Vue lecture

After National Tragedies, Obama and Trump Are a Study in Contrasts

Former President Barack Obama said the job of an American president was to “remind us of the ties that bind us together.” President Trump apparently disagrees.

© Doug Mills/The New York Times

President Barack Obama hugging Mark Barden at an Oval Office event in January 2016. Mr. Barden lost his son, Daniel, in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
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After Kirk’s Killing, Obama Says the Nation Is in a ‘Political Crisis’

Speaking at an educational summit, former President Barack Obama criticized his successor’s attacks on his political rivals in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

© Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times

Former President Barack Obama speaking last year. In recent months, Mr. Obama has gone increasingly public with his criticisms of President Trump and his administration.
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Joe Manchin Would Like a Word. (OK, Maybe Several Words.)

The voluble former senator, now retired from politics, appears to miss the arena and is mulling a return to it.

© Jason Andrew for The New York Times

Joe Manchin III aboard his boat docked on Washington’s Wharf. Over his 14 years in the Senate, Mr. Manchin was often a pivotal figure in big-ticket legislative negotiations when he butted heads with liberals.
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