February 17, 2026 at 06:00AM
Obama Took On Recession, Health Care and Iraq. What He Didn’t See Coming Was Trump.
Barack Obama and his advisers are portrayed in new oral histories as misreading the nation’s growing desire for a political outsider, failing to anticipate a Trump-led shift in mood that critics described as a “con man,” “clown,” and “laughingstock.” The accounts suggest they addressed recession, health care, and Iraq but did not foresee the appeal of a challenger who would upend the political landscape.