Former US President Barack Obama warned in Berlin about the polarization of society and disinformation. “I think those are some of the biggest threats to democracy,” Obama said. “Some young people think everything they see on Tiktok is true. Whoever thinks that of you, it’s not.”
The 61-year-old spoke in a hall at Ostbahnhof with 17,000 seats. He was received with loud cheers. Tickets were offered in advance for around 61 to 550 euros.
The German moderator Klaas Heufer-Umlauf led through the evening. The former President spoke to him about his perspective on current political issues such as climate change and good political leadership. He never forgot well-placed punchlines: “Ask my wife Michelle, I’m wrong ten times a day.”
The former President has been in Europe for a few days. He also met ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
Obama was President of the United States from 2009 to 2017. During the 2008 election campaign, he gave a celebrated speech in front of an estimated 200,000 people at the Berlin Victory Column. As President, he spoke in front of the Brandenburg Gate in 2013.
