Politics

President Obama Slams Donald Trump in the Classiest Possible Way

August 16th 2016

President Obama launched a succinct jab at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump during a Monday fundraiser for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Martha's Vineyard.

president-obamaAP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais - apimages.com

"Frankly I'm tired of talking about her opponent," Obama said, according to the Hill. "I don't have to make the case against her opponent because every time he talks, he makes the case against his own candidacy."

Obama's words seem to suggest a line criticism Trump has faced throughout his campaign: Trump's remarks and policy positions are often at odds. This issue surfaced on Monday after Trump delivered a foreign policy speech in Youngstown, Ohio.

donald-trumpAP/Ricky Bassman - apimages.com

During his speech, Trump promised to “speak out” against countries that oppress LGBTQ people.

Yet, Trump also advocated for a stronger alliance with Russia. As Raw Story points out, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation in 2013 banning gay couples from adopting children or handing out pro-gay "propaganda."

In conversation with the Associated Press, Trump's advisers explained that the "ideological test" Trump proposed administering to prospective immigrants "would assess a candidate's stances on issues like religious freedom, gender equality and gay rights."

Yet, Donald Trump has managed to contradict himself on each of the aforementioned issues — "religious freedom, gender equality and gay rights."

In the wake of the Pulse nightclub massacre, Trump loudly proclaimed that he was an LGBT ally. Yet, this year's Republican party platform has been called the most anti-LGBT in the party's history. Trump also appeared at an anti-LGBT event in Orlando just last week, and Trump selected Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate. Pence was widely criticized in 2015 after his state passed a "religious freedom" bill, which was widely seen as discriminatory to the LGBT community. Following high-profile backlash, the bill was revised.

Trump has proclaimed that "no one has more respect for women" than he does, but he has also said that if his daughter were sexually harassed at work he would hope she would find another job or career. He has recently painted himself as a staunch defender of religious freedom in attempts to gain votes from Utah's large Mormon population, but has proposed numerous versions of a ban on Muslim immigrants over the course of his campaign.

donald-trumpAP/Andrew Harnik - apimages.com

At an early August campaign rally, Trump proclaimed that he was "running against himself." Trump likely meant to acknowledge that his unwillingness to compromise his controversial positions could cost him votes, but as it has been pointed out, his contradictions could prove problematic.

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