac","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"Barack Obama ","slug":"barack-obama","links":{"relativeLink":"news/barack-obama","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/barack-obama","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/barack-obama"},"relegenceId":3646062,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/barack-obama/"},{"name":"Pope Francis","slug":"pope-francis","links":{"relativeLink":"news/pope-francis","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/pope-francis","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/pope-francis"},"relegenceId":6238017,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/pope-francis/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-1\", \"entry_paragraph_1\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline\", \"entry_paragraph_2\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-2\", \"entry_paragraph_3\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-infinite\", \"repeating_dynamic_display\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}”>

Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people. In his humility and his gestures at once simple and profound – embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners – he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we… pic.twitter.com/AFI0BEotUO

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 21, 2025

Francis died weeks after a five-week hospital stay for bronchitis and later pneumonia. He was released March 23 and had just celebrated Easter Mass.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, announced the pope’s death with “deep sorrow” on Monday.

“At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father,” he said. “His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church.”

Tributes poured in from royalty, world leaders and celebrities following the news.

Donald Trump Addresses That Viral Video With Chuckling Barack Obama

Posted on 10/01/2025 by Boris Clair

Asked at a presser on Thursday about the details of the exchange, the president-elect replied:

“It did look very friendly, I must say. I didn’t realise how friendly it looked. I saw it on your wonderful network just a little while ago before I came in and I said, ‘Boy, they look like two people who like each other.’”

“And we probably do,” Trump continued. “We have a little different philosophies, right? But we probably do. I don’t know. We just got along. But I got along with just about everybody. We met backstage, as you know, before we went on. And I thought it was a beautiful service. But we all got along very well, which is good.”

Obama himself has not commented on the interaction.

But the 44th president drew some criticism for what some said looked like his friendly demeanour to the man who for years pushed the racist Birther conspiracy theory that Obama was not born in the United States. Others suggested he was only humoring Trump.

Trump repeatedly drew Obama’s ire during the 2024 election, with Obama at one point slamming his successor in the White House as a “billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.”

Obama Says Trump ‘Ignored’ Pandemic Playbook He Gave To Him

Posted on 20/10/2024 by Boris Clair

Former President Barack Obama said he gave ex-President Donald Trump a pandemic playbook when Trump took office — but he disregarded it.

“He ignored it,” Obama said during a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Las Vegas on Saturday. “And three years later, a pandemic hits.”

He said the Covid-19 pandemic was a “generational pandemic” and that any president would have had a hard time before noting how the United States’ death rate compared to countries like Canada that responded proactively to the global outbreak.

“But if you look at a country like Canada, their per capita death rate was 40% lower than it was here in the United States. So just do the math. That’s more than 400,000 people,” Obama said. “People’s grandmothers, people’s fathers, people’s moms who would have been alive if Donald Trump had just paid attention and tried to follow the plan that we gave him.”

He continued, saying it does matter and makes a difference to have a president who is “competent,” “cares about you” and “listens to people who are experts in these areas.”

“If you hear somebody say it doesn’t matter, it does matter,” Obama added. “And at some point, it will make a difference to them.”

In early 2020, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican, Kentucky) claimed that the Obama administration didn’t leave any pandemic playbook. Soon after that, Ronald Klain, the White House Ebola response coordinator from October 2014 to February 2015, posted the playbook on social media, while Nicole Lurie, an Obama administration official, confirmed its existence.

Obama On Trump’s Recent Odd Behaviour: ‘Can You Imagine If I Did That?’

Posted on 19/10/2024 by Boris Clair

Barack Obama spent a while Friday night poking fun of Donald Trump’s odd behaviour as of late, warning that America would be getting “an older, loonier” version of him “with no guardrails” if he wins back the presidency next month.

“You would be worried if your grandpa was acting like this,” Obama joked to the crowd in Tucson as he stumped for Vice President Kamala Harris and Rep. Ruben Gallego, who’s vying for an open Senate seat there.

The former president laid in on Trump’s widely mocked town hall earlier this week, in which the GOP presidential nominee spent nearly 40 minutes swaying on stage to music instead of answering questions.

“Can you imagine if I did that?” Obama said. “Our playlist would probably be better.”

Then, addressing Trump’s recent head-scratching claim that he’s “the father of IVF,” Obama quipped: “I do not know what that means. You do not either.”

And Obama said his successor, who recently claimed the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection in Washington, D.C. was a “day of love,” made the deadly riot “sound like it was Woodstock.”

Then his tone darkened. “Tucson, we do not need to see what an older, loonier Donald Trump looks like with no guardrails,” the former president warned.

Obama also regaled the crowd with commentary about Trump’s various business ventures, from his $400 gold high-tops to his six-figure watches.

“When he’s not complaining, he’s trying to sell you stuff,” Obama joked. “He’s got his gold sneakers, he’s got the $100,000 watch — says it’s a Swiss watch, but nobody can actually figure out where in Switzerland was this thing made.”

But Obama’s “favourite” Trump product, he said, is a $60 Trump-branded Bible.

“He’s got the Trump Bible ― wants you to buy the word of God, Donald Trump edition,” he continued. “His name’s gonna be on there, embossed, right next Luke and Mark and Matthew,” he said, referencing three of the gospels from the New Testament.

Barack Obama Hits Donald Trump With A Harsh Truth About His Home Town

Posted on 30/04/2024 by Boris Clair

Former US President Barack Obama said fellow former President Donald Trump is “not considered a serious guy” in his hometown of New York.

Obama’s analysis of his four-times-indicted successor in the White House came during the latest episode of the Smartless podcast that is hosted by actors Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes and was released on Monday. Obama appeared alongside President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton. They recorded the show in March.

Bateman asked Obama if he’d been surprised with how fast the “protection and passion for democracy was diluted” during Trump’s administration.

Obama admitted he was surprised at the lack of guardrails within the Republican Party that allowed Trump to take over the party.

But “Trump didn’t surprise me,” he said. “You watch Trump’s campaign, you watch his career, he’s never changed.”

“I mean, he comes from New York. There’s nobody in New York who does business with him or lend him money. He is not considered a serious guy here,” Obama added.

“So, I was surprised he was elected, but I wasn’t surprised in terms of his behavior,” said Obama. “I did expect […] there would be some folks in the Republican Party who would say, ‘No you can’t go that far, you can’t start praising [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and saying that his intelligence is better than the US intelligence agencies.’”

In February, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to pay $355 million (£283 million) in penalties after he was found guilty in a civil fraud trial in New York of overvaluing his company’s assets for years to secure loans and cut deals. Trump is currently attending his hush money trial in the city too.

Listen to the full episode here:

Obama, Biden And Clinton Take Podcast Photo, But Jason Bateman’s Beard Steals The Show

Posted on 30/03/2024 by Boris Clair

It’s not often you see three U.S. presidents in one photo together, and it’s even rarer when Jason Bateman’s beard gets the most attention.

Of course, the occasion was commemorated with a group pic, but the reaction to it was surprising.

People on X, formerly Twitter, seemed more focused on Bateman’s (admittedly impressive) scruff than on the three-quarters of a Mount Rushmore’s worth of presidents hanging out together.

And, yes, things got hairy at times.

Donald Trump Pushes Wild New Biden-Obama Theory ― But With An Ugly Nod To The Past

Posted on 12/10/2023 by Boris Clair

Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to return to his “birther” conspiracy theory roots during a campaign event in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The former US president — one of the most prominent pushers of the false claim that former President Barack Obama was not born in America — claimed President Joe Biden’s administration was “inviting” terrorists into the country because his “boss” is secretly Obama.

“Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein, Barack Hussein Obama,” said Trump. Right-wingers have previously referenced Obama’s middle name as a short-hand to suggest he is not American (he was born in Hawaii).

Trump then recalled late right-wing talk radio host Rush Limbaugh’s penchant for calling Obama by his full name, with added emphasis on the “Hussein” part.

Trump, perhaps predictably, was a big fan. He hailed Limbaugh as “the greatest fighter and winner you will ever meet” when awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom during the 2020 State of the Union.

Trump has, in recent weeks, repeatedly hinted — without offering any evidence — that Obama is controlling Biden.

Obamas’ Personal Chef Found Dead In Tragic Accident Near Their Martha’s Vineyard Home

Posted on 25/07/2023 by Boris Clair

The body of a former sous-chef at the White House, who went missing while paddleboarding in the waters of Edgartown Great Pond in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, has been recovered Monday, according to authorities.

The Massachusetts State Police have not released the identity of the paddleboarder, but The Associated Press and Chicago Sun Times reported that the victim was Tafari Campbell.

Both AP and the Sun Times report that Campbell was 45, though MSP says the body recovered was that of a 43-year-old male.

Campbell went to work for the Obamas when they left the White House. In a statement, Barack and Michelle Obama called Campbell a “beloved” part of their family.

“Tafari was a beloved part of our family. When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House — creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together. In the years that followed, we got to know him as a warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person who made all of our lives a little brighter.”

“That’s why, when we were getting ready to leave the White House, we asked Tafari to stay with us, and he generously agreed. He’s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he’s gone,” said the pair, who purchased their 29-acre Edgartown property in December 2019.

MSP retrieved the male victim’s body around 10am just one day after he went missing. His body was found approximately 100 feet away from shore, by “deploying side-scan sonars” from a boat. Authorities said the “president and Mrs Obama were not present at the residence at the time of the accident”.

The search for Campbell initially began around 7.46pm on Sunday when Martha’s Vineyard police and fire agencies responded to a call about a male paddleboarder who was unable to stay above water.

Authorities say another paddleboarder was also with him on the pond at the time and witnessed him go under the water.

Multiple agencies were involved in the search, including the Coast Guard, Dukes County Sheriff’s Department, local police, Edgartown fire personnel and other island fire departments.

The State Police Detective Unit for the Cape and Islands District and Edgartown police are investigating the incident.

Hillary Clinton Trolls Donald Trump Over Twitter Ban With A Single Emoji

Posted on 09/01/2021 by Boris Clair

HuffPost is part of Verizon Media. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development.

Your personal data that may be used

Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address
Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps
Precise location

Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select ‘I agree‘, or select ‘Manage settings‘ for more information and to manage your choices. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls.

WellnessMaster

Get The Latest News on Holistic Wellness

Category Archives: Barack Obama