Folks, let's talk about what’s been heating up the political stage lately—Donald Trump’s sharp shift in tone towards the Obamas.
After playing nice for a while, Trump decided to let loose after the Obamas used their spotlight at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to take some jabs at his record, his crowd sizes, and even his manhood. Yes, you heard that right. The gloves are off.
Trump was fired up at a rally in Asheboro, North Carolina, his first outdoor appearance since surviving an assassination attempt. He didn’t hold back, calling former First Lady Michelle Obama "nasty" after she and former President Barack Obama criticized him during their DNC speeches. Just a day earlier, Trump had expressed a bit of respect for the Obamas, but it seems their latest remarks pushed him over the edge.
“I’m trying to be nice to these people,” Trump told DailyMail.com after coming off stage. But that politeness quickly vanished as he took aim at the Obamas, calling them "lousy presidents" and warning that Kamala Harris, who recently became his main opponent after Joe Biden dropped out of the race, would be even worse. Trump didn’t mince words, labeling Harris a "radical Marxist" and accusing her of ruining everything in her path.
But this latest outburst is more than just a reaction to criticism—it's a revival of a long-standing rivalry. The tension between Trump and the Obamas has been simmering for years, ever since Trump fueled the "birther" conspiracy, questioning whether Barack Obama was born in the U.S. That move clearly left a mark, and the animosity has only grown since.
Michelle Obama, in her DNC speech, didn’t shy away from criticizing Trump. She suggested that his "limited, narrow view of the world" made him feel threatened by the success of two highly educated, successful Black people. And she didn’t stop there—she joked about whether someone should remind Trump that the job he’s seeking might just be one of those "Black jobs" he’s so threatened by.
Barack Obama, meanwhile, took his own shots, mocking Trump’s obsession with crowd sizes and his tendency to throw out conspiracy theories. He even made a hand gesture that seemed to poke fun at Trump’s manhood—something that didn’t go unnoticed.
Earlier in the day, Trump had taken a more measured tone, telling CNN that he liked and respected Barack and Michelle Obama. But by the time he hit the stage at the North Carolina Aviation Museum, any hint of respect had vanished. Behind bulletproof glass, Trump launched into a familiar routine—attacking his enemies and making his crowd laugh.
The rally, which was supposed to focus on national security, quickly turned into a roast. Trump joked about how the Obamas got personal during their speeches despite the usual advice to stick to policy. “Do I still have to stick to policy?” he asked the crowd, who were more than ready to hear him dish out some personal jabs of his own.