--- title: Read Barack Obama's Full Speech on Trump and Democracy description: Barack Obama returned to the political arena with full force and called out Donald Trump by name. Read Obama's full speech transcript here canonical: https://time.com/5390568/obama-full-speech-transcript/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-09-07T20:23:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T21:22:51.879Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Is 'Capitalizing on Resentment.' Read Barack Obama's Full Speech on the State of U.S. Democracy og:description: Former President Barack Obama returned to the political arena with full force og:url: https://time.com/5390568/obama-full-speech-transcript/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbf0ba6eb4333294e/698939bc929fad607fbf186b/obama-illinois-speech.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Former President Obama Accepts The Paul H. Douglas Award For Ethics In Government At The University Of Illinois og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Is 'Capitalizing on Resentment.' Read Barack Obama's Full Speech on the State of U.S. Democracy twitter:description: Former President Barack Obama returned to the political arena with full force twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbf0ba6eb4333294e/698939bc929fad607fbf186b/obama-illinois-speech.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Is 'Capitalizing on Resentment.' Read Barack Obama's Full Speech on the State of U.S. Democracy > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=aba0e70f-11cd-4d57-b3b1-54bbfc6df20c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=aba0e70f-11cd-4d57-b3b1-54bbfc6df20c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=aba0e70f-11cd-4d57-b3b1-54bbfc6df20c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. 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.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Sep 7, 2018 8:23 PM UTC  Former President Barack Obama speaks to students at the University of Illinois where he accepted the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government on September 7, 2018 in Urbana, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Former President Barack Obama speaks to students at the University of Illinois where he accepted the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government on September 7, 2018 in Urbana, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)Scott Olson—Getty Images  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Sep 7, 2018 8:23 PM UTC Former [President Barack Obama returned to the political arena](http://time.com/5390184/barack-obama-midterm-elections-speech/) with full force on Friday, giving a speech reflecting on the partisan gridlock and upheaval that he believes has characterized the United States since President Donald Trump succeeded him in office over a year and a half ago. Obama delivered his speech at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received the Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government. In the remarks, which were a preview of the arguments he will [make on the campaign trail](http://time.com/5388161/barack-michelle-obama-midterms-democrats/), Obama denounced President Trump by name — the first time he has done so that explicitly since leaving the White House — and offered a broader critique of the direction he believes the country is heading in under the leadership of his successor. “Some of you may think I am exaggerating when I say these November elections are more important than any in our lifetime,” Obama said. “I have been guilty at saying this when I was on the ballot..but a glance at recent headlines should tell you this moment really is different.” The only way to combat this current state of democracy, he told his audience, was to get out and [vote in the midterm elections](http://time.com/5379463/midterm-elections-voter-roll-purging/). “As a fellow citizen, not as a President, but as a fellow citizen, I am here to deliver a message,” said Obama. “And that is— you need to vote because our democracy depends on it.” Read Obama’s full speech transcript below. --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5390568/obama-full-speech-transcript/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5390568/obama-full-speech-transcript/"},"headline":"Trump Is 'Capitalizing on Resentment.' Read Barack Obama's Full Speech on the State of U.S. Democracy","datePublished":"2018-09-07T20:23:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T21:22:51.879Z","description":"Former President Barack Obama returned to the political arena with full force","url":"https://time.com/5390568/obama-full-speech-transcript/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbf0ba6eb4333294e/698939bc929fad607fbf186b/obama-illinois-speech.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alana Abramson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbf0ba6eb4333294e/698939bc929fad607fbf186b/obama-illinois-speech.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Former President Obama Accepts The Paul H. Douglas Award For Ethics In Government At The University Of Illinois","caption":"Former President Obama Accepts The Paul H. Douglas Award For Ethics In Government At The University Of Illinois","creditText":"Scott Olson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5390568/obama-full-speech-transcript/","name":"Trump Is 'Capitalizing on Resentment.' Read Barack Obama's Full Speech on the State of U.S. Democracy"}}]}] ```