Barack Obama

Read the latest post-presidency news about President Barack Obama on Newser.com

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White House Condemns Mark Hamill Over Trump Grave Post

Hamill deletes post and apologizes as Trump team demands condemnation

(Newser) - Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader? More like Luke Skywalker vs. the White House, USA Today reports. Star Wars actor Mark Hamill is under fire for a now-deleted Bluesky post that paired the caption "If Only" with an apparent AI image of President Trump in a grave marked "1946-2024....

Obama Talks Politics, Aliens With Colbert

He says that as president, host would 'perform significantly better than some folks that we've seen'

(Newser) - Stephen Colbert's soon-to-end Late Show aired an interview with another big-name guest on Tuesday—and Barack Obama used it to needle the current occupant of the Oval Office without ever saying his name. In an interview taped last month at his new presidential center in Chicago, Obama joked that...

4 Former Presidents Weigh In on America at 250

Biden, Obama, Bush, Clinton urge unity, civic duty ahead of country's 250th anniversary

(Newser) - All four living former presidents are striking a similar note as the US nears its 250th birthday. In exclusive interviews with Jenna Bush Hager for Today , Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton all argued that the country's democratic foundations are sturdy enough to weather its...

Trump: A Former US President Praised My Iran Attack

But he's not saying which one, and people close to all four men deny it

(Newser) - On two separate occasions Monday, President Trump said he had spoken to a former US president who praised his war on Iran. But people close to all four of his living predecessors—George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden—say it wasn't their man, reports NBC...

Obama Goes After Trump at Jesse Jackson Funeral

Ex-president decried 'offense to common decency,' though he never said current president's name

(Newser) - Barack Obama used the pulpit at Jesse Jackson's funeral in Chicago on Friday to deliver one of his sharpest public rebukes of Donald Trump's presidency, all without ever saying Trump's name or directly referencing his administration. The former president warned that "every day we wake up...

Hegseth: We're on That Review of UFO Files

But Pentagon chief offers no clear timeline for Trump-ordered review of records

(Newser) - Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth says the hunt for whatever the government knows about UFOs is officially on. Speaking Monday during a visit to aerospace firm Sierra Space in Colorado, Hegseth said the Defense Department is now sorting through files on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) and possible extraterrestrial life, following President...

Trump Accuses Obama of Leaking Info on Aliens

'He took it out of classified information'

(Newser) - President Trump is accusing a predecessor of spilling top-secret details about aliens. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday, Trump said Barack Obama revealed classified information when he commented about extraterrestrials on a podcast over the weekend, USA Today reports. "He gave classified information, he's not...

Black Allies Defend Trump on Race
Black Allies Defend
Trump on Race
Feb 18, 2026 7:10 PM CST

Black Allies Defend Trump on Race

Presidential pardon czar says her presence shows 'how he feels about Black Americans'

(Newser) - During a White House Black History Month event on Wednesday, President Trump honored the Rev. Jesse Jackson while showcasing praise from Black supporters and revisiting his record on race-related issues. The Black History Month event at the White House was held shortly after an outcry erupted over a video Trump...

Analyses: Obama Owes a Large Debt to Jesse Jackson

Jackson's runs in the 1980s reshaped party rules, showed a Black candidate can win

(Newser) - Two analyses about the late Jesse Jackson make the case that his presidential runs in 1984 and 1988 paved the way for Barack Obama to become the nation's first Black president in 2008. The reasons are both practical and cultural:
  • Practical: At CBS News , Todd Feurer writes that Jackson
...

After Claiming Aliens Are 'Real,' Obama Clarifies

Former president says he saw 'no evidence' of contact

(Newser) - Former President Obama is walking back his belief in aliens after touching off a mini-panic over the weekend. On an appearance on Brian Tyler Cohen's No Lie podcast , Obama was hit with a lightning-round question: "Are aliens real?" He replied, "They're real but I haven't...

Asked About Ape Video, Obama Laments 'Clown Show'

Former president doesn't name Trump, but he worries about American discourse

(Newser) - Barack Obama is addressing the infamous ape video for the first time, and he sees it as an example of what he calls the "clown show" of American discourse at the moment. When appearing on the No Lie podcast , host Brian Tyler Cohen asked Obama about President Trump reposting...

Trump on Racist Obama Post: 'I Didn't Make a Mistake'

No apology for post from his account showing Obamas as apes, though he says he condemns it

(Newser) - President Trump's racist social media post featuring former President Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle was deleted Friday after bipartisan backlash calling the video offensive. However, Trump said later Friday he won't apologize for the post. "I didn't make a mistake,...

After Bipartisan Backlash, Trump Deletes Video

White House says racist video depicting Obamas as apes was 'erroneously' posted by staffer

(Newser) - President Trump hit delete Friday after posting a video that Democrats and some of his Republican allies called racist. The minute-long clip, shared in a Truth Social post late Thursday, pushed claims about 2020 election fraud before ending with Barack and Michelle Obama's faces pasted onto cartoon apes as...

Video Posted by Trump Portrays Obamas as Apes

White House dismisses criticism, calls video part of Lion King meme context

(Newser) - President Trump went on a Truth Social posting spree overnight, and one of the videos he put up includes a clip of Barack and Michelle Obama depicted as apes. Democrats are incredulous, while the White House is accusing them of "fake outrage." The details:
  • The video: The clip
...

Michelle Obama Won't Ask Malia, Sasha One Question

'Are you dating anyone?' is something ex-first lady tries to avoid with daughters, she says on podcast

(Newser) - Michelle Obama says she's trying to retire one of the most common small-talk questions moms ask their daughters: "Are you dating anyone?" In a surprise showing on Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast on Wednesday, the former first lady, who just turned 62, said she's aware...

Rogan Slams Trump's Mockery of Presidential Plaques in WH

Podcaster warns that partisan insults undermine historical integrity of presidency

(Newser) - Joe Rogan thinks one of President Trump's latest White House moves crosses a line. On an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience released on Christmas Day, the podcaster blasted the new presidential plaques Trump has installed along the "Presidential Walk of Fame" at the White House, per the...

Trump Includes 'Scum' in Christmas Message

President talks border, economy as past presidents strike a different tone

(Newser) - President Trump used his Christmas greeting this year to again attack his political opponents, delivering a message that was heavier on his customary political talking points than it was peace on Earth. In a post Wednesday on X, the president wrote, "Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left...

Obama's Year-End List of Faves Just Dropped

Former president reveals his 2025 picks in films, books, and music

(Newser) - Former President Obama has become known in his post-Oval Office years (and even while he still resided at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.) for a holiday tradition of sorts: revealing his favorite books, movies, and tunes. This year's selections dropped on Thursday. "I hope you find something new to...

Celebrities, Politicians Mourn Rob Reiner

Actor-director remembered as a 'big-hearted genius'

(Newser) - Hollywood figures and politicians are among those reacting to the death of actor-director Rob Reiner, who was found dead with his wife Michele Reiner at their home in Los Angeles on Sunday. The acclaimed director and Emmy winner was also a major Democratic booster, per the AP , leading many prominent...

Obama Drops in on Veterans Honor Flight to DC

Former president boards plane to thank Korea, Vietnam veterans

(Newser) - A group of veterans traveling to Washington, DC ahead of Veterans Day had a surprise visitor: Barack Obama. The Korean War and Vietnam War veterans were on an Honor Flight from Madison, Wisconsin, organized by the Honor Flight Network, a nonprofit that helps veterans visit war memorials in the nation'...

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