--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If Obama was fundamentally different from…" description: "\"If Obama was fundamentally different from prior presidents, Trump seems to violate every tenet of what Americans have long sought as our national image..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/joy-reid-6005_image_if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-fro_74498.jpg" --- # If Obama was fundamentally different from prior… ![“If Obama was fundamentally different from prior presidents, Trump seems to violate every tenet of what Americans have long sought as our national image.” quote by Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/joy-reid-6005_image_if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-fro_74498.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/joy-reid-6005_image_if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-fro_74498.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/joy-reid-6005_image_if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-fro_74498.jpg) > “If Obama was fundamentally different from prior presidents, Trump seems to violate every tenet of what Americans have long sought as our national image.” [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts perceived distinctiveness of Obama’s presidency with Trump’s actions, suggesting Trump undermines long‑standing American ideals of leadership and image. **In simple terms:** Contrast of presidential legacies Key Takeaway Trump diverges from traditional American values Themes political leadership national identity presidential contrast American ideals public perception Mood critical analytical Type political commentary observational When to use this quote - political analysis - media commentary - public discourse - historical comparison Key Concepts leadership style cultural symbolism political norms Practical Applications - opinion editorial - academic lecture Questions to Reflect On - How does presidential behavior shape national self‑image? - What defines the core tenets of American leadership? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/image/) ## Related quotes > [What White America and Black America wanted and expected from Obama were fundamentally different and opposite things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/what-white-america-and-black-america-wanted-and-expected-from-obama/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [“Presidents Trump's USA is not a good country to be a sickly person in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/presidents-trump-s-usa-is-not-a-good-country-to-be-a-sickly-person-in/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [With respect to my own husband, I am probably still going to pick the flowers and the china for state dinners and stuff like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/with-respect-to-my-own-husband-i-am-probably-still-going-to-pick-the/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, whether you are a liberal or a conservative, we know that neither this President nor prior Presidents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whether-you-are-a-democrat-or-republican-whether-you-are-a-liberal-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In several short years, Obama has fundamentally shifted the balance away from the individual and toward government, and has altered the national psyche from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/in-several-short-years-obama-has-fundamentally-shifted-the-balance/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [The experience is fundamentally different for buying from local businesses than it is for buying consumer goods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mason/the-experience-is-fundamentally-different-for-buying-from-local/) [Andrew Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mason/) > [My premise is that the popular aphorism that 'all religions are fundamentally the same and only superficially different' simply is not true. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/my-premise-is-that-the-popular-aphorism-that-all-religions-are/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [I think that the character that I'm playing now is so fundamentally different than Ally that I haven't I haven't felt like I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calista-flockhart/i-think-that-the-character-that-i-m-playing-now-is-so-fundamentally/) [Calista Flockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calista-flockhart/) > [“To live differently , you need to do something fundamentally different”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sruthi-s/to-live-differently-you-need-to-do-something-fundamentally-different/) [Sruthi.S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sruthi-s/) > [He's a boy, Kat. I hate to break it to you, but we are fundamentally different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/he-s-a-boy-kat-i-hate-to-break-it-to-you-but-we-are-fundamentally/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [“...a large percentage of bright young men and women locate the impetus behind their career choice in the belief that they are fundamentally different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/a-large-percentage-of-bright-young-men-and-women-locate-the-impetus/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Helping those who have been struck by unforeseeable misfortunes is fundamentally different from making dependency a way of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/helping-those-who-have-been-struck-by-unforeseeable-misfortunes-is/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Poetry offers a way of understanding and expressing existence that is fundamentally different from conceptual thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gioia/poetry-offers-a-way-of-understanding-and-expressing-existence-that-is/) [Dana Gioia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gioia/) > [“It’s as if we believe the general duties of love are fundamentally different from our specific duties as husbands and wives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-t-smith/it-s-as-if-we-believe-the-general-duties-of-love-are-fundamentally/) [Winston T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-t-smith/) > [At the core, we are dealing with two parties that have fundamentally different views of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-rove/at-the-core-we-are-dealing-with-two-parties-that-have-fundamentally/) [Karl Rove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-rove/) ## More by Joy Reid > [Trump is reviled around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-is-reviled-around-the-world/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [What White America and Black America wanted and expected from Obama were fundamentally different and opposite things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/what-white-america-and-black-america-wanted-and-expected-from-obama/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [In many ways, Trump is both a boon and a bane to Republicans. His insanity and moral decrepitude keep the country focused on things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/in-many-ways-trump-is-both-a-boon-and-a-bane-to-republicans-his/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [To be white in America is to assume, with total self-confidence and little afterthought, the personal ownership of public spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/to-be-white-in-america-is-to-assume-with-total-self-confidence-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Dwight Eisenhower presented a face of America that was heroic and resolute; Ronald Reagan represented a return to confidence and glamour after the weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/dwight-eisenhower-presented-a-face-of-america-that-was-heroic-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Trump's affinity for Russia dates back at least to the late 1980s, during the time of the Soviet Union, and it intensified after his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-s-affinity-for-russia-dates-back-at-least-to-the-late-1980s/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Trump's more outre economic ideas, like repealing trade bills and implementing a massive surcharge on imports, would seem like non-starters in a Republican-led House…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-s-more-outre-economic-ideas-like-repealing-trade-bills-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Too great a love for the presidency has caused Democrats to neglect state and local politics and to overly prize compromise and a futile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/too-great-a-love-for-the-presidency-has-caused-democrats-to-neglect/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Bill Clinton had a hell of a first 24 months, even though he, like Trump, enjoyed a congressional majority. Scandal after scandal befell the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/bill-clinton-had-a-hell-of-a-first-24-months-even-though-he-like/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Whether on guns, race, culture or feminism, there really are two Americas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/whether-on-guns-race-culture-or-feminism-there-really-are-two-americas/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [The sharp differences between the way city dwellers and rural, suburban and exurban residents vote, think and live cannot be papered over by federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/the-sharp-differences-between-the-way-city-dwellers-and-rural/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Even without the euphoria of 'yes we can,' Hillary Clinton is to white women what Barack Obama was to African-Americans. She represents the opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/even-without-the-euphoria-of-yes-we-can-hillary-clinton-is-to-white/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [If you've never feared the police - if you don't get a dull ache in the pit of your stomach when you see red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/if-you-ve-never-feared-the-police-if-you-don-t-get-a-dull-ache-in-the/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Republicans don't vote Republican because of Nancy Pelosi. They vote Republican because they are Republicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/republicans-don-t-vote-republican-because-of-nancy-pelosi-they-vote/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [I've written before that the president is our national avatar - a stand-in for what we believe we are, or want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/i-ve-written-before-that-the-president-is-our-national-avatar-a-stand/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) [Explore all 100 Joy Reid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) ## More Image quotes > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [An image has stuck for most of my career and it isn't flattering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-fowler/an-image-has-stuck-for-most-of-my-career-and-it-isn-t-flattering/) [Robbie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-fowler/) > [Only two to three per cent of an audience is interested in words and pays attention to lyrics; most of the rest of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/only-two-to-three-per-cent-of-an-audience-is-interested-in-words-and/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [You can do nothing that is in conflict with your own image of what you really are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-fleet/you-can-do-nothing-that-is-in-conflict-with-your-own-image-of-what/) [James Van Fleet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-fleet/) > [What happens is this sort of bleed-over from the tabloids across your movie work. You go to a movie, you only go once. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/what-happens-is-this-sort-of-bleed-over-from-the-tabloids-across-your/) [Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/) > [I can't say it was challenging for me to shake the image of Frasier. I've been fortunate to have had a very interesting career…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsey-grammer/i-can-t-say-it-was-challenging-for-me-to-shake-the-image-of-frasier-i/) [Kelsey Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsey-grammer/) > [I don't know where this glamorous image and all came from. I don't find myself glamorous or bold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riya-sen/i-don-t-know-where-this-glamorous-image-and-all-came-from-i-don-t/) [Riya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riya-sen/) > [God's image…is found not best in individual humans, but in humans as they relate to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-timothy-johnson/god-s-image-is-found-not-best-in-individual-humans-but-in-humans-as/) [Luke Timothy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-timothy-johnson/) > [I think some people think I'm, like, anti-label, and I'm not. I just wanted to sign a deal when the time was right. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-azalea/i-think-some-people-think-i-m-like-anti-label-and-i-m-not-i-just/) [Iggy Azalea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-azalea/) > [I haven't talked to any young artists for a long time. But if we did sit down, I'd definitely tell them my viewpoint. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/i-haven-t-talked-to-any-young-artists-for-a-long-time-but-if-we-did/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) > [There's a very long tail of all sorts of creative products - beyond our core web search, image search and advertising businesses - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ng/there-s-a-very-long-tail-of-all-sorts-of-creative-products-beyond-our/) [Andrew Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ng/) > [The image of a pregnant woman embracing her figure and really putting it out there can be scary to some people, but I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-helen-bowers/the-image-of-a-pregnant-woman-embracing-her-figure-and-really-putting/) [Mary Helen Bowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-helen-bowers/) > [A lot of people ask: 'Will you play a psycho to really change your image and prove you can act?' But that's not what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-efron/a-lot-of-people-ask-will-you-play-a-psycho-to-really-change-your/) [Zac Efron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-efron/) > [I was spoiled and I was arrogant. I was very demanding, had an overblown image of who I was and got a reputation for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judge-reinhold/i-was-spoiled-and-i-was-arrogant-i-was-very-demanding-had-an/) [Judge Reinhold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judge-reinhold/) [Browse all 1,402 Image quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/image/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If Obama was fundamentally different from prior presidents, Trump seems to violate every tenet of what Americans have long sought as our national image.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joy Reid" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-from-prior-presidents-trump/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Image" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-from-prior-presidents-trump/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/joy-reid-6005_image_if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-fro_74498.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/joy-reid-6005_image_if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-fro_74498.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/joy-reid-6005_image_if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-fro_74498.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If Obama was fundamentally different from prior presidents, Trump seems to violate every tenet of what…” — Joy Reid", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joy Reid", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If Obama was fundamentally different from...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-from-prior-presidents-trump/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-from-prior-presidents-trump/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```