8 times Barack Obama took aim at Donald Trump: From 'crowd size' gesture to 'chaotic disaster' jab

8 of Barack Obama's brutal jabs at Donald Trump

Former President Barack Obama has taken his fair share of digs at his White House successor, Donald Trump. Ever since they first came face to face in the political sphere, as Obama campaigned for Hillary Clinton in 2016, the 44th president has called out the real estate mogul on everything from policies to behavior quirks. Here are eight instances of Obama going hard on Trump.

1. Improvised 'crowd size' jab

Barack Obama took several jabs at Donald Trump during his speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. One particular jab that stood out was when he used suggestive hand gestures to attack the GOP nominee on his fixation over crowd sizes. "Here's a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that's actually getting worse now that he's afraid of losing to Kamala. There's the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes," said the ex-president before moving his hands apart and then bringing them closer to emphasize his point, as per Deadline. Trump retorted to Obama's DNC speech saying, "He was nasty to me. He was nasty." 

2. 'There's nobody in New York who does business with Trump'

Appearing on the 'SmartLess' podcast, hosted by actors Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes, in April, Barack Obama trolled Donald Trump's reputation in New York, substantiating his point on the GOP nominee's unchanged nature. Noting Trump did not surprise him, he cited to look at his campaign and career. "I mean, he comes from New York. There's nobody in New York who does business with him or will lend him money. He is not considered a serious guy here," said Obama, as per HuffPost. The 44th POTUS added that though he was unsurprised by Trump's behavior, he expected someone to advise him to stop making certain remarks like praising Russian President Vladimir Putin and their intelligence agencies.

3. Donald Trump 'hasn't grown into the job because he can't'

Toward the end of Donald Trump's presidency, Barack Obama weighed in on his successor's time in the Oval Office. He went to the extent of suggesting that Trump could not grow into the job because he simply can't. Speaking at the virtual Democratic National Convention in August 2020, the 44th POTUS said, "For close to four years now, he's shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves." He added, "Donald Trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't," as per The Guardian.

4. Barack Obama called Donald Trump's Covid-19 response 'chaotic disaster'

Barack Obama scathingly attacked Donald Trump's response to the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. In a call with his administration's alumni, the Democrat labeled the then-president's Covid-19 response an "absolute chaotic disaster." He expressed, "It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset — of 'what's in it for me' and 'to heck with everybody else' — when that mindset is operationalized in our government," as per CBS News. The Republican's White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany retorted to the criticism, saying Trump's "coronavirus response has been unprecedented and saved American lives."

5. Barack Obama on 'crazy stuff' coming out of Donald Trump's White House

Months after handing over the presidency to Donald Trump, Barack Obama launched a searing attack against the real estate mogul, pointing fingers at the "crazy stuff" coming out of the White House under him. Speaking at the University of Illinois in September 2018, he referred to a New York Times editorial that angered Trump. The editorial claimed the Trump administration officials were working to safeguard the nation from the then-president's "worst inclinations." Weighing in on the article, Obama said, "They are not doing us a service by actively promoting 90% of the crazy stuff that is coming out of this White House and then saying, 'Don't worry. We are preventing the other 10%,'" as per BBC.

6. Donald Trump is 'insecure enough that he pumps himself up by putting other people down'

Barack Obama ripped into Donald Trump after the release of the infamous Access Hollywood tape. In his remarks in October 2016, the then-POTUS said Trump strengthened himself by disparaging other people. "Demeaning women, degrading women, but also minorities, immigrants, people of other faiths, mocking the disabled, insulting our troops, insulting our veterans," expressed the Democrat, as per Politico. Obama further said, "That tells you a couple of things. It tells you he is insecure enough that he pumps himself up by putting other people down," adding that was not a character trait suitable for a president. 

7. Donald Trump 'spent 70 years on this earth showing no regard for working people'

Donald Obama's 2016 campaign for Hillary Clinton was filled with nasty jabs directed toward Donald Trump. In one instance, he said, "The guy spent 70 years on this earth showing no regard for working people," portraying Trump as an out-of-touch billionaire. Obama added, "And then suddenly, he's going to be the champion of working people? Come on. Come on, man."

8. Barack Obama called out Donald Trump's 'rigged' election claims

The 2020 presidential election was not the first time Donald Trump came up with election rigging claims. After the MAGA spearhead claimed that the election was manipulated in 2016, the then-president said, "This is more than just the usual standard lie." Obama added that Trump was the first major party nominee in the history of America to say that "he will not concede, despite losing the vote and then says today that he will accept the results if he wins — that is not a joking matter." Calling the allegations "dangerous," he added, "When you try to sow the seeds of doubt in people's minds about the legitimacy of our elections, that undermines our democracy. Then you're doing the work of our adversaries for them."