It’s not surprising that it was Obama’s take on Trump that made the headlines from a much more extensive interview with NPR’s Steve Innskeep. There’s a question that appears to be stuck on repeat today, a question of “national identity, who we are.” That was Innskeep’s proposition but Obama’s answer suggests this question has nagged us since the beginning.
Recognizing these persistent questions and the moments when we start changing our answers is an important act of citizenship.
The “Amplified Treatment” of the text below is intended to focus on the most substantive and timeless pieces of Obama’s response to Innskeep’s question about who we are and why that question keeps coming up as we all look for something to hold onto, bracing ourselves for Election 2016.
You can watch the interview or review the whole transcript here.
