By Brianna Crosby
President Barack Obama spoke at Rutgers commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 15th. The 250th commencement anniversary was historic for the University, and sparked some conversation nation-wide.
The final-year president made some indirect comments regarding Republican candidate Donald Trump. Newsweek’stranscript, shows the underlying tones telling the students, and general public what Obama sees as particularly wrong with Mr. Trump.
Obama first talks about the idea of going back to a time where America is great, noting that it is “human nature…to want to look backwards and long for some imaginary past when everything worked.” This discussion of going backwards sounds very similar to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign, but the President never named names. Obama struck down on the backbone of Trump’s campaign stating that “”the good old days’ weren’t all that great.”
The President also slammed Trump’s proposal to build a wall along the Mexican-American border by explaining the interconnectedness of the world today, and how it will increase in the years to come. “Building walls won’t change that,” he followed. Obama continued his Wall talk, going on about isolation only hurting the security of the country, not enhancing it.
With conversation of the country’s security leading the way, Obama followed, entering into a discussion about Trump’s proposition to ban Muslims from entering the United States. Again the president bashes the idea, claiming that to do such, was to disregard what makes America, America.
This is not the first, and it is doubtful that it will be the last time Obama has indirectly taken shots at Trump, and his proposals. Without outright saying his name, Obama enters conversations that mock Trump’s policies, his interactions with others, and his lack of intellectualism.