Obama says the U.S. has experienced ‘truth decay’ under Trump
Former President Barack Obama appeared on 60 Minutes Sunday night where he shared his thoughts on President Trump’s impact on society. Obama believes that Trump has accelerated what he called “truth decay,” and that the president’s refusal to accept the results of the election, choosing instead to push claims of voter fraud without providing evidence, are just par for the course. Obama is troubled, however, by the fact that so many Republican lawmakers are going along with it when they, according to Obama, clearly know better. While Obama called out Republicans for their unwillingness to stand up to the president, he also said the media deserves some blame for the current political climate in the U.S. He believes there is work to be done, both in the media and on social media, to work towards a better informed public.
Video Transcript
BARACK OBAMA: What we've seen is what some people call "truth decay," something that's been accelerated by outgoing President Trump.
- Former President Barack Obama appeared on 60 Minutes Sunday night, where he spoke about the impact President Trump has had on society, including the president's refusal to accept the results of the election, and congressional Republicans backing baseless claims of voter fraud.
BARACK OBAMA: I'm more troubled by the fact that other Republican officials who clearly know better are going along with this, are humoring him in this fashion.
- Few Republicans have repudiated Trump's claims and Obama called on more to do so.
BARACK OBAMA: This democracy doesn't work if we don't have an informed citizenry. This democracy doesn't work if we don't have responsible elected officials at other levels who are willing to call the president when he's not doing something right. Call him on it.
- And while Twitter and Facebook have begun tagging posts that contain misinformation, Obama believes there is work to be done in the fight to properly inform the public.
BARACK OBAMA: We're going to have to work with the media and with the tech companies to find ways to inform the public better.
