Tim Scott hits back at Obama: ‘Truth of my life disproves lies of the radical left’
Jack Birle
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Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) struck back at claims former President Barack Obama made last week, where he said that minority GOP candidates uncritically validate the United States while ignoring race.
Scott, a Republican presidential candidate, pushed back on Obama’s comments by arguing that the “truth of my life disproves lies of the radical left,” while speaking on Fox’s Fox News Sunday.
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“There is no higher compliment than to be attacked by President Obama. Whenever the Democrats feel attacked, they drag out the former president and have him make some negative comments about someone running, hoping that their numbers go down. Here is what people need to know, truth of my life disproves lies of the radical left,” Scott said.
Obama, in a wide-ranging discussion on Axe Files podcast last week, called out minority GOP candidates and alleged that they gloss over historic racism and do not acknowledge it, arguing that voters should be “skeptical” of these candidates.
“I haven’t spent a lot of time studying Tim Scott’s speeches; there’s a long history of African American or other minority candidates within the Republican Party who will validate America and say, ‘Everything’s great, and we can make it,” Obama said on the podcast, while name dropping both Scott and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
“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.” Obama also said on the podcast.
The South Carolina Republican then discussed his plan for addressing poverty and opportunities for minority communities, while comparing his record with Obama’s record.
“You talk about addressing the issue of poverty. My opportunity zones have seen more than $50 billion go into the poorest, hardest-hit communities; the majority of them are minority. Think about the [historically black colleges and universities] funding, that, in his administration, he totally missed it. We took funding to the highest level in the history of the country, and Shannon, we made it permanent,” Scott said.
“Radical left and teacher’s unions refuse to allow quality education in big blue cities. I support school choice because I support common sense. [The] radical left and President Obama — they have failed, they have failed, and they have failed. We will make it happen. Under my administration, we will make sure kids have quality education at every zip code,” he continued.
Scott then discussed his campaign, claiming that his poll numbers are rising and that his crowds are getting bigger. He also discussed how he is running an optimistic campaign. When challenged on the current mood of the Republican party not matching his optimistic tone and instead looking for a fighter, Scott appeared to take a jab at former President Donald Trump.
“Fighting is good. Winning is better. We have lost seven out of the last eight presidential elections as it relates to the popular vote, three in a row. What we need is someone who stands on American values with the power of persuasion. Americans today need to be persuaded,” said Scott.
He continued, “We are talking about the future, not the past. I provide the necessary incentive to bring people to the table to get the job done. Let’s go and get it done.”
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When asked about pardoning Trump amid the indictment against the former president for his alleged mishandling of classified documents, Scott said he would not speak on hypothetical situations.
Trump has a significant lead over the GOP field, per polling data, but some recent polls at the national and state level show the former president’s lead may be slipping. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is in second place, while Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, Scott, and the rest of the field remain far behind the two Florida men, per the RealClearPolitics polling average.