Air Force One is seen, February 16, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — An air traffic controller admonished a Spirit Airlines pilot to “pay attention” as the plane flew several miles from Air Force One, according to audio of the exchange.
The incident occurred Tuesday morning as President Donald Trump was flying to the United Kingdom aboard Air Force One. Spirit Flight 1300 was heading to Boston Logan International Airport from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the time.
As the Spirit flight was beginning its descent into Boston, an air traffic controller became frustrated with the pilot while the plane was about 8 miles from Air Force One, according to audio captured by LiveATC.net.
After the controller told the Spirit pilot to turn 20 degrees right, he repeated the instruction multiple times.
“Pay attention. Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right,” the controller says, according to the LiveATC.net audio.
“Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right now,” the controller repeats, sounding increasingly frustrated.
“Spirit wings 1300, turn 20 degrees right immediately,” he sternly says.
The pilot eventually acknowledges the instruction, saying, “20 degrees right, Spirit wings 1300.”
“Pay attention,” the controller says, then tells the pilot that Air Force One is off the Spirit plane’s left wing by 8 miles.
“I’m sure you can see who it is,” the controller says.
“Keep an eye out for me, white and blue,” the controller adds.
Later on, the controller scolds the Spirit pilot, “I gotta talk to you twice every time.”
“Pay attention, get off the iPad,” the controller adds.
The exchange was first reported by the Bluesky account JonNYC.
In a statement on the incident, Spirit Airlines said the flight “followed procedures and Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructions while en route to Boston (BOS) and landed uneventfully at BOS.”
“Safety is always our top priority,” the airline added.
A preliminary investigation shows the aircraft maintained the required separation, an official told ABC News.
(NEW YORK) — The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate a quarter of a percentage point on Wednesday, opting for its first interest rate cut this year in an effort to revive the flagging labor market.
The central bank delivered a policy long-sought by President Donald Trump, though the size of the rate cut all but certainly fell short of Trump’s desired outcome. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), a policymaking body at the Fed, projected two additional quarter-point rate cuts over the remainder of the year.
Five meetings and nine months have elapsed since the Fed last cut interest rates. The federal funds rate stands between 4% and 4.25%, preserving much of a sharp increase imposed in response to a pandemic-era bout of inflation.
The Fed is guided by a dual mandate to keep inflation under control and maximize employment. In a statement on Wednesday, the FOMC indicated greater concern for slowing employment growth than for rising inflation.
“The Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate and judges that downside risks to employment have risen,” the FOMC said.
The high-stakes announcement marks a flashpoint in the monthslong pressure campaign directed at the Fed by Trump.
In recent weeks, Trump has moved to fire one member of the Fed’s board of governors and secure Senate confirmation for another. Both officials were on track to be among the 12 policymakers who cast votes on the interest-rate decision, though their status remained uncertain days before the Fed meeting.
Stephen Miran, a top White House economic advisor who joined the Fed board this week, cast the lone dissenting vote. Miran voted in favor of a larger half-point rate cut.
The race to reshape the Fed comes after Trump railed for months against the central bank and its Chair Jerome Powell for declining to heed his call for lower interest rates. In July, Powell stressed the importance of political independence, saying it allows central bankers to make “very challenging decisions” based on “data.”
In a social media post on Monday, Trump reiterated his criticism of Powell, saying the Fed chair “MUST CUT INTEREST RATES, NOW, AND BIGGER THAN HE HAD IN MIND.”
In recent months, the economy has suffered a sharp hiring slowdown alongside an uptick of inflation, setting the conditions for what economists call “stagflation.”
The economic conditions have put Fed policymakers in a bind. If the Fed raises interest rates as a means of protecting against tariff-induced inflation, it risks tipping the economy into a downturn. On the other hand, if the Fed lowers rates to stimulate the economy in the face of a hiring slowdown, it threatens to boost spending and worsen inflation.
Last month, Powell said the central bank faces a “challenging situation,” putting pressure on both sides of the Fed’s dual mission to maximize employment and control inflation.
Still, Powell said, the “balance of risks appears to be shifting” in light of a hiring slowdown made clear in a weak jobs report earlier this year that included sharp downward revisions of job gains over recent months.
Trump recently moved to fire board member Lisa Cook, who sued Trump over her attempted ouster, saying the decision violated her legal protections as an employee at the independent federal agency. Trump said he removed Cook over mortgage fraud allegations against her.
Federal law allows the president to remove a member of the Fed board “for cause,” though no president has attempted such a removal in the 112-year history of the central bank.
Last week, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction requiring the Fed to let Cook continue serving in her role as a governor of the Federal Reserve System as her lawsuit moves through the courts.
Days later, the Trump administration filed a request with an appeals court asking to remove Cook by Monday, before the scheduled vote on interest rates. That day, an appeals court rejected Trump’s bid, clearing the path for Cook to vote at the Fed meeting. Trump may appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
Last month, Trump called on Cook to resign on the same day that Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, posted on X part of an Aug. 15 letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi accusing Cook of falsifying bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms, “potentially committing mortgage fraud,” the letter stated.
In a statement provided to ABC News at the time, Cook said she learned from the media about Pulte’s letter seeking a criminal referral over the mortgage application, which predated her time with the Federal Reserve.
“I have no intention of being bullied to step down from my position because of some questions raised in a tweet,” Cook said in the statement last week. “I do intend to take any questions about my financial history seriously as a member of the Federal Reserve and so I am gathering the accurate information to answer any legitimate questions and provide the facts.”
The Senate voted 48-47 on Monday to confirm White House economic adviser Stephen Miran’s nomination to serve as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, paving the way for Miran to cast a vote on interest rates.
Miran has vowed to safeguard central bank independence but said earlier this month that he does not plan to resign from his position within the Trump administration. Miran is filling a vacancy created by the early retirement of Fed board member Adrianna Kugler, whose term was set to end in January.
Miran said he plans to take an unpaid leave of absence from his current role. Miran reached the decision after “advice from counsel,” since his term on the Fed board would last four months, Miran said at a Senate hearing this month.
(LONDON) — President Donald Trump kicked off his state visit to the U.K. on Wednesday by traveling to Windsor Castle to meet with King Charles III.
Trump is the first elected political leader in modern times to be hosted for two state visits by a British monarch, having already been hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.
The president and first lady Melania Trump will attend a state banquet with the royal family in Windsor on Wednesday evening.
Trump arrived at Windsor Castle aboard Marine One on Wednesday, having spent the night at Winfield House in central London. He and Melania Trump were greeted in the castle’s Walled Garden by Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton.
After being welcomed by the king, Trump and the first lady were taken by carriage to Windsor Castle, where they observed a ceremonial reception.
A crowd gathered in central London to protest Trump. Many of the protesters held anti-Trump signs and Palestinian flags.
The protest, which was organized by the Stop Trump campaign, planned to march towards Parliament later in the afternoon.
The Trumps explored Windsor Castle with the king and queens and viewed historical items from the Royal Collection.
Laid out across five tables were a collection of artifacts symbolizing U.S.-British relations, such as 18th-century watercolor paintings, transatlantic messages between Queen Victoria and President James Buchanan and a hot dog picnic in the 1930s that young Queen Elizabeth wrote about.
Trump walked around the displays, marveling at them as a guide explained what they were.
“That is so amazing,” Trump said.
Following the tour, the president and some of his key advisors, Scott Bessent, Marco Rubio, Susie Wiles, James Blair, Steve Witkoff and Stephen Miller, visited St. George’s Chapel for a service.
A choir of small children performed for the audience.
The Trumps laid a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II during the service and spoke with the children before taking a tour of the chapel.
Following the service, the two couples, seated in red chairs, watched the Beating Retreat musical performance.
This was the first time the Beating Retreat had been performed at a state visit. At least 200 military personnel were involved in the ceremony, according to U.K. officials.
The roughly 30-minute musical performance ended with a flyover from the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force display team. Red, white and blue smoke came out of the plane’s engines, filling the sky with colorful smoke.
Thursday will see Trump meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers, the prime minister’s official country residence in Aylesbury. The two men are expected to hold a press conference before Trump begins his journey back to the U.S.
During a background call on Monday with reporters, White House officials said that this visit will highlight what they called the deep ties between the United States and the United Kingdom.
“This historic second state visit is set to highlight and renew the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. At the same time, the visit will recognize and celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States,” a White House official told reporters during a background call previewing the trip.
Trump will be greeted by a joint U.S.-British flypast of F-35 fighter jets. Around 1,300 members of the British armed forces accompanied by 120 horses will be involved in the ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle.
The guard of honor at Windsor will be the largest ever organized for a state visit to the U.K.
ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart, Zoe Magee and Joseph Simonetti contributed to this report.
(COHOES, N.Y.) — Officials in upstate New York are searching for a 53-year-old homicide suspect who has been on the run since his girlfriend was found dead, according to the Cohoes Police Department.
Anthony Bechand, 53, has been missing since his girlfriend, 41-year-old Amanda Rodriguez, was found dead in her home in Cohoes, New York, on Sunday morning, according to investigators.
When Rodriguez was found, the Cohoes Police Department contacted New York State Police to assist in the investigation.
Officials said they determined that Bechand “fled in an unknown direction and was wearing an unknown outfit at the time of his departure.”
Rodriguez resided in “the single family house with her boyfriend,” police said.
As of Wednesday, Bechand, who “may be armed and dangerous” is still on the run, Cohoes Police Chief Todd Waldin confirmed to ABC News.
The suspect was believed to have been traveling in a white 2024 Chevrolet Suburban, but officials located the vehicle on Sunday “on County Route 60 at the intersection of County Route 86 in the Town of Brighton, Franklin County,” New York State Police said in a statement.
Bechand is described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall, weighs approximately 180 pounds and has hazel eyes and brown hair, police said.
Police said the public’s assistance is “vital as this investigation continues.”
Anyone who may have seen Bechand or has information on his whereabouts is urged to contact New York State Police at 518-897-2000.
Workers replace grass in the Utah Valley University courtyard where political activist Charlie Kirk was shot, on September 15, 2025 in Orem, Utah. (Chet Strange/Getty Images)
(OREM, Utah) — Students at Utah Valley University are returning to campus on Wednesday, one week after conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was killed while holding an outdoor event at the university.
Hope Ledkins, a first-year student at Utah Valley University, told ABC News returning to class is a “very sad, very somber feeling.”
“This doesn’t happen in Orem, Utah,” Ledkins said. “To have something like this happen, people just feel really mixed up about it.”
As students return to campus, law enforcement continues to investigate Tyler Robinson, 22, who is accused of assassinating Kirk at the university on Sept. 10.
Robinson was formally charged with aggravated murder on Tuesday, with prosecutors announcing the intent to seek the death penalty. He was also charged with felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced.
Robinson made a short first court appearance on Tuesday.
Prosecutors on Tuesday offered more insight into the killing and Robinson’s alleged discussions with family and his roommate in the wake of the shooting.
After his father recognized Robinson in photographs released by authorities, the suspect met with his parents and “implied that he was the shooter and stated that he couldn’t go to jail and just wanted to end it,” the charging documents said.
His parents then asked their son why he committed this crime, to which he said “there is too much evil and the guy [Charlie Kirk] spreads too much hate,” according to the charging documents.
Exactly what Robinson was allegedly referring to by “hate” was not clear. Investigators noted that Robinson’s mom told them that her son allegedly began having a relationship with his roommate, who is transitioning, and had begun leaning to the left more politically, becoming “more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented,” but the document does not indicate the relevance of those stances nor whether Kirk’s remarks about those issues were a motivating factor.
Gray said he would let a judge determine whether the statements allegedly made by Robinson constituted a confession. On Tuesday, he declined to comment on whether Robinson has been cooperating or spoken to investigators.
Prosecutors also revealed text messages between the suspect and his roommate.
On the day of the shooting, the roommate received a text message from the 22-year-old that said, “drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard,” charging documents said.
The roommate found a note underneath Robinson’s keyboard that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to charging documents.
Prosecutors also revealed additional conversations between the suspect and his roommate after the shooting.
“I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” one of the messages read.
Robinson’s roommate asked how long he had been planning this attack, to which he said “a little over a week I believe,” according to charging documents.
As the suspect remains in custody without bail, FBI Director Kash Patel said a “number of individuals” are currently being investigated who are linked to the suspect’s Discord, a group chat messaging platform where Robinson allegedly confessed he was the shooter two hours before he was taken into custody.
“Hey guys, I have bad news for you all…It was me at UVU yesterday. im sorry for all of this,” one of the messages read.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, Patel said “a lot more” than 20 people are linked to Robinson and that the FBI is looking into “anyone and everyone involved in the Discord chat.”
Robinson’s next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29.
James Comey speaks onstage at 92NY on May 30, 2023 in New York City. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A Columbia law professor who is a friend and adviser to former FBI Director James Comey was subpoenaed last week by federal prosecutors in connection with a criminal probe into whether Comey allegedly lied in testimony before Congress, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Daniel Richman has previously acknowledged his role as an intermediary between Comey and reporters in the wake of Comey’s 2017 firing by President Donald Trump during his first term over Trump’s anger with the FBI’s investigation into his 2016 campaign.
Richman met with federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia on Tuesday, sources familiar with the matter said.
In public statements, Richman has said he shared the content of memos written by Comey about his interactions with Trump with a reporter from the New York Times.
Trump later accused Comey of breaking the law by sharing his memos, arguing they contained classified information, though Richman later told ABC News in a statement that none of the documents had any classification markings.
The subpoena to Richman, according to sources, stems from an investigation into testimony Comey made before Congress in September 2020 about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Comey has repeatedly defended his handling of the early stages of the investigation and denied any decisions were based out of political animus towards Trump.
A previous investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general faulted Comey for violating FBI policies over his handling of the memos regarding his interactions with President Trump, though the DOJ under Trump’s first administration declined to prosecute him.
An attorney for Richman and an attorney for Comey did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
A Justice Department spokesperson also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(PITTSBURGH) — A Pennsylvania man was apprehended after he drove his car into a metal gate at the FBI building in Pittsburgh early on Wednesday, a ramming that federal law enforcement officials described as intentional.
Donald Henson, of Penn Hills, allegedly drove at a high rate of speed toward the main entrance gate at about 2:40 a.m., FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Giordano said during a press briefing.
The FBI confirmed late Wednesday morning that Henson was apprehended “a short time ago.”
“We look at this as an act of terror against the FBI,” Giordano said earlier on Wednesday. “This was a targeted attack on this building.”
There was “some vulgarity” scrawled on the side of the vehicle, the FBI said. The full details of what was written were not immediately clear, Giordano said, adding there appeared to be a reference to suicide.
Officials said no one was injured in the ramming.
He said the suspect fled the scene and it was believed that he may be dangerous. It was not immediately clear if Henson was armed, the FBI said.
Henson is the registered owner of the vehicle, Giordano said. The FBI compared surveillance video with Henson’s drivers license photo to further identify him, Giordano said, adding that he also had been identified as a former military member. He said Henson may have been experiencing a mental health issue.
After the crash, Henson allegedly exited the car, took an American flag out of the trunk and stuck it on the gate, the FBI said.
Images from the scene captured by ABC News affiliate WTAE appeared to show a white sedan sitting with a door ajar in front of a damaged metal gate near a security booth.
A spokesperson from the Pittsburgh Police Department told ABC News that officers responded to the 3300 block of E. Carson Street for a reported vehicle collision at about 3 a.m. on Wednesday. The vehicle collided with a gate outside of the building, before the driver exited the vehicle and fled the scene, the spokesperson said.
The FBI is leading the ongoing investigation, the police said. The FBI was working with the local U.S. Attorneys Office to draft a complaint against Henson, Giordano said.
Henson had come to the FBI Pittsburgh office within the last few weeks to make a complaint, Giordano said, adding it “didn’t make a whole lot of sense.”
“We contacted him and let him know that there was no federal crime we were able to charge,” he said.
(NEW YORK) — The Atlantic basin may have been quiet going into the peak of hurricane season, but officials are watching a new system that has developed into a tropical storm, which has the possibility of strengthening further.
The National Hurricane Center confirmed on Wednesday that Tropical Storm Gabrielle has formed in the Central Atlantic.
Te tropical storm does not pose a threat to the United States, as of Wednesday. The system should remain over open waters for several days, the NHC said.
The system previously met the criteria to be designated a tropical depression with winds greater than 34 mph on Wednesday.
Although dry air and other unfavorable atmospheric conditions have recently hindered development, the storm is expected to move into a more favorable environment later this week, giving it a better chance to become organized.
The storm will move Northwest and is not expected to hit any of the Leeward Islands or the Caribbean. If it develops further, the storm could be a hurricane in the vicinity of Bermuda.
The storm, which was originally described as a disturbance, was expected to become a tropical depression or tropical storm by the end of the week as it churns northwestward across the central Atlantic Ocean.
The development of a new tropical cyclone would mark the end of a notably quiet period in the Atlantic Basin, a stretch that included the climatological peak of the hurricane season on Sept. 10.
Tropical activity is expected to gradually ramp up over the next few weeks as conditions become more favorable for development, forecasters say.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said the odds of tropical development are increasing across parts of the Atlantic Basin for the second half of September, as large-scale environmental conditions become more favorable.
Tropical weather experts at Colorado State University (CSU) echo these predictions, saying overall atmospheric conditions, including wind patterns, will shift in a manner that supports a notable increase in activity.
While the climatological peak of the Atlantic hurricane season has passed, roughly 60% of tropical activity typically occurs after Sept. 10, on average, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The remainder of September and October will likely be active, David Zierden, the Florida state climatologist and head of the Florida Climate Center at Florida State University, told ABC News last week.
September and October often see some of the busiest activity for hurricanes because sea surface temperatures can be at their highest, Zierden said. Higher temperatures provide “ample fuel” for the formation and intensification of tropical cyclones, he added.
Waters in the Gulf and Caribbean are currently “very warm,” Jennifer Francis, an atmospheric scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, told ABC News last week.
Historically speaking, about two-thirds of all Atlantic hurricane season activity occurs between Aug. 20 and Oct. 10. In August, NOAA predicted above-normal activity for the remainder of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Last year demonstrated that late September and early October can be an active period for tropical development, with multiple threats that may be high-impact and potentially devastating.
Hurricane Helene, which caused devastating flooding in North Carolina, formed on Sept. 24, 2024, while Hurricane Milton, which caused widespread destruction in Florida, formed on Oct. 5, 2024.
ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke and Kyle Reiman contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — The Atlantic basin may have been quiet going into the peak of hurricane season, but officials are watching a new storm that has developed into a tropical depression, which has the possibility of strengthening further.
The National Hurricane Center confirmed on Wednesday that Tropical Depression Seven has formed in the Central Atlantic.
The system, which is expected to become Tropical Storm Gabrielle in the coming days, met the criteria to be designated a tropical depression with winds greater than 34 mph on Wednesday.
As of Wednesday, the tropical depression does not pose a threat to the United States.
Although dry air and other unfavorable atmospheric conditions have recently hindered development, the storm is expected to move into a more favorable environment later this week, giving it a better chance to become organized.
The depression will move Northwest and is not expected to hit any of the Leeward Islands or the Caribbean. If it develops further, the storm could be a hurricane in the vicinity of Bermuda.
The storm, which was originally described as a disturbance, was expected to become a tropical depression or tropical storm by the end of the week as it churns northwestward across the central Atlantic Ocean.
The development of a new tropical cyclone would mark the end of a notably quiet period in the Atlantic Basin, a stretch that included the climatological peak of the hurricane season on Sept. 10.
Tropical activity is expected to gradually ramp up over the next few weeks as conditions become more favorable for development, forecasters say.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said the odds of tropical development are increasing across parts of the Atlantic Basin for the second half of September, as large-scale environmental conditions become more favorable.
Tropical weather experts at Colorado State University (CSU) echo these predictions, saying overall atmospheric conditions, including wind patterns, will shift in a manner that supports a notable increase in activity.
While the climatological peak of the Atlantic hurricane season has passed, roughly 60% of tropical activity typically occurs after Sept. 10, on average, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The remainder of September and October will likely be active, David Zierden, the Florida state climatologist and head of the Florida Climate Center at Florida State University, told ABC News last week.
September and October often see some of the busiest activity for hurricanes because sea surface temperatures can be at their highest, Zierden said. Higher temperatures provide “ample fuel” for the formation and intensification of tropical cyclones, he added.
Waters in the Gulf and Caribbean are currently “very warm,” Jennifer Francis, an atmospheric scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, told ABC News last week.
Historically speaking, about two-thirds of all Atlantic hurricane season activity occurs between Aug. 20 and Oct. 10. In August, NOAA predicted above-normal activity for the remainder of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Last year demonstrated that late September and early October can be an active period for tropical development, with multiple threats that may be high-impact and potentially devastating.
Hurricane Helene, which caused devastating flooding in North Carolina, formed on Sept. 24, 2024, while Hurricane Milton, which caused widespread destruction in Florida, formed on Oct. 5, 2024.
ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke and Kyle Reiman contributed to this report.
Former President Barack Obama addresses the Obama Foundation’s 2024 Democracy Forum on December 05, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The 2024 Democracy Forum focused on “pluralism” and exploring how diverse communities can work together. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Former President Barack Obama says he finds the murder of Charlie Kirk “horrific” and “a tragedy” and stressed that Americans must be able to disagree, push back against ideas they don’t ascribe to, while respecting the right of others to hold those opinions.
In remarks during a conversation with journalist Steve Scully at the Jefferson Educational Society in Pennsylvania Tuesday night, Obama also acknowledged that the shooting of Democratic Minnesota state legislators Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman were also a tragedy.
“Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, what happened to Charlie Kirk was horrific and a tragedy,” he said. “What happened … to the state legislators in Minnesota, that is horrific. It is a tragedy. And there are no ifs, ands or buts about it, the central premise of our democratic system is that we have to be able to disagree and have sometimes really contentious debates without resort to violence. And when it happens to some but even if you think they’re, quote, unquote, ‘on the other side of the argument,’ that’s a threat to all of us. And we have to be clear and forthright in condemning them.”
He continued: “And so, look, obviously I didn’t know Charlie Kirk. I was generally aware of some of his ideas. I think those ideas were wrong, but that doesn’t negate the fact that what happened was a tragedy and that I mourn for him and his family.”
Obama also praised Utah GOP Gov. Spencer Cox’s handling of the aftermath of Kirk’s murder.
“I’ve been very impressed with Governor Cox in Utah and how he’s approached some of these issues. I suspect Governor Cox and I disagree on a whole bunch of stuff. He is a Republican, self-professed conservative Republican, but in his response to this tragedy, as well as his history of how he engages with people who are political adversaries, he has shown, I think, that it is possible for us to disagree while abiding by a basic code of how we should engage in public debate.”
Obama also suggested that what he sees as the Trump administration’s desire to target political enemies is part of a larger issue, and stressed that when he served as president, he “wasn’t putting the weight of the United States government behind extremist views.”
“And so, when I hear not just our current president, but his aides, who have a history of calling political opponents ‘vermin’, enemies who need to be ‘targeted,’ that speaks to a broader problem that we have right now and something that we’re going to have to grapple with, all of us. Whether we’re Democrats, Republicans, Independents, we have to recognize that on both sides, undoubtedly, there are people who are extremists and who say things that are contrary to what I believe are America’s core values,” he said.
“But I will say that those extreme views were not in my White House. I wasn’t embracing them. I wasn’t empowering them. I wasn’t putting the weight of the United States government behind extremist views. And that…when we have the weight of the United States government behind extremist views, we’ve got a problem,” said Obama.”
He said that the role of president is to unify — rather than stoke — division, saying, “But my view was that part of the role of the presidency is to constantly remind us of the ties that bind us together.”
“And I’m not alone in that belief,” he continued. “I think George W. Bush believed that. I believe that people who I ran against — I know John McCain believed it. I know Mitt Romney believed it. What I’m describing. Is not a Democratic value or Republican value. It is an American value. And I think at moments like this, when tensions are high, then part of the job of the president is to pull people together.”
