What's this? This is an unbiased just-the-facts news timeline ('newsline') about Barack Obama, created by Newslines contributors. Become a contributor

Barack Obama

Barack Obama216 posts

Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States in 2008, and the first African-American President. He won re-election in 2012. He is married to Michelle Obama, a former lawyer, and has two daughters, Sasha and Malia.

Latest News view > Click for Biography view
15 Aug, 2016

Obama ‘tired of talking about Trump’

Makes Statement0 Comments

At a $10,000-a-head fundraiser for Hillary Clinton on Martha’s Vineyard, President Obama says he is tired of talking about Trump.

You notice I haven’t said much about her opponent. Frankly, I’m tired of talking about her opponent. I don’t have to make the case against her opponent because every time he talks he makes the case against his own candidacy…This has been an unpredictable election season. Not only because of anxieties and concerns that the American people have, but also because of the changing nature of the media and voting patterns. There’s still a lot of uncertainty out there. And if we are not running scared until the day after the election, we are going to be making a grave mistake.

16 Feb, 2016

Believes Trump will not be president

Makes Statement0 Comments

At a press conference during a summit with Southeast Asian leaders in California, President Obama says that he believes Trump will not be president.

I continue to believe Mr. Trump will not be president. And the reason is that I have a lot of faith in the American people. Being president is a serious job. It’s not hosting a talk show, or a reality show…The presidency isn’t “a matter of pandering and doing whatever will get you in the news on a given day. And sometimes, it requires you making hard decisions even when people don’t like it…Whoever’s standing where I’m standing right now has the nuclear codes with them, and can order 21-year-olds into a firefight, and (has) to make sure that the banking system doesn’t collapse, and is often responsible for not just the United States of America, but 20 other countries that are having big problems, or are falling apart and are gonna be looking for us to something…The American people are pretty sensible, and I think they’ll make a sensible choice in the end.

President Obama: "I continue to believe Mr. Trump will not be President..." (C-SPAN)

8 Feb, 2016

Obama asks congress for emergency funds

Makes Statement0 Comments

The White House says it will ask Congress for $1.8 billion in emergency funding to combat the Zika virus: $828 million for the CDC to increase research into Zika, monitor the disease, and improve testing programs; $250 million to expand health programs in Puerto Rico, where the virus has already taken hold; $200 million is for vaccine research; $335 million for the US Agency for International Development to support Zika control efforts abroad; and $210 million to establish a new Urgent and Emerging Threat Fund that would build readiness in case other mosquito populations — like the Aedes albopictus — start carrying Zika to new states. President Obama:

The good news is this is not like Ebola, people don’t die of Zika. A lot of people get it and don’t even know that they have it.

17 Jan, 2016

Declares State of Emergency

Makes Statement0 Comments

Obama declares an official State of Emergency in the Flint Water Crisis. The move, requested by Gov. Snyder, frees up $5M in federal aid funding. Snyder’s initial request sought $31M, but this was denied on the grounds that the mandates allowing funds on that scale to be released are only available for natural disasters. Obama’s declaration will also free up FEMA to co-ordinate relief efforts in Flint.

13 Nov, 2015

Obama: attacks ‘Heartbreaking’

Makes Statement0 Comments

President Obama comments on the Paris attacks, saying he has not spoken to French President Francois Hollande but would shortly.

Once again we’ve seen an outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians. This is an attack not just on Paris and not just on people of France, but this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share. The president  He said his team is was still gathering information and he didn’t want to speculate about who might be responsible. [We will do whatever is necessary] to bring these terrorists to justice, and to go after any terrorist networks that go after our people. The French people have stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States time and again. And we want to be very clear that we stand together with them in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

Obama: Paris attacks 'an outrageous attempt' fo...

10 Nov, 2015

Obama, Netanyahu meet

Makes Statement0 Comments

Minister Netanyahu meets with President Obama about the security of Israel. President Obama says that Israel’s security is a primary focus of his administration and he’s committed to using the resources of the United States to help keep Israel safe.

As I’ve said repeatedly, the security of Israel is one of my top foreign policy priorities and that has expressed itself not only in words but in deeds. We have closer military intelligence cooperation than any two administrations in history. The military assistance that we provide we consider not only an important part of our obligation to the security of the state of Israel but also an important part of US security infrastructure in the region as we make sure that one of our closest allies can not only protect itself but can also work with us in deterring terrorism and other security threats.

Prime Minister Netanyahu also expresses his appreciation of the strong bond that exists between the United States and Israel.

We’re with each other in more ways than one and I want to thank you for this opportunity to strengthen our friendship which is strong and strengthen our alliance which is strong.

1 Oct, 2015

Obama comments

Makes Statement0 Comments

Obama offers his condolences to the families of those who were killed.

[America] will wrap everyone who’s grieving with our prayers and our love. [But] our thoughts and prayers are not enough…Somehow this has become routine. The reporting is routine. My response here at this podium ends up being routine. The conversation in the aftermath of it. We’ve become numb to this. We’ve talked about this after Columbine and Blacksburg, after Tucson, after Newtown, after Aurora, after Charleston. It cannot be this easy for somebody who wants to inflict harm on other people to get his or her hands on a gun…Each time this happens I am going to say that we can actually do something about it but we’re gonna have to change our laws. And this is not something I can do by myself.

28 Sep, 2015

Putin, Obama meet

Makes Statement0 Comments

Obama meets Putin for the first time in more than two years. On the biggest issue that divides them in Syria, the U.S. still insists Syria’s future cannot include Assad, while Putin appears to only want to bolster the standing of his longtime ally, casting him as the best defense against Islamic States militants. Putin:

Strange is it may seem, there were many common points. There were also disagreements which we agreed to work together. I hope this work will be constructive.

Putin says 'differences can be resolved' after meeting with Obama

16 Sep, 2015

Obama tweets support

Makes Statement0 Comments

President Obama tweets support for Mohamed.

31 Aug, 2015

Renames Mt McKinley to ‘Denali’

Makes Statement0 Comments

Obama renames North America’s highest peak from Mount McKinley — after the 25th president — to its traditional Alaska Native name, Denali. White House statement:

In 1896, a prospector emerged from exploring the mountains of central Alaska and received news that William McKinley had been nominated as a candidate for President of the United States. In a show of support, the prospector declared the tallest peak of the Alaska Range as “Mt. McKinley”—and the name stuck. McKinley became our 25th President, and was tragically assassinated just six months into his second term. But he never set foot in Alaska—and for centuries, the mountain that rises some 20,000 feet above sea level, the tallest on the North American continent, had been known by another name—Denali. Generally believed to be central to the Athabascan creation story, Denali is a site of significant cultural importance to many Alaska Natives. The name “Denali” has been used for many years and is widely used across the state today.

3 Aug, 2015

Releases America’s Clean Power Plan

Makes Statement0 Comments

Obama unveils the final version of America’s Clean Power Plan, which sets a goal of cutting carbon pollution from power plants by 32 percent by 2030, compared with 2005 levels. The rule assigns each state a target for reducing its carbon pollution from power plants, but allows states to create their own custom plans for doing so. Obama says that the plans will lead to lower energy bills for everyday Americans and create jobs in the renewable energy sector.

[These rules are] the biggest, most important step we’ve ever taken to combat climate change.Power plants are the single biggest source of harmful carbon pollution that contributes to climate change. But until now there have been no federal limits to the amount of that pollution that those plants can dump into the air….Climate change is not a problem for another generation. Not anymore.

28 Jul, 2015

Obama ‘blocks’ Mugabe

Makes Statement5 Comments

President Obama blocks President Mugabe from attending his special meeting at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Press secretary Charamba says Mugabe is unmoved by Obama’s visit to the AU headquarters, describing the event as just “a visit by any other visitor”.

Obama has come to Ethiopia for an official visit and to address the staff there…If you are afraid of him, we are not because he is just a Head of State who visits Africa and the AU headquarters by virtue of his ancestry.  There will be a report on the summit in January where we will get a briefing on the visitor who is called Barack Obama ‘who we received and went back home happy’. . . He did not come to visit Mugabe. He went to Ethiopia and asked to visit the HQ. I did not see you writing that Mugabe snubs Obama when he went for the Ebola summit (in New York)

 

27 Jul, 2015

Urges press freedom in Ethiopia

Makes Statement5 Comments

Obama urges Ethiopia’s leaders to curb crackdowns on press freedom and political openness as he begins a visit that human rights groups say legitimizes an oppressive government. Obama’s trip marks the first visit by a sitting U.S. president to Ethiopia, a fast-growing economy once defined by poverty and famine.

When all voices are being heard, when people know they are being included in the political process, that makes a country more successful.

23 Jul, 2015

Expresses Turkey attack condolences

Makes Statement0 Comments

President Obama expresses condolences on behalf of the American people over the recent terrorist attacks in Turkey attributed to the Islamic State. These included one attack that killed over 30 people in Suruc near Syria’s border. White House statement:

The two leaders affirmed that the United States and Turkey stand united in the fight against terrorism. The leaders also discussed efforts to increase cooperation to stem the flow of foreign fighters and secure Turkey’s border with Syria.

Turkey lets U.S. use base

Makes Statement0 Comments

Turkey agrees to let the U.S. use a base on Turkish soil to launch airstrikes against the Islamic state. This indicates a significant change in Turkish policy, as previously Turkey was reluctant to get drawn to far into the war against the Islamic state. The base that will be used is Incirlik air base in southern Turkey. A White House statements says that the leaders of the U.S. and Turkey had discussed

deepening our ongoing cooperation in the fight against ISIL, as well as common efforts to bring security and stability to Iraq and a political settlement to the conflict in Syria.

16 Jul, 2015

Obama: Attacks ‘heartbreaking’

Makes Statement0 Comments

President Obama condemns the shooting deaths, says a full investigation is under way, and says the Department of Defense is working to bolster security at all of its facilities.

It is a heartbreaking circumstance for these individuals who have served our country with great valor to be killed in this fashion. I speak for the American people in expressing our deepest condolences. We will be thorough and prompt in figuring out exactly what happened. We take all shootings very seriously.Obviously when you have an attack on a U.S. military facility then we have to make sure that we have all the information necessary to make an assessment as to how this attack took place and what precautions we should take in the future.

27 Jun, 2015

Proposes to Obama

Makes Statement1 Comments

During his weekly interview with the national radio station, Mugabe mocks America’s decision to legalise gay marriage by vowing to travel to the White House and proposing to Barack Obama.

I’ve just concluded – since President Obama endorses the same-sex marriage, advocates homosexual people and enjoys an attractive countenance – thus if it becomes necessary, I shall travel to Washington, DC, get down on my knee and ask his hand. I can’t understand how this people dare to defy Christ’s explicit orders as our Lord prohibited mankind from sodomy.

Jun 2015

Reacts to ‘Obamacare’ decision

JudgementLaw approvedMakes Statement0 Comments

Pres. Obama reacts to the Supreme Court decision on Affordable Care Act subsidies:

After multiple challenges to this law before the Supreme Court, the Affordable Care Act is here to stay.

He adds that, had the decision gone otherwise:

America would have gone backwards. That’s not what we do.

28 Apr, 2015

Condemns violence

Makes Statement0 Comments

Obama condemns the violence in Baltimore and expressed condolences to the family of Gray.

There is no excuse for the kind of violence we saw yesterday. It is counter-productive…People are stealing and damaging their own communities and that is no statement on police brutality or any other kind of issue.

Obama remarks on violent unrest in Baltimore

14 Apr, 2015

Wants Cuba terror list removal

Makes Statement0 Comments

Obama recommends that US government reverse its long-standing policy designating Cuba a state sponsor of international terrorism. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest:

As the President has said, we will continue to have differences with the Cuban government, but our concerns over a wide range of Cuba’s policies and actions fall outside the criteria that is relevant to whether to rescind Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism…That determination is based on the statutory standard – and the facts – and those facts have led the President to declare his intention to rescind Cuba’s State Sponsor of Terrorism designation.