CrosswordNewsletters
DAILY BEAST
ALL
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • World
  • Innovation
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
  • Travel
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Fever Dreams
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Right Richter
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDBs Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      FOOD & BEVERAGE
        CULTURE
        • Power Trip
        • Fashion
        • Books
        • Royalist
        TECH
        • Disinformation
        SCOUTED
        • Clothing
        • Technology
        • Beauty
        • Home
        • Pets
        • Kitchen
        • Fitness
        • I'm Looking For
        BEST PICKS
        • Best VPNs
        • Best Gaming PCs
        • Best Air Fryers
        COUPONS
        • Vistaprint Coupons
        • Ulta Coupons
        • Office Depot Coupons
        • Adidas Promo Codes
        • Walmart Promo Codes
        • H&M Coupons
        • Spanx Promo Codes
        • StubHub Promo Codes
        Products
        NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
        FOLLOW US
        GOT A TIP?

        SEARCH

        HOMEPAGE
        Politics

        Fox’s Karl Rove: Obama’s Black College Address Was a ‘Drive-By Shooting’

        ‘RACIAL DOG WHISTLE’

        Rove’s comments immediately sparked backlash, with critics calling it racist and noting the ex-Bush adviser’s similarly dirty political work.

        Justin Baragona

        Media Reporter

        Updated May. 18, 2020 4:46PM ET / Published May. 18, 2020 11:11AM ET 

        Former President George W. Bush senior adviser Karl Rove accused Barack Obama—the nation’s first black president—of committing a “political drive-by shooting” on Monday for subtly criticizing President Donald Trump’s coronavirus response in a commencement speech for historically black colleges.

        During his virtual address on Saturday to HBCUs, the former president seemed to take the current administration to task, saying the COVID-19 crisis that has killed roughly 90,000 Americans has “finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing.” 

        Covering Obama’s remarks, Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade grumbled that the former commander-in-chief was supposedly breaking a rule that ex-presidents shouldn’t criticize their successors.

        “I thought he was supposed to be inspiring the next generation of graduates,” the pro-Trump host said to Rove, now a Fox News contributor. 

        “I don’t know if that fits in, but it must sound familiar because isn’t—didn't President Obama take countless shots at you and the Bush administration?” Kilmeade added without a hint of irony, considering the current president’s recent “Obamagate” fixation—among his many tweet-based obsessions about his predecessor.

        “It is so unseemly for a former president to take the virtual commencement ceremony for a series of historically black colleges and universities and turn it into a political drive-by shooting,” Rove replied.

        Rove would then go on and lecture Obama on how he should have used his commencement address, saying the former president could have told the graduates to “recognize that life is going to bring challenges.”

        Rove’s Monday morning remarks quickly sparked backlash online, with critics calling it a “racial dog-whistle” while noting that this was par for the course for the former Bush hatchetman.

        “Karl Rove engineered a push poll during the 2000 SC primary that asked voters if they would be less likely to vote for McCain if they knew he had an illegitimate black child,” journalist Yashar Ali posted. “He knew this attack would work because the McCain’s 9-year-old daughter Bridget was from Bangladesh.”

        Ex-Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor, meanwhile, said that Rove “absolutely chose these words on purpose,” adding that Fox News will ignore gun violence while booking “sad old hacks like Rove to stoke racial resentment and tone police Obama while Trump tweets like a lunatic.”

        Justin Baragona

        Media Reporter

        @justinbaragonajustin.baragona@thedailybeast.com

        Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

        READ THIS LIST

        DAILY BEAST
        • Cheat Sheet
        • Politics
        • Crime
        • Entertainment
        • Media
        • World
        • Innovation
        • U.S. News
        • Scouted
        • Travel
        • Subscription
        • Crossword
        • Newsletters
        • Podcasts
        • About
        • Contact
        • Tips
        • Jobs
        • Advertise
        • Help
        • Privacy
        • Code of Ethics & Standards
        • Diversity
        • Terms & Conditions
        • Copyright & Trademark
        • Sitemap
        • Best Picks
        • Coupons:
        • Coupons:
        • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
        • HP Coupon Codes
        • Chewy Promo Codes
        • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
        • NordVPN Coupons
        • JCPenny Coupons
        • Nordstrom Coupons
        • Samsung Promo Coupons
        • Home Depot Coupons
        • Hotwire Promo Codes
        • eBay Coupons
        • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
        © 2022 The Daily Beast Company LLC