Obama

President Biden Joins Forces with Presidents Clinton and Obama for Record-Breaking Fundraising Event

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President Biden Joins Forces with Presidents Clinton and Obama for Record-Breaking Fundraising Event

Thursday night witnessed a historic moment in American politics as President Biden united with former Presidents Clinton and Obama at Radio City Music Hall in New York City for “An Evening with President Biden and Presidents Obama and Clinton.” The event was hailed as the most successful political fundraising event in U.S. history, raising a staggering $26+ million.

More than 5,000 supporters filled the iconic theater for the sold-out occasion. Moderated by Stephen Colbert, the three presidents engaged in a discussion about the critical issues facing the nation in 2024.

President Clinton commended President Biden’s effectiveness in contrast to Donald Trump’s obstructionism, while President Obama highlighted the administration’s legislative successes, including healthcare reforms. President Biden also extended an invitation for a golf game to his predecessor, Donald Trump, provided Trump carries his own bag.

With a robust fundraising operation fueled by grassroots support, the event showcased the strength of a united coalition ready to support President Biden’s reelection bid. Notably, the funds raised at the event surpassed the entire February haul of the Trump campaign, underscoring Team Biden-Harris’s financial advantage as the 2024 election approaches.

During the event, President Obama spoke on President Biden’s record:

“Well, I think it’s worth adding — it’s not just the negative case against the presumptive nominee on the other side. It’s the positive case for somebody who’s done an outstanding job as president. Sometimes we forget where we started and where we are now. You’ve got record breaking job growth. You’ve got an unemployment rate that is as low as it has been — for African Americans, by the way, the lowest on record — ever. You’ve got extraordinary progress building off the work we did. First, Bill Clinton passing the Children’s Health Insurance Act, we passed the Affordable Care Act, Joe Biden takes the baton — he’s now expanded coverage. Made sure that seniors are seeing big discounts in their prescription drugs, capping insulin drug prices. Capping the price of insulin at 35 bucks when it used to cost them up to $400. You know, helping young people go to college. The record-setting investment in clean energy that’s going to transition us to the kind of future that our children and grandchildren deserve.”

President Clinton spoke on President Biden’s bipartisan record and Donald Trump killing the border deal:

“This is the big reason you should win. And that is that everything you said is true. But it only works if we all live under the same set of rules, if we all have an equal set of chances to make it, and we treat each other with respect. If we find our differences and we have our arguments…

That’s what’s at the heart of this. Joe Biden has bent over backwards to reach out to members of the other party to negotiate in good faith and to solve problems – including on the border. In the case of the border, his apparent opponent basically said, hey, to his own party, you can’t do that. Get off that bill. We need a problem not a solution at the border.”

President Clinton continued, on MAGA Republicans: “They’re good at branding and blaming, and we don’t like their solutions so much. He (President Biden) is good at finding solutions people are actually glad to embrace.”  

The post President Biden Joins Forces with Presidents Clinton and Obama for Record-Breaking Fundraising Event first appeared on The Source.

The post President Biden Joins Forces with Presidents Clinton and Obama for Record-Breaking Fundraising Event appeared first on The Source.

Barack Obama Celebrates Michelle Obama’s Birthday: ‘This Is What 60 Looks Like’

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Barack Obama Celebrates Michelle Obama's Birthday

Former president Barack Obama hit social media to celebrate his wife Michelle Obama. “This is what 60 looks like,” Obama wrote.

“Happy birthday to my better half — who happens to be one of the funniest, smartest, most beautiful people I know,” Obama wrote. “@MichelleObama, you make every day better. I can’t wait to see what this new decade brings you.”

You can see the post below.

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Barack Obama Lists ‘Leave the World Behind’ & More as Top Films of 2023

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President Barack Obama Named Strategic Partner of NBA Africa

Barack Obama is known for delivering his favorite tunes every year, but now he is giving a peak into his watch list. The 44th president of the United States of America has revealed his favorite films of 2023.

“Earlier this year, writers and actors went on strike to advocate for better working conditions and protections,” Obama wrote. “It led to important changes that will transform the industry for the better.

“Here are some films that reflect their hard work over the last year — including some like Rustin, American Symphony, and Leave the World Behind that we were proud to release through @HGMedia”

His production, Leave the World Behind, leads the way on his list. He also put Rustin and American Symphony in his top three.

Oppenheimer, American Fiction, Air, The Holdovers, and more are additional films included.

You can see the full list below.

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The post Barack Obama Lists ‘Leave the World Behind’ & More as Top Films of 2023 appeared first on The Source.

Barack Obama’s Year-End Playlist: Does He Listen To It All?

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Barack Obama is a cultural icon. The former President stays busy all year long with multiple recommendation lists for the people, including books he read, movies he watched, and songs he had on repeat. However, some have been skeptical about Obama’s wide range of reading, watching, and listening. Some speculate he doesn’t create his own playlist, that someone else listens to these songs and curates them. Not only are the selections so broad, but they also suggest a TON of listening.

Can Barack Obama consume this much content in a year? Believe him when he says: He does it all himself. Comedian Hasan Minaj interviewed the previous POTUS for half an hour on a number of topics, including his end-of-year lists. With emphasis, Obama definitively squashed the rumors of cultural fraud: “…[T]he fact that my lists are, you know, pretty incredible — people seem to think, well, he must’ve had some 20-year-old intern who was figuring out this latest cut. No, man! It’s on my iPad right now.”

Read more: Barack Obama Shares Favorite Songs Of 2022 Featuring Beyoncé, SZA, & More

Barack Obama’s Current Lifestyle

Once you’ve done “the big job,” life can become what you want it to be, in a way. For Barack Obama, this means going to events, consuming a ton of new content, and accepting fun interview requests. Minaj gets deep and wide in the interview above, asking Obama about depression, doom-scrolling, and his take on Andrew Tate. With classic Obama wit and a grumbly, loving uncle demeanor, he brushes off any “controversy” that he doesn’t curate his own playlist. Last year’s list had all-time hits like Kendrick Lamar’s “The Heart Part 5” and Bad Bunny’s “Titi Me Pregunto,” as well as “Last Last” by Burna Boy and “Pull Up” by Koffee.

We might need to give Barack Obama more street cred. Impressively, he and his wife, Michelle Obama, wrote a letter to rapper Cordae following his Emmy win last year. Their daughters are part of the hip-hop scene as well. Malia Obama created a short film for Donald Glover’s (Childish Gambino’s) production company. Plus, he’s never shied away from being a true man of the people. Barack Obama’s track record should be enough for us to trust his tracklist.

Read more: Trump Never Invited The Obamas Back To The White House

[Via]

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Trump Never Invited The Obamas Back To The White House

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There is a long-standing tradition in American politics. As president, you are meant to invite your predecessor back to the White House for the unveiling and hanging of their official Presidential Portrait. Once a staple of the Presidential experience, it was Jackie Kennedy who restarted the tradition in the 1960s.

The tradition of the current President helping unveil the portrait of the previous President started in earnest under President Carter. Carter invited President Ford back to the White House in 1978 to hang Ford’s portrait. The tradition continued from there, with the exception of Carter who requested that there be no ceremony. Bush I invited back Reagan, Clinton invited back Bush I, Bush II invited back Clinton, and Obama invited back Bush II. However, the trend stopped under Trump, who did not extend an invitation to the Obamas. Their portraits were instead unveiled in 2022 by President Biden.

Trump Never Invited The Obamas To The White House

Appearing on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, the former First Lady did not hold back. She cut Fallon off as he tried to lead into a question about being invited back under the Biden administration. “Wasn’t invited,” Obama quipped, smirking as the jab threw Fallon off before following up with an “oooh shade.” She then went on to clarify what she meant, “That’s tradition. You do your official portraits. The next president is supposed to invite you back to hang them. We were never invited back. So, these pictures had been done for a long, long time.”

Trump has had a…thorny relationship with his Presidential predecessor to say the least. Reports claim that Trump had the toilets replaced in the White House after the Obamas left. Furthermore, Trump was a very prominent voice in the “Birther movement”, the right-wing conspiracy that Obama was not a US citizen. Despite running against Hilary Clinton in 2016, Trump always positioned himself as an antidote to the Obama era. A president almost famous for his reckless abandonment of protocol, this latest claim of both shunning tradition and snubbing the Obamas is unsurprising. It is unclear when the official portraits of the Trumps will be completed.

[via]

[WATCH] Barack Obama Praises President Biden After Embarrassing Video Surfaces On Twitter

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obama 1

Former President Barack Obama returned to the White House for the first time since leaving office in 2017 and received a welcoming ovation.

Obama was received by White House friends and guests after he discussed his Affordable Care Act at Biden’s health care event on Tuesday. Video surfaced on Twitter showing Obama surrounded by guests while Biden stands nearby. Vice President Kamala Harris introduced Obama to guests while Biden looked on.

“This is so sad,” the Republican National Committee captioned a video on Twitter.

“Literally no one wants to talk to Joe Biden,” the RNC captioned another short video clip that shows the president shrugging and glancing around the room as if searching for someone.

The two videos garnered thousands of comments. Many of the commenters expressed sadness for the current president.

In response to the viral video, Obama took to Twitter to praise his former vice president.

“Always great catching up with @POTUS. Thanks for all you’re doing to help even more Americans get access to quality, affordable health care,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
Do you think people miss former president Obama?

The post [WATCH] Barack Obama Praises President Biden After Embarrassing Video Surfaces On Twitter appeared first on The Source.

Drake’s Return To The Raptors’ Arena Reminds Fans Of A ‘Key & Peele’ Sketch

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It has been a while since any basketball has been played at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena — aka “Jurassic Park,” because “The Toronto Raptors,” naturally — so you’d be forgiven for forgetting that local rap hero Drake actually has a position with the team. Aside from being a courtside fixture and occasionally popping up in the broadcast booth, Drake is also a “Global Ambassador” for the team, which is ostensibly a marketing gig but seems to entail a lot of sideline trolling, such as a little trash talk with Montrezl Harris in last night’s season opener.

Drake’s return to Jurassic Park is also once again generating viral memes after a video of Drake greeting his fellow regulars at the arena posted by the Raptors Twitter and reposted by Sportscenter reminded fans of a classic sketch from Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele Comedy Central show, Key & Peele. If you haven’t already you can watch the sketch above. In it, Jordan Peele impersonates President Barack Obama, lightly satirizing Obama’s habit of “code-switching” on the fly — even at official State functions.

Fans immediately noticed that Drake took a similar tack (for what it’s worth, the parallels between Drake and Obama would make a fascinating feature, someone remind me to pitch that) with fellow fans at Scotiabank Arena, giving some daps and pounds while greeting others with polite handshakes. Some also noticed that the fan who received the handshake appeared to be SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk, wondering whether Drake wasn’t feeling the billionaire. Check out some of the responses below.

HER Shares ‘Change’ From Netflix’s Obama-Produced ‘We The People’

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Netflix’s animated series We The People drops in exactly one month, and today, one of the stars set to be highlighted in the series, HER, has shared her musical contribution to its soundtrack, “Change.” Opening with a mean bass riff, the song describes parts of the political process and advocates for education and participation, acclaiming the power of one person to make a difference. “One day, I’ll be a leader,” she sings. “Believe in ‘We the people.’”

The singer has been lauded in recent months for the string of socially conscious hits she’s released in the past year, which includes the Golden Globe-nominated “Fight For You” from the Judas And The Black Messiah soundtrack and the Grammy-winning “I Can’t Breathe,” released in response to the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin.

We The People, streaming July 4, is produced by Barack and Michelle Obama and Black-ish creator Kenya Barris and aims to inspire viewers to become more engaged with their community and government. A description from Netflix reads:

Combining music and animation to educate a new generation of young Americans about the power of the people, We the People is a series of 10 animated music videos that covers a range of basic U.S. civics lessons in not-so-basic ways. Set to original songs performed by artists such as H.E.R., Janelle Monáe, Brandi Carlile, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adam Lambert, Cordae, Bebe Rexha, KYLE, Andra Day, and poet Amanda Gorman, with a groundbreaking mix of animated styles — each episode of We the People is an exuberant call to action for everyone to rethink civics as a living, breathing thing and to reframe their understanding of what government and citizenship mean in a modern world.

Listen to “Change” above. We The People starts streaming 7/4 on Netflix.