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Obama: Comments From Trump About Women Show He's 'Insecure'

President Obama speaking Sunday in Chicago.
Jim Watson
/
AFP/Getty Images
President Obama speaking Sunday in Chicago.

Reacting to the recent release of audio of Donald Trump making vulgar comments about women, President Obama called the candidate "insecure" and said he "pumps himself up by putting other people down — not a character trait I would advise for somebody in the Oval Office."

Obama spoke about Trump at a planned event Sunday in Chicago for Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth, who is running for an Illinois Senate seat. Trump and Hillary Clinton debate tonight in St. Louis for the first time after the audio was released.

"One of the most disturbing things about this election is just the unbelievable rhetoric coming from the top of the Republican ticket," Obama said. "I don't need to repeat it. There are children in the room."

"But demeaning women, degrading women — but also minorities, immigrants, people of other faiths, mocking the disabled, insulting our troops, insulting our veterans. That tells you a couple of things," Obama continued.

In addition to revealing an insecurity, Obama said, "it tells you that he doesn't care much about the basic values that we try to impart to our kids. It tells you he'd be careless with the civility and the respect that a real, vibrant democracy requires. And it sure as heck tells you he's never met somebody as tough or smart or patriotic as Tammy Duckworth."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Amita Kelly is a Washington editor, where she works across beats and platforms to edit election, politics and policy news and features stories.