Donald Trump claims he ‘brings together people,’ calls Barack Obama a ‘divider’ when asked if he would be able to beat him in elections

President Donald Trump said he would “easily” beat Barack Obama if both men were allowed to run for a third term. He made the claim during a White House interview with Stephen A. Smith for Smith’s show, Straight Shooter with Stephen A., as reported by Reality Tea.

Smith raised the hypothetical after talking about the Republican Party’s losses in the midterm elections, asking how Trump would do against Obama without term limits. Trump pointed to his own vote totals. “I got many more votes than he got, and I got many more votes in the states,” he said. “And I have most of the state records of the big states. If you take a look at Texas, I have the all-time record. Florida, I have the all-time record.”

Smith pressed him to confirm his stance, asking, “Are you saying you’d beat Obama?” Trump replied, “Yeah, I think I’d beat him easily,” and went on to call his predecessor “highly overrated.”

Smith was not expecting that answer

When asked to elaborate, Trump said he does not view Obama as a “good president.” He described Obama as a “divider,” while claiming that his own approach “brings people together” by delivering shared success.

Obama, who has shut down calls for a third term, is still active in Democratic politics and campaigned for several candidates in the final weeks of the midterms. He rallied with Sherrod Brown in Cleveland, and Brown went on to win Ohio’s Senate race. Obama also stumped for Abdul El-Sayed, who won his Senate race in Michigan, and celebrated the Democrats’ midterm sweep in a post on X.

Trump has openly floated running for a third term himself, though a rematch between the two men is not possible under current rules. Both have already served two terms, the limit set by the 22nd Amendment.

Trump’s claim about his vote total matches official tallies. He received about 77.3 million votes in 2024, compared with Obama’s roughly 69.5 million in 2008. Joe Biden’s 81.2 million votes in 2020 remain the most ever for a presidential candidate.

The interview ended on a lighter note when Trump asked Smith whether he would ever run for office, an idea Smith rejected earlier this year. “I would keep your life the way it is. You know what? You’ll find it very nasty if you do,” Trump said.