Trump calls Obama’s eulogy at John Lewis’ funeral ‘terrible’ and ‘angry’
President Donald Trump on Wednesday called former President Barack Obama’s eulogy at Rep. John Lewis’ funeral “terrible” and “angry.”
The former president during the eulogy recounted the late lawmakers’ life and career as a civil rights leader and urged the nation to continue his legacy — calling for the strengthening of voting rights along with the end of partisan gerrymandering and the filibuster, which he called a “Jim Crow relic.”
“I thought it was a terrible speech, it was an angry speech,” Trump said when asked on Fox & Friends if he thought the eulogy seemed like a campaign speech. “It showed this anger there that people don’t see. He lost control and he’s been really hit very hard by both sides for that speech that speech was ridiculous.”
Obama has been criticized by some conservatives for his remarks. White House senior adviser Stephen Miller on Friday called the eulogy “shockingly political,” Politico reported.
The former president referenced in his eulogy the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died in police custody after a now-fired police officer kneeled on his neck. Floyd’s death sparked an avalanche of protests across the U.S., and that officer has since been charged with murder. Obama also talked about federal agents using tear gas on demonstrators and the use of mail-in voting during the upcoming election.
“I thought that speech was very inappropriate, very bad,” Trump said on Fox & Friends.
Obama addressed the potential criticism during the eulogy.
“Now, I know this is a celebration of John’s life,” he said, according to a transcript published by The New York Times. “There are some who might say we shouldn’t dwell on such things. But that’s why I’m talking about it. John Lewis devoted his time on this Earth fighting the very attacks on democracy and what’s best in America that we are seeing circulate right now.”
President Trump went on to say on Fox & Friends how he has “redone” much of Obama’s policies during his time in office.
The president did not attend Lewis’ funeral. When asked about Lewis during an Axios interview made public this week, Trump wouldn’t say if he found the civil rights icon “impressive.”
“He didn’t come to my inauguration. He didn’t come to my State of the Union speeches,” Trump said. “And that’s OK. That’s his right. And, again, nobody has done more for Black Americans than I have.
“... I can’t say one way or the other (if he is impressive). I find a lot of people impressive. I find many people not impressive.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Trump calls Obama’s eulogy at John Lewis’ funeral ‘terrible’ and ‘angry’."
