--- title: State of the Union: How Obama Tried to Discredit Trump description: The President never used his name, but it was clear that Obama had the GOP frontrunner in mind as he criticized the nation's politics. canonical: https://time.com/4178440/state-of-the-union-donald-trump/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-13T04:26:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:48:36.600Z article:section: Politics og:title: How Obama Used the State of the Union to Discredit Trump og:description: Without mentioning him by name. og:url: https://time.com/4178440/state-of-the-union-donald-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71dac24bc6c07e53/698878e5cd1bba1e7f6feecc/gettyimages-504722960.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: GettyImages-504722960 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Obama Used the State of the Union to Discredit Trump twitter:description: Without mentioning him by name. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71dac24bc6c07e53/698878e5cd1bba1e7f6feecc/gettyimages-504722960.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Obama Used His Final State of the Union to Discredit Trump > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: State of the Union in Under 4 Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): State of the Union in Under 4 Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/IYWlSLur.m3u8) (3:59)  _Published 2016-01-13. State of the Union in Under 4 Minutes_  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Jan 13, 2016 4:26 AM UTC  President Obama urged Americans to keep the threat of terrorism in perspective in his final State of the Union address Tuesday night. President Obama urged Americans to keep the threat of terrorism in perspective in his final State of the Union address Tuesday night. Evan Vucci / Pool / Getty Images  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Jan 13, 2016 4:26 AM UTC Barack Obama never uttered Donald Trump’s name, but the President left little doubt that his final State of the Union was delivered as a rebuttal to the Republican frontrunner and “the political hot air” that has buoyed him to the top of the polls. Standing before Congress for perhaps the last time during his two terms, Obama used his address to both chambers to warn against Trump’s rhetoric, which has targeted Muslims as potential terrorists, demonized immigrants, and argued that America is in decline. “As frustration grows, there will be voices urging us to fall back into tribes, to scapegoat fellow citizens who don’t look like us, or pray like us, or vote like we do, or share the same background,” said Obama, who said growing political rancor is among his few regrets of his seven years in office. “We can’t afford to go down that path.” The sometimes strident President eschewed the traditional litany of policies he wants enacted before he leaves office on Jan. 20, 2017, and instead made his case that his record of success in the White House had, in fact, made America great. “Anyone claiming that America’s economy is in decline is peddling fiction,” Obama said, before pivoting to the country’s military superiority that Trump regularly dismisses as unsatisfactory. “The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. Period. It’s not even close.” **Read More:** [_Read the Full Transcript of Obama’s Final State of the Union_](http://time.com/4178279/state-union-transcript-2016/) Obama cast much of the politics of anger and fear that has shaped the Republican field as a danger, appealing to the dark side of human nature. “How can we make our politics reflect what’s best in us, and not what’s worst?” Obama asked his audience at the Capitol and millions more watching on TV and online. Trump, who had campaigned just hours earlier in Cedar Falls, Iowa, has enjoyed an advantage atop the polls for months, and is heading toward Iowa’s Feb. 1 leadoff caucuses with strong support. Despite months of offensive comments about Hispanics and immigrants, Muslims and women, the former reality television star has maintained his lead over more traditional candidates such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. During Obama’s address, Trump tweeted his initial response to Obama, calling the speech “really boring, slow, lethargic—very hard to watch.” With only weeks to go before the first voting of the 2016 cycle, Obama was determined on getting the country to refocus the debate away from Trump’s rhetoric. “We need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion. This isn’t a matter of political correctness,” Obama said. “It’s a matter of understanding just what it is that makes us strong. The world respects us not just for our arsenal; it respects us for our diversity and our openness and the way we respect every faith.” Obama argued that rhetoric like Trump’s actually leaves the United States less secure. **Read More:** [_Obama Scolds Trump for Focus on Muslims_](http://time.com/4178434/president-obama-scolds-donald-trump-for-focus-on-muslims/) Obama’s speech was remarkable for its critical tone toward the political system, which at the moment is reflecting deep uncertainty over national security and worries about the economy. “A better politics doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything. This is a big country, with different regions, different attitudes, different interests,” Obama said. “It doesn’t work if we think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice. It doesn’t work if we think our political opponents are unpatriotic or trying to weaken America. Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to compromise; or when even basic facts are contested and we listen only to those who agree with us.” Obama warned that democracy itself is at risk “when the average person feels their voice doesn’t matter and the system is rigged.” That’s been the pitch Trump has made in his campaign, and part of his appeal. Yet, Obama cautioned: “Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get attention.” Obama was not alone in expressing concern about Trump’s brand of politics Tuesday night. The Republican response to the State of the Union, delivered by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, seemed to reject Trump’s brand of politics as well. “During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices,” she said. “We must resist that temptation.” **Read More:** [_GOP Seeks to Sideline Trump in State of the Union Response_](http://time.com/4178364/state-union-response-nikki-haley/) The remedy, Obama urged, was for citizens to vote in a way that stands up for others, “especially the weak,” and holds onto American ideals. The call had echoes of his 2004 speech to Democrats in Boston, an appearance that helped promote him to the national stage as a little-known Senate candidate from Illinois. Then, he said the United States was not a nation divided into Red States and Blue States. Now, he’s saying the country is a patchwork of faiths and races, social classes and ambition. “We’re every immigrant and entrepreneur from Boston to Austin to Silicon Valley racing to shape a better world,” Obama said in an early swipe at Trump’s brand of politics. “And over the past seven years, we’ve nurtured that spirit.” The question Obama is putting to voters who will soon cast ballots to pick presidential candidates is whether to uphold those ideals, or to adopt a more aggressive posture. “Will we respond to the changes of our time with fear, turning inward as a nation, and turning against each other as a people?” Obama asked. “Or will we face the future with confidence in who we are, what we stand for, and the incredible things we can do together?” That’s the question voters will answer in the coming months. ## Transcript Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, My Fellow Americans. Tonight marks the eighth year that I've come here to report on the State of the Union. And for this final one, I'm gonna try to make it a little shorter. I know some of you are antsy to get back to Iowa. I've been there. [ LAUGH ] I'll be shaking hands afterwards if you want some tips. But for my final address to this chamber, I wanna focus on the next five years, the next ten years. And four big questions That I believe we as a country have to answer. First, how do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security in this new economy? How do we make technology work for us and not against us? How do we keep America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman? How can we make our politics reflect What's best in us and not what's worst. The United States of America right now has the strongest, most durable economy in the world. We're in the middle of the longest streak of private sector job creation in history. More than 14 million new jobs, the strongest two years of job growth since the 1990s, Our unemployment rate cut in half. Priority number one is protecting the American people and going after terrorist networks. [ APPLAUSE ] The United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. Period. [ APPLAUSE ] When you come after Americans, we go after you and it may take time but we have long memories and our reach has no limits Our foreign policies to be focussed on threat from ISIS and Al- Qaeda but it can't stop there. The world will look to us to help solve these problems and our answer needs to be more than tough talk. War calls to corporate bombs [ INAUDIBLE ]. We also can't Try to take over and rebuild every country that falls into crisis. But on issues of global concern, we will mobilize the world to work with us. And make sure other countries pull their weight. Leadership means a wise application of military power. And rallying the world behind causes that are right. The future we want. Opportunity and security for our families, a rising standard of living, a sustainable peaceful planet for our kids. But I can't do these things on my own. So my fellow Americans, whatever you may believe, Whether you prefer one party or no party, whether you supported my agenda or fought as hard as you could against it, our collected futures depends on your willingness to uphold your duties as a citizen. To vote. But I can promise that a little over a year from now, when I no longer hold this office, I will be right there with you as a citizen. Inspired by those voices of fairness and vision, of grit and good humor and kindness that helped America travel so far. That's the America I know. that's the country we love. Clear eyed, big hearted, undaunted by challenge. Optimistic, that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. [ APPLAUSE ] That's what makes me so hopeful about our future. I believe in change because I believe in you, the American people. And that's why I stand here as confident as I have ever been that the state of our union [ APPLAUSE ] Is strong. [ APPLAUSE ] Thank you. God bless. [ APPLAUSE ] God bless the United States of America. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4178440/state-of-the-union-donald-trump/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4178440/state-of-the-union-donald-trump/"},"headline":"How Obama Used His Final State of the Union to Discredit Trump","datePublished":"2016-01-13T04:26:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:48:36.600Z","description":"'Our public life withers when only the most extreme voices get attention'","url":"https://time.com/4178440/state-of-the-union-donald-trump/","keywords":["state of the union","2016 Election","Barack Obama","Donald Trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71dac24bc6c07e53/698878e5cd1bba1e7f6feecc/gettyimages-504722960.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Philip Elliott","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71dac24bc6c07e53/698878e5cd1bba1e7f6feecc/gettyimages-504722960.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GettyImages-504722960","caption":"WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 12: President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill January 12, 2016 in Washington, D.C. 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