Barack Obama says in his next book that the divisions in America “run deep.”
Washington, United States:
Former President Barack Obama says in his next book that the divisions in America “run deep” and that Donald Trump’s departure from the White House will not be enough to bridge the gap.
In an excerpt from “A Promised Land,” which goes on sale Tuesday, Obama looks back on the four years that have passed since he left office.
“Our democracy appears to be teetering on the brink of crisis – a crisis rooted in a fundamental competition between two competing visions of what America is and what it should be,” Obama said in the excerpt published Thursday in Atlantic.
The crisis “has left the body politic divided, angry and suspicious,” he said.
It also “allowed a continued violation of institutional standards, procedural safeguards and respect for basic facts that Republicans and Democrats once took for granted.”
Obama said he was “encouraged” by the electoral victory of his former vice president, Joe Biden, and his running mate Kamala Harris, and by their “character and ability to do the right thing.”
“But I also know that no election will solve the issue,” Obama said. “Our divisions are deep; our challenges are great.”
“A big part of my hope for the future is because I have learned to trust my fellow citizens, especially those of the next generation,” he said.
“My book is for these young people – an invitation to remake the world once more and to bring out, through hard work, determination and a great deal of imagination, an America that finally aligns itself with all that’s best about us, “Obama said.
In the 768-page first volume of his memoir, the 44th US President reveals that he writes by hand with a pen on a yellow pad rather than on a computer and confesses his inability to be concise.
He recounts trying to “find a quiet place to smoke one night” in the White House and how he and his wife, Michelle Obama, were “exhausted, physically and emotionally” when they left the White House in January 2017 .
“For a month Michelle and I slept late, had a quiet dinner, took long walks, swam in the ocean, took stock, rebuilt our friendship, rediscovered our love and planned a less eventful second act but hopefully. , no less satisfying, “he said.
