Obama rages about Trump inflaming 'nativist, racist, sexist' fears: report

On Thursday, The New York Timesreported that former President Barack Obama unloaded on President Donald Trump in private with party donors.

"At fund-raising events where he has pulled in more than $24 million for Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s campaign in the past two months, former President Barack Obama has privately unleashed on President Trump to party donors, bringing up past accusations of Mr. Trump’s 'assaulting women' and warning of his efforts to push 'nativist, racist, sexist' fears and resentments," reported Shane Goldmacher and Glenn Thrush.

"With less than 100 days until the presidential election, Mr. Obama has laid out the stakes of 2020 in forceful fashion," continued the report. "He has urged support for Mr. Biden, his former vice president, while worrying about the state of American democracy itself, even making an oblique reference to Nazi Germany, according to notes made from recordings of Mr. Obama’s remarks, donors and others who have been on the calls."

“It’s just glued to Fox News and Breitbart and Limbaugh and just this conservative echo chamber — and so, they’re going to turn out to vote,” said Obama. “What he has unleashed and what he continues to try to tap into is the fears and anger and resentment of people who, in some cases, really are having a tough time and have seen their prospects, or communities where they left, declining. And Trump tries to tap into that and redirect in nativist, racist, sexist ways.”

Obama has publicly been more careful about direct criticism of his successor, often avoiding mentioning him by name even when making indirect criticisms.