Berlin, May 4, (dpa/GNA) - Despite the long list of challenges facing the world, former US president Barack Obama told a Berlin audience on Wednesday night he finds “hope” in the open-minded and clued up young people he meets.
Obama, who left office in 2017 after serving two terms as the first black president of the United States, still retains near rock star status for many on the political left.
He has recently been delivering paid speeches titled “An evening with President Barack Obama,” in which he touches on topics of politics, leadership and family life. He was in Zurich at the weekend and was in Australia in March.
Obama was received with thunderous applause in Berlin’s 17,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Arena. Tickets cost between €61 to €550 ($67 to $608).
He warned against the polarization of society, noting he had dinner on Tuesday with former chancellor Angela Merkel and lunch earlier on Wednesday with current Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The two come from two different parties, but share the same basic values, Obama said at the event hosted by TV presenter Klaas Heufer-Umlauf.
The 44th US president also decried the proliferation of disinformation, saying some people believed everything they see on on TikTok.
Obama shared his views on political issues from climate change to political leadership. In doing so, he referred affectionately to his family, saying in his wife’s view, he is wrong “10 times” a day.
“What gives me hope is the next generation,” he said. “As I travel around the world, this generation of young people, they are smart, they are idealistic, they are innovative. As I said, they are naturally predisposed to believe in the quality of all people.”
“They appreciate diversity. They don’t judge people based on the colour of their skin or their sexual orientation. They are more environmentally conscious. They have values that will save us,” he said.
Obama, 61, has given two prominent political speeches in Berlin. During his 2008 election campaign, he addressed an estimated 200,000 people from the Berlin Victory Column.
Later, as president, he gave a speech from in front of Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate in 2013.
GNA