Trump offers rare praise of Obama: ‘A nice gentleman’

Former President Donald Trump let down his guard, and rather than throwing a jab at former President Barack Obama, he offered some light praise.

Trump is one of Obama’s most lasting critics, famously questioning his legitimacy by doubting he was born in the United States. On Tuesday, in an interview with CNN, he offered one of his few praises of him though followed by an immediate criticism.

“I like him. I think he’s a nice gentleman, but he was very, very weak on trade,” Trump said. “If you take a look at what happened to our country, tradewise, it was a disaster.”

“Take a look at Japan. Take a look at China,” he continued. “Take a look at what happened with some of these countries, what they did.”

Trump also complimented former first lady Michelle Obama.

“But I happen to like him,” he added. “I respect him, and I respect his wife.”

His remarks were given before the Obamas dug into him in their speeches at the Democratic National Convention.

“The truth is, Donald Trump sees power as nothing more than a means to his ends,” Barack Obama said. “He wants the middle class to pay the price for another huge tax cut that would mostly help him and his rich friends.”

“He doesn’t seem to care if more women lose their reproductive freedom since it won’t affect his life,” he continued. “And most of all, Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided: between us and them. … It is one of the oldest tricks in politics, from a guy whose act has — let’s face it — gotten pretty stale.”

Though he bashed him throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump adopted a respectful tone toward Barack Obama after his victory, describing him in December 2016 as “terrific” and “a very good man.”