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While accepting Paul H. Douglas Award for Ethics in Government from the University of Illinois on Friday, former president Barack Obama delivered one of his first major speeches in 2018.
After dishing out lighthearted comments about missing the opportunity to speak at U of I's 2017 commencement ceremony, Obama took aim at sitting president Donald Trump, calling out his tactics of appealing to resentment, anger, and fear.
At one point during the hour long address, the former POTUS exclaimed that Americans on all sides should be actively standing against discrimination, and especially Nazi sympathizers. "How hard can it be," Obama questioned, "saying that Nazis are bad?”
Throughout his speech, Obama placed emphasis on the upcoming midterm elections, urging the young attendees to shake away any ideas that would deter them from the voting this November.
"As a fellow citizen, not as an ex-president, but as a fellow citizen, I'm here to deliver a simple message — and that is to vote because our democracy depends on it," he said.
Watch clips below and recap the full speech here.