Barack Obama served as the 44th President of the United States between 2009 and 2017. For early Gen Zers like me, he was the most recognisable politician of our childhood. For those who voted for him, and for many others around the World, his message of Hope and Change was a vessel for their aspirations; aspirations which, amid the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis, had been dealt a serious blow.
But for all Obama’s mesmerising campaigning in 2008, two facts remain stubbornly true about his presidency. One; Obama was never as popular inside America as he was in internationally. And secondly, the polarisation that has come to define American politics since the 1990s reached new heights during Obama’s two terms in the White House.
This is intriguing, as Obama’s presidency was not nearly as distinguished or notable as his campaign, or the man himself. Obama was a centrist liberal president, but not a progressive one. So why, after such a conventional presidency, was the backlash to the Obama presidency quite so ferocious? And what does the backlash tell us about the state of American politics?
My guest today is Peter Baker. Peter is the Chief White House Correspondent for the New York Times, and he also worked as a reporter for the Washington Post for 20 years. He has seen the presidency close up under five occupants of the White House, so it’s fair to say he was a fitting guest for the podcast’s 100th episode.