Former President Barack Obama took aim at aging leaders, saying the world's biggest crises are often fueled by men clinging to power.
Speaking at London's O2 Arena on Wednesday (Sept. 24) in conversation with British historian David Olusoga, Obama spoke on aging world leaders and made a comment that could be perceived as a dig at President Donald Trump.
"It's fair to say that 80 percent of the world's problems involve old men hanging on who are afraid of death and insignificance, and they won't let go," said Obama. "They build pyramids, and they put their names on everything and they get very anxious about it."
Olusoga added, "History is not short of those figures. Neither is the present."
The critique is consistent with Obama's past comments. Back in 2019, he told a private audience in Singapore that "usually old people, usually old men, not getting out of the way" drive much of the world's dysfunction.
Obama stressed the importance of remembering that political leaders are "not there for life, you are not there in order to prop up your own sense of self-importance or your own power."
The remarks came just days after Trump unveiled a "Presidential Walk of Fame" in the White House Rose Garden, featuring a plaque for Obama and an autopen photo for former President Joe Biden.
During the London event, Obama also criticized Trump for spreading misinformation by linking Tylenol use during pregnancy to autism, a claim repeatedly debunked by scientists. He warned that such rhetoric undermines public health, creates fear for parents of autistic children, and spreads what he called "violence against the truth."
Beyond U.S. politics, Obama cautioned against the rise of "creeping authoritarian tendencies" and the narrowing of America's founding ideal of "we the people." He argued that democracy is threatened when only certain groups are seen as deserving full status and rights.
The sold-out event, titled An Evening with President Barack Obama, drew more than 14,000 attendees.