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President Donald Trump said he could easily defeat former President Barack Obama in a hypothetical presidential matchup, calling the former president “highly overrated” during an interview with sports commentator Stephen A. Smith.
Smith, who interviewed Trump at the White House for his Straight Shooter podcast Thursday (November 12), asked Trump what would happen if both men were eligible to run for president again.
“I got many more votes than he got, and I got many more votes in the states,” Trump responded, claiming he holds voting records in several states, including Texas and Florida.
When Smith asked directly whether he believed he would beat Obama, Trump replied, “Yeah, I think I'd beat him easily.”
Trump also called Obama “highly overrated” and said he did not think he was a good president, describing him as “a divider.” When Smith asked how he would describe himself, Trump responded, “As a person that brings people together.”
Smith followed up by asking how Trump brings people together. “Through success,” the president replied.
Later on Thursday, Smith told CNN he was shocked by the president's “dismissive” comments about Obama.
“I wasn't shocked that he said that he'd think he'd beat him, but I was shocked that he'd be so dismissive and disrespectful of Barack Obama,” Smith said. “I certainly didn't think that would happen, to be quite honest with you.”
Trump has repeatedly criticized Obama over the years, from promoting the false conspiracy theory that he was not born in the United States to attacking his record as president and calling his administration a failure.
Earlier this year, Trump accused Obama of treason over unsubstantiated claims that he and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton worked together to undermine his 2016 presidential campaign.Trump also called for Obama's arrest and prosecution for “treachery, treason, and seditious conspiracy to overthrow the United States government.”
A CNN poll conducted by SSRS in May found that 57% of Americans viewed Obama favorably, compared with 34% who viewed Trump favorably.
Neither Trump nor Obama is eligible to seek another presidential term under the 22nd Amendment, which prohibits a person from being elected president more than twice.
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