Obama said Trump’s ‘hooey’ election violated a fundamental principle of democracy

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U.S. President Barack Obama meets with President -elect Donald Trump at the White House Oval Office in Washington Nov. 10, 2016. REUTERS / Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) – Former U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday that his successor in office, Donald Trump, violated basic principles of democracy when he created a “group of hooeys” about last year’s election and refused to admit he lost.

Speaking at his first virtual fundraiser since the 2020 election, Obama, a Democrat, said Trump’s claims undermine the legitimacy of the U.S. election and helped lead to other anti-democratic measures such as the effort to suppress the vote.

“What we saw was my successor, the former president, violating the basic principle that you count the votes and then declared a winner – and make and build a whole hooey team,” Obama said.

Trump continues to falsely claim that his defeat was the result of widespread fraud, which has been denied by numerous courts, state election officials and members of his own administration.

“What has been called the‘ big lie ’is suddenly gaining momentum,” which in turn has pushed movements by Republican-controlled lawmakers to reduce voting access and gain more control over voting operations. , Obama said.

“Here are the consequences. If we don’t stop these kinds of efforts now, what we will see is far more controversial elections … We will see a further repeal of our democracy,” he said. , as well as “a breach of the basic agreement that has brought together this remarkable democratic experiment in all these years.”

Republican governors of Georgia, Arizona, Florida and Iowa signed new voting restrictions into law this year, and state lawmakers in Pennsylvania and Texas are trying to advance similar measures. These states will be battlegrounds in the 2022 midterm elections that will determine Congressional control.

The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday was accused of blocking Georgia law, which restricts ballot identification requirements, restricts the use of ballot drop-boxes, and allows a Republican-controlled state agency to run local voting operations.

Obama said he believes the U.S. Senate will have a new vote on a Democratic voting rights bill that Republicans blocked last week.

The fundraising call is for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee as the United States goes on a once -a -decade redesign of congressional districts to play a critical role in determining whether Democrats retain control of the House. of Representatives next year. History and redistricting suggest they are likely to fail.

Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Edited by Scott Malone and Sonya Hepinstall

Our Standards: The Principles of Trust at Thomson Reuters.

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