Obama Took On Recession, Health Care and Iraq. What He Didn’t See Coming Was Trump.

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 described as misreading the national mood, failing to anticipate the rise of a successor they dismissed as a “con man” and “laughingstock.” The interviews reveal how shifting public sentiment from recession, health care, and Iraq shaped politics after his presidency.