The White House has released early excerpts from the State of the Union in which the president takes square aim at the tone of politics from the Republican presidential candidates — even if he doesn’t mention them by name.
According to the excerpts, Obama will say that the nation has faced times before when “there have been those who told us to fear the future; who claimed we could slam the brakes on change, promising to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening America under control. “
The message is a clear swipe at Republicans like Donald Trump, who promise to “make America great again” by rolling back Obama’s progressive policies and restricting outsiders like Muslims and undocumented immigrants from entering and staying in the country.
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Obama will say that America can overcome those fears, but only if “we fix our politics.”
“A better politics doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything,” he’ll say, noting the size and diversity of the country. But he will also argue that “democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens.”
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com.
Carrie Dann








