Obama Under Fire For Alleged ‘Disrespectful’ Comments During Trump’s Swearing-In
Barack Obama may have attended Monday’s inaugural ceremonies, but that doesn’t mean he was happy about it.
The 44th president appeared to lean in and tell his predecessor how unhappy he was about President-elect Donald Trump returning to office, a move that some called deeply disrespectful of a solemn transition of power from one political party member to that of another.
A lip reader followed along as Obama shook hands with former President George Bush and his wife, Laura, before appearing to ask them a jaw-dropping question.
“How can we stop what’s happening?” read a captioned video of the interaction. A deaf woman who reads lips is seen in the video and interpreted Obama, whose head was turned to the side during the moment under review.
If true, Obama’s suggestion immediately calls to mind the fears that many of Trump’s supporters still feel about the political hierarchy in Washington, D.C., and the threat he poses to it. Even Bush, a Republican, is considered persona non grata in the age of Trump — he infamously called the 45th president’s first inaugural address “some weird s***” after sitting through the January 2017 ceremony.
The interpreter, Jackie Gonzalez, has made herself a hot commodity on TikTok by sharing videos of other politicians or celebrities and interpreting what she believes them to be saying. According to Gonzalez, Obama appears to say “Good to see you” to the Bushes before asking for their help to “stop what’s happening.”
Bush then gives Obama a mischievous smile and laughs.
Others online suggested that Obama may have been talking about the rapturous crowd applauding Trump’s remarks. In her videos, Gonzalez has cautioned that lip reading is “not a reliable form of communication” and “all statements are alleged.”
Still, the theory proved alluring enough that a clip of the interaction garnered over 70,000 likes and 2,000 reposts, according to the New York Post. “If only they would have had a split screen on the former presidents the entire time,” one commenter joked.
Following the election, President Obama has otherwise attempted to play the role of good sport. He sat next to and joked with President Trump during the funeral of Jimmy Carter, even as his wife told friends she was skipping the ceremony to avoid ever being in the same room with Trump again.
President Bush has been relatively quiet in the era of Trump, though his former vice president endorsed Kamala Harris. A spokesman for Bush told the Guardian last year that the 43rd president “retired from presidential politics years ago.”
In 2016, after the release of the Access Hollywood tape, former Bush Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Trump should withdraw as the Republican candidate, calling for the GOP to instead nominate “someone who has the dignity and stature to run for the highest office in the greatest democracy on earth.”
Both men had better buckle up because the next four years will be bumpy for those accustomed to business as usual in Washington.
