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Barack Obama

Donald Trump gestures to the crowd at the conclusion of his final rally of the campaign at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, US. Photo: Reuters

Opinion | For a closely divided United States, a coin toss would have sufficed

Despite the political parties’ efforts to position themselves as offering a genuine contrast, the candidates only presented an illusion of choice.

7 Nov 2024 - 11:37PMvideocam

In Africa, US soft power through films and aid brings huge election interest

6 Nov 2024 - 5:07PMvideocam

Barack Obama has no problem with daughter not using his name

1 Nov 2024 - 4:15PM

Opinion | How the Middle East quagmire muddies Biden’s legacy

The Biden administration’s repeated missteps have dealt a big blow to US standing in the region and given Beijing an opportunity to exercise its global influence.

31 Oct 2024 - 7:16AMvideocam

Down to the wire: Harris, Trump in final sprint of US election race

Polls show Kamala Harris and Donald Trump neck-and-neck as Election Day on November 5 looms.

28 Oct 2024 - 2:34PM

Trump headlines New York rally after vulgar, racist remarks from allies

Donald Trump holds a homecoming rally at Madison Square Garden as the US election campaign heads into final full week.

28 Oct 2024 - 2:41PM

Obama joins Harris, Trump calls November 5 ‘Liberation Day’ in race’s final days

Kamala Harris holds star-studded rally in Georgia as Donald Trump campaigns in Arizona in a final push for voters in nail-biter US election.

25 Oct 2024 - 12:50PM

US Vice-President Kamala Harris and former president Barack Obama at a campaign rally in Clarkston, Georgia. Photo: AP

Harris leans on A-list, Trump on world’s richest man in election homestretch

Celebrity endorsements can amplify messages but may have mixed effects on voter turnout.

24 Oct 2024 - 3:26PM

Opinion | Can the US overcome its political polarisation, whoever wins the election?

Harris will have the support of the establishment but not Trump. The possibility of the the US going into terminal decline looms large.

23 Oct 2024 - 2:25AMvideocam

Meet US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s ex-husband Kevin Noonan

After marrying young, Sotomayor’s long work hours and success took a toll on her marriage; she and Noonan divorced amicably and each went on to have a highly successful career in law.

15 Oct 2024 - 4:00AMvideocam

Meet US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s ex, patent lawyer Kevin Noonan: the high school sweethearts married after college but divorced after seven years. Photos: AFP; MBHB

Widodo’s decade in power leaves an Indonesia transformed – but concerned

While Jokowi’s presidency brought growth and modernisation, his last-minute political manoeuvring raised fears of democratic backsliding.

14 Oct 2024 - 9:29AM

Indonesian President Joko Widodo bequeaths a complex legacy as he exits the political stage. Photo: Reuters

Obama lashes out at ‘crazy’ Trump in first campaign rally for Harris

Battleground state of Pennsylvania was the first stop of Obama’s campaign tour for Harris, with less than four weeks until Election Day.

11 Oct 2024 - 12:23PM

Trump ramps up campaign in Wisconsin, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election

Trump visited battleground state Wisconsin for the fourth time in eight days as Harris begins week-long media blitz.

7 Oct 2024 - 3:11PM

Trump’s mass deportations goal fell short. But he has new plans for second term

Republican presidential candidate would begin largest deportation programme in US history if he wins November election, his campaign said.

23 Sep 2024 - 12:43PM

Donald Trump holds up an immigration numbers graph during a visit to the US southern border in Arizona in August. Photo: EPA-EFE

Panel urges Biden to prioritise release of Americans wrongfully held in China

Chair of Congressional-Executive Commission on China says detainees must be the focus whenever secretary of state meets Chinese officials.

19 Sep 2024 - 7:14AM

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China held hearings on Wednesday about US citizens detained in China. Photo: Bloomberg

Opinion | China’s winning strategy in Africa goes way back

China started building infrastructure in Africa decades ago, long before its Belt and Road Initiative could inspire Western jealousy.

15 Sep 2024 - 5:17PM

Who is Tony West, Kamala Harris’ brother-in-law and a senior VP at Uber?

From Stanford – where he met Maya Harris – to Uber and now a ‘close adviser’ to the Harris-Walz campaign, here’s what you need to know about 59-year-old Tony West

28 Aug 2024 - 7:00PM

Behind bulletproof glass, Trump holds 1st outdoor rally since shooting attempt

Storage containers were stacked around the venue to create additional walls and block sight lines, and snipers were positioned on roofs.

22 Aug 2024 - 5:35AM

Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks from behind panes of bulletproof glass in Asheboro, North Carolina, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Harris hires Obama’s advisors in effort to topple Trump in presidential race

The hires represent a cold calculation – that with less than three months to Election Day, Democrats can’t risk learning on the fly.

21 Aug 2024 - 5:00PMvideocam

Biden’s Democratic convention moment: opening act, not the main attraction

US President will give a bittersweet farewell address at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, passing torch to Kamala Harris as party’s nominee for US election.

20 Aug 2024 - 12:33AMvideocam

False claims Democrats plotted to kill Trump spread by bogus US news sites

As the US presidential election nears, experts sound the alarm over an explosion of AI-powered propaganda masquerading as news.

19 Aug 2024 - 10:00AM

Donald Trump reacts in the moments after a would-be assassin’s bullet grazed his ear during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. Photo: Reuters

Harris implies Trump a ‘coward’ during Pennsylvania campaign appearance

Kamala Harris took her surging US presidential campaign to the swing state of Pennsylvania to push her case against Donald Trump.

19 Aug 2024 - 7:49AMvideocam

US Vice-President Kamala Harris speaks to reporters during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania on Sunday. Photo: AP

US Democrats drove ‘natural enemies’ China and Russia together: Trump

2024 Republican presidential nominee also suggests he would ‘get along great’ with Chinese leader Xi Jinping if he wins back White House.

9 Aug 2024 - 6:19AMvideocam

Opinion | Trump’s tariffs won’t tackle the US deficit that really matters

Far more pressing than the trade deficit is the government’s budget deficit and rapid debt accumulation, which truly risk America’s future.

6 Aug 2024 - 2:45PMvideocam

Who is Brian Chesky, the Airbnb CEO and co-founder worth US$8.6 billion?

Brian Chesky defined himself as an artist, and now he’s one of the world’s most influential CEOs – here’s what you need to know about the 42-year-old New Yorker

6 Aug 2024 - 5:00AM

Who is Brian Chesky, the Airbnb founder worth US$8.6 billion? Photo: @cleverpodcast/Instagram

Could Kamala Harris as president boost US ties to the Global South?

China’s steady inroads across developing world not the only obstacle for new Democratic Party standard-bearer seeking White House.

7 Aug 2024 - 7:36PMvideocam

US Vice-President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday. Photo: AFP via Getty Images/TNS

US appeal court blocks Biden administration net neutrality rules

Rules would give FCC tools to crack down on Chinese telecoms firms; bar internet service providers from blocking traffic to some websites.

2 Aug 2024 - 6:45AM

Trump says Kamala Harris ‘doesn’t like Jewish people’. Her husband is Jewish

The former president also seemed to agree with a radio host who called second gentleman Doug Emhoff “a crappy Jew.”

31 Jul 2024 - 9:10PM

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Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II, born August 4, 1961, was the 44th President of the United States and the first black US president. He served as president between January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017. Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate in October 2009. He was succeeded by Republican Donald John Trump, who assumed office in January 2017.

Born

4 Aug 1961

Industry

Politics

Job Title

44th President of the United States of America

last updated:

7 October, 2024