On Monday (Nov. 16), former U.S. President Barack Obama gave an in-depth interview to The Atlantic regarding the state of American politics, including the recent U.S. presidential election.
Obama on rap music
During the interview with The Atlantic writer Jeffery Goldberg, he shared that he finds it interesting that people write about Trump increasing his support among Black men during this year's presidential election.
He shared that listening to rap music reminds him of what it means to be successful, just like how Trump became one. Plenty of rap music and videos use the same measures to be as favorable as Trump is. He added that everything seems to be gold-plated, which proposes itself drains into the culture.
On a report by NBC News, eighty percent of black men backed the newly elected president Joe Biden, down slightly from 1993 to 2001. First Lady Hillary Clinton's eighty-two percent in 2016. However, it is significantly down from Obama's support level among black men in 2008 and 2012.
Ninety-five percent of black male voters and ninety-six percent of black women chose Obama during his first presidential campaign. During the 2012 re-election, black women's support remained while the black men's slid to eighty-seven percent.
According to Complex, Obama concluded that Trump's TV popularity interprets over to the political world, illustrating "the power of television culture." He also specified that he does not watch TV, especially reality shows, and misses a lot of prominent culture in the spirit.
Comparison between the current situation and Obama's victory in 2008
In the same article published by Complex on Tuesday (Nov. 17), Obama compared the current election situation to his 2008 victory. He considered George W. Bush with his administration included to have been more compassionate and intentional in ensuring a smooth handoff. He thinks this is the difference between himself and the 41st U.S. President George Bush during that time.
He speculates that Trump's bitterness and the unwillingness of other Republicans are distressing things about the current situation; the amount of time is being lost because of this.
Social media reacts to Obama's comments
Obama's statements sparked a debate on social media rapidly. NME reported several statements of opinion that Obama should mind his own business. Some commenters think that he does not understand what rap music represents because of his age. Other folks presumed Obama to have done nothing for the black community.
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