Obama rock star at Cop26 obscure Biden: “I’m Kerry’s DJ Khaled”

He repeated several times that he went to Glasgow as a “private citizen” and sang the praises of the current tenant of the White House, but Barack Obama’s appearance as a rock star at COP26 certainly overshadowed that of President Joe Biden. The former president himself has used terms from the world of music to describe his role as the “hype man”, that is, the backing rapper who prepares the audience for the performance, of the current US administration. “I’m John Kerry’s DJ Khaled,” he said during a private meeting, comparing himself to the famous rapper and producer. In any case, the enthusiasm and attention, even controversial given the attacks received by young activists like Vanessa Nakate, aroused by Obama has no comparison with that reserved for Biden’s participation last week, when most of the newspapers concentrated above all on the elderly president’s ‘nap’ during the work of the summit. The fact is that the American president also seems to have the problems of popularity abroad that have haunted him at home for months, especially in contrast to the enthusiasm that his former boss Obama aroused in the world. For example, in 2009 93 percent of Germans trusted Obama versus 78 percent who now trust Biden, according to data from the Pew Research Center.