2016 Flashback: Obama to World: Be More Like the Nordics; ‘If Only Everyone Could Be Like the Scandinavians

Like it was allegedly said by President Donald Trump, President Barack Obama has a preference for people from Nordic-Scandinavian countries. But unlike Trump, the media did not attack Obama over that, even when he wished the world could be run by people from those countries.

President Obama and Nordic leaders stand together during the arrival ceremony in the Grand Foyer of the White House, May 13, 2016. From left are Prime Minister Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson of Iceland, Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen of Denmark, Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven of Sweden, and President Sauli Niinistö of Finland. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

The AP reported on Obama’s May 13, 2016 summit with the leaders of Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, with this headline, “Obama to world: Be more like the Nordics

Democrats may argue over whether places like Denmark and Norway are model societies. President Barack Obama is sure.

Apparently well beyond concerns about being branded a socialist, Obama on Friday celebrated the five Nordic nations as examples of reliability, equality, generosity, responsibility, even personal happiness.

As he welcomed the Nordic leaders to the White House, he owned up to thinking perhaps the small havens of social liberalism should take the reins every now and then.

He joked: “Why don’t we just put all these small countries in charge for a while?”

In a massive April 2016 Atlantic article on Obama, “The Obama Doctrine” by Jeffrey Goldberg, Obama is quoted yearning for a world of Scandinavians.

In recent days, the president has taken to joking privately, “All I need in the Middle East is a few smart autocrats.” Obama has always had a fondness for pragmatic, emotionally contained technocrats, telling aides, “If only everyone could be like the Scandinavians, this would all be easy.”

H/t Larry Elder.

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Kristinn Taylor has contributed to The Gateway Pundit for over ten years. Mr. Taylor previously wrote for Breitbart, worked for Judicial Watch and was co-leader of the D.C. Chapter of FreeRepublic.com. He studied journalism in high school, visited the Newseum and once met David Brinkley.

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