Grace Panetta | Business Insider |
Former United States President Barack Obama attributed many of the world’s problems to “old people … not gets out of the way” at a recent leadership event in Singapore, the BBC Asia reported.
When asked if he would consider stepping back into public life or politics, Obama emphasized that he believes in passing the torch to a younger generation of leaders.
“If you look at the world and look at the problems it’s usually old people, usually old men, not getting out of the way,” Obama said at the Singapore event.
“It is important for political leaders to try and remind themselves that you are there to do a job, but you are not there for life, you are not there in order to prop up your own sense of self-importance or your own power,” he added.
Since leaving the White House in 2017, the Obamas have taken a step back from directly participating in politics themselves and focused on fostering new leaders, as a recent in-depth report in Politico on Obama’s post-presidency documented.
Currently, three of the leading frontrunners for the 2020 Democratic primary nomination are in their 70s. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is currently 70 years old, Obama’s former Vice President Joe Biden is 77, and Sen. Bernie Sanders is 78.
Politico reported that Obama, who will likely not endorse a candidate in the Democratic primary, is looking at the current field with cautious optimism and some trepidation.
While Biden’s campaign team is stacked with many former Obama officials, Obama himself is avoiding “putting his thumb on the scale,” even when it comes to former officials in his own administration.
Politico reported that Obama naturally has a more “familial” relationship with Biden, but the former president has told people around him that he would not automatically endorse Biden and that the former vice president would have to “earn it.”
Source: Business Insider
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