President Donald Trump was mid-speech when his ego took a hit — and the reaction was instant. What began as a routine appearance turned tense when he fixated on Barack Obama, fuming that the former president had called him “mean.”
Within moments, Trump went from defensive to downright petulant, turning what could’ve been a passing jab into a public tantrum that revealed far more than he meant to.
The moment came during Trump’s appearance at the America Business Forum in Miami on Wednesday, where he addressed a crowd of business leaders, donors, and conservative influencers gathered for what was billed as a discussion on global growth and leadership.
“I watched him the other day saying, ‘Donald Trump is a mean person,’” Trump complained, slipping into a clumsy imitation of Obama’s voice. “I’m not a mean person. I just want to have a country that’s great again. Is that OK?” he pleaded, flailing his hands as if to sell the line.
It’s unclear what comment from Obama set him off — but one thing was obvious: Trump had been watching his old rival closely. And in trying to prove he wasn’t bothered, he ended up confirming exactly how much space Obama still occupies in his head.
And in true Trump fashion, he flipped the insult back. “He’s a mean person. He’s a divider,” said Trump.
But this Threads user wasn’t buying it, “Didn’t he post an AI video of himself shitting on the American people?”
Another added, “Translation: I hate being called a mean person, even though my behaviour is narcissistic, entitled, selfish, cruel and greedy.”
“I hate when he tells a story like a child. We don’t need the voice changes and face contortions. Just tell your latest lie and move on,” another fumed.
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“I’m not mean, i just find terrible nicknames for people i dont like, and I throw people in jail abroad just because they have a browner skin than me, and i just love money and the usa got a lot of it!” fumed Haidee.
“Bro having a meltdown like a high school girl😭😭,” mocked Omari.
Like a really nice guy, Trump, who can’t seem to help himself when it comes to Obama, took another swipe at the former president at the same event. And of course, once again, it had nothing to do with Obama’s politics or political ideology; instead, Trump condemned his presidential library in Chicago.
“He built it in not a particularly good location. He’s not into real estate … he doesn’t understand location,” Trump complained to the audience.
The Obama Presidential Center, including a library with digital archives, is still under construction on the south side of Chicago. The 19-acre campus is expected to open next year and will feature an events facility, a world-class museum, a fruit and vegetable garden and more.
Obama, for his part, has become more outspoken about Trump and his policies in recent months. The former president recently hit the campaign trail for Democrats, helping them resoundingly defeat Republicans in last week’s off-year elections.
At a rally in Virginia for then gubernatorial candidate and now governor-elect Abigail Spanberger in early November, Obama humorously skewered Trump over his massive renovation projects at the White House.
“As for the president, he has been focused on critical issues like paving over the Rose Garden so folks don’t get mud on their shoes, and gold-plating the Oval Office and building a $300m ballroom,” Obama noted, before stating, “So Virginia, here’s the good news. If you can’t visit a doctor, don’t worry, he will save you a dance,” The Guardian reported.
At a rally for New Jersey governor-elect Mikie Sherill earlier this month, Obama also criticized Trump’s policies.
“We’ve got a president who deployed the national guard in American cities and claimed to be stopping crime waves that don’t actually exist. We’ve got masked ICE agents in unmarked vans pulling people in off the streets, including US citizens, on the suspicion that they don’t look like real Americans,” Obama said in condemning some of Trump’s most controversial moves.
Democratic victories across the country in last week’s elections reveal voters’ concerns and discontent with Trump’s decisions less than a year into his second term and could point to big wins for Democrats in next year’s mid-term elections.
