President Trump didn’t attend the star-studded memorial service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson but he was at the top of mind for many of its speakers.
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Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Al Sharpton all used their eulogies to take pot shots at the president, his policies, and his vision for America.
“Let me just say I predicted a lot about what’s happening right now,” Harris bragged as the crowd roared in applause. “I’m not into saying I told you so but we did see it coming.”
She did not mention Trump by name but it was clear she was talking about his presidency. Trump overwhelmingly beat her in their 2024 presidential election.
“But what I did not predict is that we would not have Jesse Jackson with us right now to help us get through this,” Harris added.
Obama, for his part, described the state of the country under Trump’s leadership.
“Each day we wake up to some new assault on our Democratic institutions, another setback to the idea of the rule of law, an offense to common decency. Every day you wake up to, to things you just didn’t think were possible,” he said.
Obama also didn’t mention Trump’s name but his meaning was clear. And the crowd at Chicago’s House of Hope stood in applause, cheering as he spoke.
“Each day, we’re told by those in high office to fear each other and to turn on each other, and that some Americans count more than others, and that some don’t even count at all,” Obama said. “Everywhere we see greed and bigotry, being celebrated and bullying and mockery masquerading as strength.
“It’s hard to hope in those moments,” Obama said, adding it was tempting to “maybe just put your head down and wait for the storm to pass.”
Jackson wouldn’t have wanted that, he insisted.
“But this man, Reverend Jesse Lewis Jackson, inspires us to take a harder path. His voice calls on each of us to be heralds of change, to be messengers of hope.”
Biden also had words for the man who replaced him in the White House.
“We’re in a tough spot, folks. We’ve got an administration that doesn’t share any of the values that we have. And I don’t think I’m exaggerating a little bit,” he said.
Sharpton was more blunt, giving out a rallying cry to the crowd: “I don’t care what they do in Washington, I care what we do in the community. We’ve beat people bigger than Trump!”