Former American President Barack Obama today defended in Lisbon the need for political leaders to recognize a “common humanity”, lamenting the “nostalgia” of “real America” observed in the United States.
© Reuters
10/10/2026
by
Lusa
O former US President Barack Obama today defended in Lisbon the need for political leaders to recognize a “common humanity”, lamenting the “nostalgia” of “real America” that is observed today in the United States.
“What we need now is [leaders] who represent their own people and appreciate traditions, culture and history, but also see that those who are in another country also have hopes and dreams, that we have a common humanity, more than mistrust,” said former Democratic leader (2009-2017), intervening at the end of the sixth edition of Game Changers Forum at Meo Arena, before an audience of 10,000 people, according to the organization.
“It’s the kind of leadership we need on the international stage,” he insisted.
In the United States, he said, “there has been an effort to say that there is a real America, a nostalgia of when black people were silent and not in the White House and women knew their place, in the kitchen and at home”, receiving strong applause.
“What we need now is sufficiently confident leaders who say: ‘I want to live in a world where my daughters have the same opportunities as my children, where my neighbor does not threaten me and I do not feel that I have to be superior’,” he said.
“ We need this democratic impetus in our leadership and leaders who understand the values of democracy and equality,” he stressed, adding that “new institutions that can move faster to actually deliver results to people are also needed.”.