Obama used a visit to the northern city of Luang Prabang to push back against an America-centric world view promulgated by Republican Donald Trump. Questioned by young Southeast Asians, Obama said the U.S. could be a great force for good but has been constrained by the tendency to look inward.
"If you are the United States, sometimes you can feel lazy and think, you know, 'we're so big, we don't really have to know anything about other people,'" Obama said. "That's part of what I'm trying to change."
Though he didn't mention Trump by name, Obama appeared to counter the isolationist approach epitomized by the Republican presidential nominee's "America first" rallying cry. An ardent opponent of Obama's efforts to boost global trade, Trump has questioned the U.S. alliance with NATO and vowed to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
REGARDING REPUBLICANS AND MOST OF THIS BOARD HE COULD HAVE SAID THEY THINK
THEY DO NOT NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING.
"If you are the United States, sometimes you can feel lazy and think, you know, 'we're so big, we don't really have to know anything about other people,'" Obama said. "That's part of what I'm trying to change."
Though he didn't mention Trump by name, Obama appeared to counter the isolationist approach epitomized by the Republican presidential nominee's "America first" rallying cry. An ardent opponent of Obama's efforts to boost global trade, Trump has questioned the U.S. alliance with NATO and vowed to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
REGARDING REPUBLICANS AND MOST OF THIS BOARD HE COULD HAVE SAID THEY THINK
THEY DO NOT NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING.
