Did Donald Trump really say that he ‘likes and respects’ Barack Obama?

Donald Trump has made it a passion to blame the Democratic Party for every political, social, and economic problem that befalls America, including very regularly pointing out what he doesn’t like about Barack Obama and his politics.

Donald Trump’s dislike for Obama dates back to before Trump was ever president, when he infamously popularized the Obama birth certificate theory. It didn’t stop there, as Trump made it commonplace to criticize Obama’s presidency, and claim it as one of the reasons he had to run for president himself.

So, what Trump recently told CNN might shock both Republicans and Democrats alike.

CNN National Correspondent Kristen Holmes was in Detroit on Tuesday night to speak to Donald Trump directly about the Democratic National Convention. Trump is on the campaign trail, but was obviously paying attention to the DNC as well. With Obama scheduled to give a speech on Tuesday night, Holmes asked Trump about him, and Trump said something that made viewers do a double-take.

“I like him,” Trump said of Obama. “I think he’s a nice gentleman.”

That wasn’t the last of the compliments, either, as Trump saved one for the end of his answer — but not before offering another critique of the 44th President of the United States.

Trump maintained that Obama was “weak on trade,” adding, “If you take a look at what happened to our country trade-wise, it was a disaster.”

But he reiterated to Kristen Holmes his praise of Obama, saying “I happen to like him. I respect him and I respect his wife.”

Yes, Trump is on video offering these compliments, likely annoying many far-right Republicans who have little to no respect at all for the Obamas.

What do most people think of Trump bookending his criticism with compliments?

The video of it was uploaded on X by Kyle Becker, and the nearly two-thousand replies to the hugely popular post reveal that some people believe it’s all a strategy by Trump, suggesting that he wants to come across as the civil one. However, others just see it as Trump actually being polite while taking a shot at Obama at the same time.

Even if this is a strategy of civility, it’s doubtful that Trump can maintain that for very long. Even Republicans would likely agree that it’s just a matter of time before his insults take over, and he targets the Obamas and Kamala Harris and Joe Biden with his unrestrained vitriol, compliments aside.