President Obama said with a grin Wednesday that Republicans think constitutional limits on his power have prevented him from turning the U.S. into communist Cuba.
At a town hall meeting with Argentinian youths in Buenos Aires, Mr. Obama was asked why so many Americans are voting for GOP front-runner Donald Trump, and whether Mr. Trump will win the presidency. Due to a poor translation, the president didn’t answer the question completely, saying only that voters will make a “good choice” in November.
But even if voters make the wrong choice, Mr. Obama said, the Constitution ensures “limits to the damage they can do” because of separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches.
“I’m sure Republicans feel that about me, they’re glad that there’s distribution of power,” the president said. “They imagine I would have turned the United States into Cuba, I suppose. They tend to exaggerate a little bit how I see the world.”
His comments came a day after Mr. Obama became the first president since 1928 to visit Cuba, a trip criticized by many GOP lawmakers.
For the record, Mr. Obama and his spokesman have said repeatedly that he doesn’t think Mr. Trump will win in November.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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