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Less than a month to go before the elections in November, both campaigns have ramped up efforts to turn out support or maintain the support of certain demographics or states. Former President Barack Obama recently reminded Americans just how important the upcoming elections would be not just for the country but for the world.
Speaking at the annual Twilio conference, Obama shared the global impact the US elections has to voters. The former president stressed the influence that the United States has in international matters as the de facto world leader.
“The U.S. still underwrites a lot of the world order that we know. Even our adversaries expect us to behave responsibly on the international stage, and so, on something like the pandemic or climate change, if we’re not at the table helping to shape solutions, then a vacuum develops, and it’s very hard to get coordinated international action,” said Obama.
The former president also noted that other big countries like China, India, or Brazil, will not assume that kind of role which will have consequences on how universal crises are handled as well as local issues. Obama then stressed that it is important for everyone to look at the facts, regardless of political affiliation, noting the importance of acknowledging the country’s handling of the pandemic, which now has 210,000 Americans dead and millions infected. The former president then stressed that it is important to turn out to vote. His wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, has actively advocated for increasing voter turnout through the organization that she co-chairs, When We All Vote.
Following the diagnosis last week that Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have contracted COVID-19, Obama wished the Trumps a fast recovery from the virus during a virtual fundraiser with Senator Kamala Harris. The former president’s message is in line with his former colleague, Joe Biden’s message, wishing the Trumps well shortly after the news of the diagnosis. Obama also shared his best wishes to the Trumps on Twitter as well, quickly noting that even as there is a lot at stake in the election, it is important for everyone to be healthy regardless of political party.
