We now know what Former President Barack Obama’s message is leading into the midterms. He is drawing a clear line in the sand against the Republican party and Donald Trump saying, “Over the past few decades, the politics of division and resentment and paranoia has unfortunately found a home in the Republican party.”

That was one of the things Obama said today as he spoke to young voters in Urbana, Illinois today. He tweeted, “Today I’m at the University of Illinois to deliver a simple message to young people all over the country: You need to vote, because our democracy depends on it.”

The former Illinois Senator touched on several topics and didn’t hold back. Here is some of what he said:

ON DONALD TRUMP:

Sometimes the backlash comes from people who are genuinely, if wrongly, fearful of change. More often it’s manufactured by the powerful and the privileged who want to keep us divided and keep us angry and keep us cynical because it helps them maintain the status quo and keep their power and keep their privilege. And you happen to be coming of age during one of those moments. It did not start with Donald Trump. he is a symptom, not the cause. He’s just capitalizing on resentments that politicians have been fanning for years. A fear and anger that’s rooted in our past but it’s also born out of the enormous upheavals that have taken place in your brief lifetimes.

ON THE GOP PARTY:

My administration couldn’t reverse 40-year trends in only eight years, especially once Republicans took over the House of Representatives in 2010 and decided to block everything we did.

ON TRUMP TAKING CREDIT FOR THE ECONOMY:

Just let’s remember when this recovery started.


ON TRUMP SAYING THERE ARE GOOD PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES AFTER CHARLOTTESVILLE:

When you vote, you’ve got the power to make sure white nationalists don’t feel emboldened to march with their hoods on or hoods off in Charlottesville.

ON PUERTO RICO:

ON TRUMP’S DECLARATION THAT THE MEDIA IS THE ENEMY:

It shouldn’t be Democratic or Republican to say that we don’t threaten the freedom of the press because they say things or publish stories we don’t like.

Watch the entire speech above.