President Obama has plenty to say about the GOP candidates hoping to take over his job next year — and none of it is good.
“Have you noticed that every one of these candidates says, ‘Obama’s weak. Putin’s kicking sand in his face. When I talk to Putin, he’s going to straighten out,’” Obama said at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in New York City on Monday, referring to th
“Then it turns out they can’t handle a bunch of CNBC moderators at the debate. Let me tell you, if you can’t handle those guys, then I don’t think the Chinese and Russians are going to be too worried about you,” he continued.
Obama voiced his disdain at a star-filled fundraiser tied to a performance of the hit Broadway musical, “Hamilton,” attended by Hollywood A-listers Martin Scorsese, Chris Rock, Kerry Washington, Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton and Scarlett Johansson.
The President continued to take shots at the Republican field. “According to them everything was really good in 2008,” he said, referring to President George W. Bush’s term. “When we were going through the worst economic crisis in our lifetimes, unemployment and uninsured rates were up, we were hopelessly addicted to foreign oil and [Osama] bin Laden was still on the loose.
“This apparently was the golden age that I messed up.”
“They’re so glum,” he added of the 2016 GOP field that includes Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Ben Carson and Marco Rubio. “They’re really so frustrated… Everybody here’s got a list of things we’ve got to tackle. But maybe what makes us a little different as Democrats is we try to base our analysis on facts.”
As for “Hamilton,” Obama was far more impressed. “Man I love this show. It’s the only thing Dick Cheney and I agree on,” he said after the performance, where tickets were going for $5,000.
So far, there’s no reaction from the GOP field about Obama’s comments. But there’s no disputing CNBC became the biggest post-debate story last Wednesday night after the political match-up was ripped by social media users and the candidates themselves.
“Everyone feels pretty embarrassed,” a veteran staffer at the network later told CNN, while others blamed the debate debacle on CNBC President Mark Hoffman.
The GOP candidates said the questions lacked substance and the moderators failed to adhere to agreed-upon standards. The Republican National Committee (RNC) has since suspended its partnership with NBC over the mess.
Watch the video of President Obama’s speech below.