Former US President Barack Obama delivered a pointed critique of aging global leaders who cling to power and self-importance, in remarks widely interpreted as a direct shot at his successor, Donald Trump.
Speaking at the O2 Arena in London with historian David Olusoga, Obama argued that a significant portion of global crises could be traced back to elderly male leaders.
“It’s fair to say that 80 per cent of the world’s problems involve old men hanging on who are afraid of death and insignificance, and they won’t let go,” Obama stated. “They build pyramids, and they put their names on everything and they get very anxious about it.”
Historian Olusoga was quick to agree, noting that this phenomenon is not just a feature of history but also of “the present.”
Criticism on Tylenol and Truth
Obama’s comments come amidst his increased criticism of the current administration. He specifically denounced President Trump’s recent unproven claims linking the use of the common painkiller Tylenol (acetaminophen) during pregnancy with an increased risk of autism.
“We have the spectacle of my successor in the Oval Office making broad claims around certain drugs and autism that have been continuously disproved,” Obama said. He warned that such statements “undermine public health” and create “anxiety for parents who do have children who are autistic.”
The former president’s critique aligns with warnings from medical professionals and UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who urged women to disregard Trump’s non-scientific advice.
The White House ‘Walk of Fame’ Jab
The former president’s observation about leaders “putting their names on everything” is seen as a jab at a recent, highly publicised act by Trump. This week, Trump unveiled a new ‘Presidential Walk of Fame’ along the West Wing Colonnade, which included a portrait of Obama.
However, in the place of the portrait of his predecessor, Joe Biden, Trump displayed a photograph of an autopen—a machine used to sign documents—mocking Biden’s age and capacity.
Obama, 64, also used the London stage to warn against the rise of “creeping authoritarian tendencies” and the movement in the US to define “‘we the people’ is just some people, not all people.”
The statement on aging leaders echoes a similar remark Obama made in Singapore in 2019, where he said world problems stemmed from old men “not getting out of the way” and reminding political leaders that they are “not there in order to prop up your own sense of self-importance or your own power.”