Barack Obama And Tim Scott Go Toe-To-Toe In Heated Debate About Race In America

Former President of the United States Barack Obama had something to say to Black Republicans who accused him of failing minority communities.

Obama refuted Republican Sen. Tim Scott’s claims that America has made much progress with racism on his former Senior Advisor, David Axelrod, on The Axe Files With David Axelrod podcast, that aired on June 15, 2023.

The former president is one to call a spade a spade. Obama said Black Republicans had validated America. He told Axelrod that there are “African American or other minority candidates within the Republican Party who will validate America and say, ‘Everything’s great, and we can make it,'” Fox News Sunday reported. The former president, the first Black person to hold the office, justified Americans who side-eye claims from Black conservatives that everything is great regarding race in America. According to the New York Post, he said plainly, “If somebody is not proposing, both acknowledging and proposing elements that say, ‘No, we can’t just ignore all that and pretend as if everything’s equal and fair. We actually have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.'” He added, “If they’re not doing that, then I think people are rightly skeptical.”

Differences of opinion became evident when the Republican senator for South Carolina responded to the former president. Scott said on Fox News Sunday, three days after the podcast aired, “The truth of my life disproves the lies of the radical left.” He went on, “The radical left and President Obama, they have failed, they have failed, and they have failed,” Blavity reported. Scott claimed that Obama’s vision for U.S. education failed. The Republican touted his efforts at securing funding for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in comparison.

During the podcast, Obama emphasized that he was not singling out Scott. Instead, he mentioned former South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Hailey and Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court Clarence Thomas.