A forthcoming book about the role the Democrats played in helping Joe Biden defeat Donald Trump reveals Barack Obama said some harsh things about the former president.
As The Guardian reported, excerpts from Battle for the Soul: Inside the Democrats’ Campaigns to Defeat Donald Trump, a book written by journalist Edward-Isaac Dovere of The Atlantic, details several conversations at private fundraisers and events in which Obama lashed out about Trump.
Throughout Biden’s campaign run, Obama stood by his vice president’s side, often accompanying him and taking the stage at press conferences in attempts to sway Americans from his successor. However, according to Dovere’s book, Obama initially preferred Trump over Ted Cruz.
His temporary support was chalked up to Trump being less educated than the Texas senator, but over time, Obama eventually changed his view toward his successor, the book reveals. After donors reached out to him with hopes to make big payments in exchange for some information, he allegedly called Trump a “madman.”
“More often: ‘I didn’t think it would be this bad,’” Obama said according to the book. “Sometimes: ‘I didn’t think we’d have a racist, sexist pig.”
In another instance, Obama was reportedly upset to learn that Trump was possibly having conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In response, Dovere claimed Obama called Trump a “corrupt motherfucker.”
The tension between Obama and Trump started years back when Trump alleged that Obama was hiding his birth certificate because he was not really an American citizen. Obama subsequently poked fun at his successor during the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Trump often blamed Obama for worsening the economy among other things before his presidential term. Obama eloquently responded on numerous occasions, later calling Trump out during the 2020 presidential campaign for several things, including the Capitol riots and his efforts to discourage voters from mail-in voting options.