Former President Barack Obama took to Twitter to send a message to his friend Rep. John Lewis after Lewis announced that he had stage four pancreatic cancer:
If there’s one thing I love about @RepJohnLewis, it’s his incomparable will to fight. I know he’s got a lot more of that left in him. Praying for you, my friend.
Former President Barack Obama urges the field of Democratic presidential hopefuls to "pay some attention to where voters actually are," warning them about going so far on certain policies that they become out of step with voters.
Watch Former President Obama's full eulogy for longtime Baltimore Congressman Elijah Cummings in which he praised Cummings as an honorable man, as he spoke at his funeral Friday.
There were plenty of powerhouse speakers at Elijah Cummings funeral. There were great speeches by Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and a moving remembrance by a former Cumming's aide, Joe Alexander but the person to best honor the late congressman was his wife, Maya Rockeymoore-Cummings.
Watch her moving tribute below.
Former U.S. president Barack Obama is among those asked to speak on Friday at the late Congressman Elijah Cummings’ funeral.
Obama’s spokeswoman Katie Hill said in a statement late Wednesday that the former U.S. president was requested to speak by Cummings’ widow Maya Rockeymoore-Cummings.
“He will deliver remarks about the remarkable life and legacy of one of this country’s finest public servants,” Hill said in the statement.
Representative Cummings’ office released a list late Wednesday of the 10 pallbearers and 15 speakers slated for the funeral Friday at the New Psalmist Baptist Church in Cummings’ hometown of Baltimore.
Others asked to speak include former president Bill Clinton, former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton, former NAACP president Kweisi Mfume, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Former U.S. President, Barack Obama released the following statement via Twitter on the passing of Rep. Elijah Cummings:
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Unlike our current president, former Former President Barack Obama issued a statement that in no uncertain terms rejected hate and those that both spread and feed off it in the aftermath of the El Paso and Dayton shootings. He also calls for doing something about our gun laws. Read Obama's statement below.
Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama took to Twitter to congratulate the United States Women's National Team on their World Cup Victory over the Netherlands:
Yes! Fourth star. Back to back. Congrats to the record breakers on the @USWNT, an incredible team that’s always pushing themselves—and the rest of us—to be even better. Love this team. #OneNationOneTeam
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 7, 2019
So proud of you, Team USA—you inspire us all! #OneNationOneTeam https://t.co/YEHzyqOwZa
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) July 7, 2019
On the fifth anniversary of his My Brother's Keeper Initiative President Obama joined a town hall with Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry and young men of color. The young men took the opportunity to ask questions about his upbringing, his advice and what he sees as necessary for young people to thrive in America. Obama and Stephen Curry told the roomful of minority boys on Tuesday that they matter and urged them to make the world a better place.
Watch Obama and Curry speak to the young boys below:
NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors met with everyone's favorite president....Barack Obama on Thursday after declining to visit the White House to meet with that other guy.
The team visited the former President on Thursday before their game against the Washington Wizards in the nation's capital.
The Warriors posed with Obama in a picture of the visit that surfaced on social media Thursday.
The team met with Obama for nearly an hour.
Although they may not be in the White House anymore Barack Obama and Michelle Obama both top Gallup's annual most admired man and woman survey in the United States.
For the first time in 17 years, a woman other than Hillary Clinton has been named by Americans as the woman they admire most. Former first lady Michelle Obama, who finished second to Clinton three times and is currently touring to promote her recently released autobiography, won by a significant margin this year. Oprah Winfrey was second, with Clinton and Melania Trump next.
Most Admired Woman
Michelle Obama
Oprah Winfrey
Hillary Clinton
Melania Trump
Queen Elizabeth
Angela Merkel
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ellen DeGeneres
Nikki Haley
Malala Yousafzai
Nancy Pelosi
Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama was the winner among men for the 11th consecutive year, including one year as president-elect, eight as president and two as former president. President Donald Trump ranks second for the fourth year in a row.
Most Admired Man
Barack Obama is now just one first-place finish short of tying Dwight Eisenhower for the most times being Most Admired Man. Eisenhower won the distinction 12 times -- the eight years he was president from 1953 through 1960, as well as in 1950, 1952, 1967 and 1968.
Barack Obama
Donald Trump
George W. Bush
Pope Francis
Bill Gates
Bernie Sanders
Bill Clinton
Dalai Lama
Joe Biden
Elon Musk
Mike Pence
Former President Barack Obama was honored with the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award at a gala in midtown Manhattan Wednesday evening.
The award celebrates leaders of the international business, entertainment, and activist communities who have demonstrated a commitment to social change and reflect Robert Kennedy’s passion for equality, justice, basic human rights, and his belief that we all must strive to "make gentle the life of this world."
"I'm not sure if you've heard, but I've been on this hope kick for a while now. Even ran a couple of campaigns on it. Thank you for officially validating my hope credentials," Obama said during his remarks.
The organization's president, Kerry Kennedy, presented the award, which celebrates leaders "who have demonstrated a commitment to social change." Past recipients include Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Bono, George Clooney and Robert De Niro.
"If we summon our best selves, we can inspire others to do the same. It's easy to succumb to cynicism, the notion that hope is a fool's game," Obama said.
"When our leaders are content on making up whatever facts they want, a lot of people have begun to doubt the notion of common ground," Obama said. "Bobby Kennedy's life reminds us to reject such cynicism."
Also honored with Ripple of Hope Awards were New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav and Humana CEO Bruce Broussard. Speakers included actors Alec Baldwin, Keegan-Michael Key, Alfre Woodard and journalist Tom Brokaw.
Former President Obama and his wife Michelle have issued a statement on the passing of George H.W. Bush who died at the age of 94 on Friday.
Former President Obama says he doesn’t believe that Democrats would be making a mistake by selecting another woman or person of color for their presidential nominee in 2020.
“That kind of stuff, I don’t buy," Obama said during a podcast interview with David Axelrod, a CNN political commentator and his former top strategist, when asked if Democrats need a candidate of a certain gender or race to defeat President Trump.
“With respect to going forward, the idea that there’s some demographic or profile of a particular candidate that is the optimal one or the ideal one, that’s just not how I’ve seen politics work,” Obama continued.
“I think people respond to candidates who speak to the moment in some fashion."
His remarks come a month after lawyer Michael Avenatti said in an interview with Time magazine that he believes the 2020 Democratic nominee "better be a white male," though he also added at the time that he wishes it weren't so.
“When you have a white male making the arguments, they carry more weight,” he said. “Should they carry more weight? Absolutely not. But do they? Yes.”
Obama’s remarks also follow comments made by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) earlier this month when he said there are “a lot of white folks out there who are not necessarily racist who felt uncomfortable for the first time in their lives about whether or not they wanted to vote for an African-American.”
Here's a reminder of how a real United States President carries themselves with dignity, humility, graciousness, and a genuine willingness to helps others.
Former President Barack Obama paid an unannounced visit Tuesday to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, where he helped bag potatoes for Thanksgiving meals.
Wearing a Chicago White Sox hat, Obama arrived with bags of donated food and donned latex gloves to work side by side with volunteers at the nonprofit, which helps provide meals to more than 700 food pantries and shelters across Cook County, Illinois.
Thank you to @BarackObama and @ObamaFoundation for joining our volunteers today at the Food Depository. We believe no one should go hungry, especially this time of year, and that’s why we’re working to address the root causes of hunger in Chicago and Cook County. pic.twitter.com/d6YfBjvJl2
— Chicago’s Food Bank (@FoodDepository) November 20, 2018
Former President Obama on Monday issued a pre-election message to Americans ahead of Election Day. In a series of tweets, Obama noted that the “character of our country is on the ballot” and that this year’s midterms may be “the most important of our lifetimes.”. Read his messages below:
Tomorrow’s elections might be the most important of our lifetimes. The health care of millions is on the ballot. Making sure working families get a fair shake is on the ballot. The character of our country is on the ballot.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 5, 2018
When we've been at such crossroads before, Americans have made the right choice. Not because we sat back and waited for history to happen -- but because we marched, and mobilized, and voted. We made history happen.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 5, 2018
When you vote, you have the power to protect voting rights. To make sure our criminal justice system treats everyone equally under the law. To strengthen laws that protect women in the workplace from harassment – and make sure they’re paid equally.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 5, 2018
When you vote, you have the power to make it easier for a student to afford college, and harder for a disturbed person to shoot up a classroom. When you vote, you have the power to make sure a family keeps its health insurance.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 5, 2018
Former President Obama held a Friday night rally in Atlanta, Georgia for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Watch Obama's full remarks.
