Sen. Tim Scott: Being Attacked By President Obama Is A ‘Compliment’
In a fiery response to former President Barack Obama, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and GOP presidential candidate defended his position on racism during a recent appearance on “Fox News Sunday.”
The senator, who is considered a strong contender for the 2024 presidential race, shrugged off Obama’s comments, viewing them as a typical move by the Democrats to undermine a rising threat to their power.
Sen. Tim Scott fires back at Obama over common liberal cry of 'systemic racism': https://t.co/Xn8FEpzRMw pic.twitter.com/mlNVOi3KT6
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) June 17, 2023
Scott, who is the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, has been promoting an optimistic message regarding racism in America during his campaign. However, this positive outlook has drawn criticism from Obama, who questioned the senator’s sincerity in addressing the persistent issue.
During a podcast interview with his former White House senior adviser David Axelrod, Obama expressed his concerns, saying, “If a Republican, who may even be sincere in saying, ‘I want us all to live together,’ doesn’t have a plan for how do we address crippling generational poverty that is a consequence of hundreds of years of racism in this society, and we need to do something about that.”
“If somebody’s not proposing, both acknowledging and proposing, elements that say, ‘No, we can’t just ignore all that and pretend as if everything’s equal and fair. We actually have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.’ If they’re not doing that, then I think people are rightly skeptical,” the former president added.
Fmr. Pres. Obama criticizes 2024 GOP pres. candidate Sen. Tim Scott’s (SC) rhetoric on racism:
“If a Republican … doesn’t have a plan for how do we address crippling generational poverty that is a consequence of hundreds of years of racism … then people are rightly skeptical.” pic.twitter.com/bYqGRMmgy0
— The Recount (@therecount) June 15, 2023
Scott, however, did not let Obama’s criticism deter him, instead embracing the opportunity to be attacked by the former president and considering it a “high compliment.”
Speaking to Fox News, Scott expressed beliefs that Obama was only a weapon launched against his presidential bid by Democrats, whose voices are also part of the chorus of criticism against him.
“Whenever the Democrats feel threatened, they pull out, drag out the former president and have him make some negative comments about someone running, hoping that their numbers go down,” he stated.
Highlighting his disagreements with Democrats on issues such as education and inequalities, the lawmaker emphasized that “the truth of my life disproves the lies of the radical left.”
Scott made that exact statement at Charleston Southern University on May 22 as he presented himself as “the candidate the far left fears the most.” Much of his campaign is poised to challenge Democratic narratives regarding the issues of racism as he maintains a stance against the idea that the United States is crippled with systemic racism.
