Obama: ‘New blood’ is needed among political leaders

Former President Obama called for “new blood” in political leadership during a speech over the weekend in Hawaii.

Obama was the keynote speaker for a private reception hosted his nonprofit, the Obama Foundation, according to the Honolulu Civil Beat.

“People cling to power instead of seeing the power in other people,” he said.

{mosads}He added that the country has “a deficit of leadership, and we need new blood.”

Obama’s comments came as he discussed the future of the country and the need for leaders who have a “commitment to human dignity.”

He said his mission was to educate and inspire the next generation of leaders “so that they have the platform, the opportunity to channel their amazing energy and passion and imagination, in order to bring a whole new set of eyes and ideas and possibilities to the world.”

As he has done at speaking events previously, Obama did not name President Trump directly, the news outlet noted.

Instead, he had a more hopeful message, evoking language from his previous campaigns.

“We are, once again, going to change the world for the better,” Obama added.

Obama told the crowd he was working on a new book. Michelle Obama’s recently published memoir, “Becoming”, was the best-selling hardcover book of 2018.

The Hawaiian-born former president’s appearance is part of a series of leadership workshops hosted by his nonprofit. It was the Obama Foundation’s first event in Hawaii.

His parents first met at the University of Hawaii, with Obama noting that he “basically wouldn’t exist if it were not for for the University of Hawaii.”