**FILE** Barack Obama (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer)
**FILE** Barack Obama (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer)

Even before occupying the Oval Office for the first time in 2017, President Donald Trump has fixated on former President Barack Obama โ€“ from questioning if he was born in the U.S. to now examining his presidential tenure as official government policy.

Trumpโ€™s Justice Department has launched a federal grand jury investigation targeting former Obama administration officials. The investigation is apparently tied to the presidentโ€™s long-standing false claims that Obama and his team โ€œmanufacturedโ€ the Russia investigation to sabotage his presidency.

Many have opined that Trump ran for president not to save the country, but to save himself. After being convicted on 34 felony counts, found liable for sexual assault, and held civilly responsible for massive business fraud, Trump launched his 2024 campaign under legal siege โ€” and it worked.

Now, heโ€™s going after one man heโ€™s long publicly despised: Obama.

Backed by a Supreme Court ruling that grants him immunity for โ€œofficial acts,โ€ Trump has unleashed his Justice Department to investigate Obama-era officials in what critics say is a dangerous political revenge plot. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi has convened a federal grand jury to examine whether former CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper conspired to fabricate the Trump-Russia scandal.

But Trump hasnโ€™t stopped at the officials. Heโ€™s now publicly named Obama, accusing him of treason and demanding criminal prosecution.

โ€œLook, heโ€™s guilty. Itโ€™s not a question,โ€ Trump declared from the Oval Office. โ€œThis was treason. Itโ€™s time to go after people.โ€

Obamaโ€™s team responded forcefully: โ€œThese bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.โ€

However, some political experts argue the distractions may be a cover for something far more sinister. 

Trump has reportedly posted memes depicting Obama behind bars. Heโ€™s shared edited videos suggesting Obama should be jailed. Even once posting an AI doctored video of Obama on his knees before Trump, who has openly fantasized about imprisoning his predecessor.

With a Justice Department under his control and no constitutional guardrails heโ€™s willing to respect, the fear is no longer hypothetical: Obama could become the first former U.S. president to be criminally targeted by his successor, not for crimes, but for political vengeance.

Many note that Trumpโ€™s obsession with Obama has always been racial and personal. He launched his political career by pushing the false โ€œbirtherโ€ conspiracy.ย 

His former attorney Michael Cohen said Trumpโ€™s hatred is โ€œpurely racialโ€ฆ solely predicated on the fact that Barack Obama is Black.โ€ 

Hypothetical Third Term Matchup: Obama vs. Trump

And hereโ€™s what might hurt Trump the most: a new national poll shows that in a hypothetical 2028 third-term matchup for both presidents; Obama would beat him handily. 

A survey by Daily Mail and J.L. Partners found Obama leading Trump 52% to 41%, well beyond the margin of error. Obama dominates across key demographics, winning 73% of Hispanic voters, 68% of Black voters, and 50% of independents.

No other Democrat fares as well. Trump narrowly defeats both former President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in similar hypothetical matchups. 

But when it comes to Obama, Trump loses โ€” and he knows it.

That may explain why Trump continues to float extra-constitutional schemes. Despite the 22nd Amendmentโ€™s two-term limit, Trump told NBC News in March he was โ€œnot jokingโ€ about seeking a third term. 

โ€œThere are methods [by] which you could do it,โ€ he said, pointing to Vice President JD Vance potentially running and handing the presidency back to him.

His allies are on board.ย 

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) has introduced legislation to remove presidential term limits. 

Steve Bannon predicted Trump โ€œwill run and win again in 2028.โ€ 

And the White House posted a meme of Trump wearing a crown with the caption โ€œLONG LIVE THE KING.โ€

One social media user said that Trumpโ€™s actions are directly related to the fear of getting defeated by Obama in the case running for a third term was allowed.

โ€œThis is all a bunch of BS. Trump knows that when he tries to run for a third term, Obama will be eligible to run as well. Obama will CRUSH Trump should that happen. This is part of the smear campaign by Trump towards Obama,โ€ one person wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. โ€œIt is so obvious what Trump is doing.”

Stacy M. Brown is a senior writer for The Washington Informer and the senior national correspondent for the Black Press of America. Stacy has more than 25 years of journalism experience and has authored...

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1 Comment

  1. Hmm. Weโ€™ll revisit that poll once the whole story gets out regarding Obamaโ€™s treasonous behavior.

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