President Obama used his final address to the U.N. General Assembly to implicitly argue against the immigration and trade policies of Republican nominee Donald Trump.
In a speech Tuesday, Obama criticized politicians on the far left and far right who push “a crude populism” that “seeks to restore what they believe was a better, simpler age free of outside contamination.”
Then he appeared to reference Trump’s biggest proposal, a wall along the Mexican border.
“I believe that the acceleration of travel and technology and telecommunications, together with a global economy that depends on a global supply chain, makes it self-defeating ultimately for those who seek to reverse this progress,” he said. “Today, a nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself.”
Read More: Transcript of President Obama’s U.N. Address
He also appeared to critique Trump’s proposal to raise tariffs on imports from China and Mexico, a move many economists say would lead to a trade war.
“If we start resorting to trade wars and market-distorting subsidies, beggar-thy-neighbor policies and overreliance on natural resources instead of innovation, these approaches will make us poorer collectively and they are more likely to lead to conflict,” Obama said.
Instead, Obama outlined a broad agenda of strengthening labor unions, spending on early childhood education and infrastructure and increasing foreign aid, among other things.
- Inside the Massive Effort to Change the Way Kids Are Taught to Read
- Dubai's Real Estate Market is Booming. One Company is Making It Possible to Invest From Anywhere in the World
- How to Exercise When It's Really Hot Outside
- A New Documentary Sheds Light on a Pivotal Movement in Asian American History
- Far From Home: Afghan Women are Attempting to Build New Lives Abroad
- What Experts Say About How Valuable The Inflation Reduction Act's Green Subsidies Will Be
- What to Know About Long COVID in Kids
- Want to Do More Good? This Movement Might Have the Answer