Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley are pushing back after former President Barack Obama criticized their stances on race relations.
The two South Carolina Republicans dinged Obama for his handling of race during his presidency, with Scott, the only Black candidate running for the Republican presidential nomination, arguing on “The Mark Levin Show” that Obama missed an opportunity to unite the country as America’s first Black president.
“There’s no higher compliment than being attacked by President Obama,”
Scott said during an interview
“Let us not forget we are a land of opportunity, not a land of oppression,” Scott tweeted Thursday night after the radio appearance. “Democrats deny our progress to protect their power. The Left wants you to believe faith in America is a fraud and progress in our nation is a myth.”
“The truth of MY life disproves the lies of the radical Left. We live in a country where little Black and Brown boys and girls can be President of the United States.”
“The truth is we’ve had one and the good news is – we will have another,” the tweet continued.
And Friday morning, Haley, who is of Indian descent, followed suit, tweeting, “Obama set minorities back by singling them out as victims instead of empowering them. In America, hard work & personal responsibility matter.”
“My parents didn’t raise me to think that I would forever be a victim. They raised me to know that I was responsible for my success.”
The former president last week criticized Scott, a rare Black candidate in the GOP primary contest, for comments he has made about race and racism in America, saying that voters had a right to be “skeptical” of claims made by minority candidates that ignore the inequality that exists in the United States.
“There’s a long history of African American or other minority candidates within the Republican Party who will validate America and say, ‘Everything’s great, and we can make it,’” Obama said during a conversation with Democratic strategist David Axelrod on his podcast “Axe Files,” which was released last week.
“If somebody’s not proposing both acknowledging and proposing elements that say, ‘No, we can’t just ignore all that and pretend as if everything’s equal and fair. We actually have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.’ If they’re not doing that, then I think people are rightly skeptical,” Obama added.
On Sunday, Scott pushed back on that notion, while welcoming the former president’s criticisms.
Scott has repeatedly argued that America “is not a racist country,” pointing to his own experience growing up with a single mother and eventually reaching the halls of Congress.
