GOP presidential candidate Senator Tim Scott on Sunday dismissed Barack Obama’s recent attack on him as a “compliment” – and an indication that Democrats “feel threatened” by his candidacy.
Last week, Obama chided Scott’s stance on race relations, saying that “there’s a protracted history of African American or other minority candidates within the Republican Party who will affirm America and say, ‘Every part is great and we are able to do it.’
Scott (R-SC) dismissed the criticism, telling Fox News Sunday: “There isn’t any higher compliment that might be attacked by President Obama.
“Each time Democrats feel threatened, they pull out the previous president and have him make negative comments about someone running, hoping to bring their numbers down. The reality of my life refutes the lies of the unconventional left.”
Scott has publicly reflected on his experiences with racism and has shared how he was stopped by security seven times in a yr on his way to work within the Senate, despite being a Senator.
![Senator Tim Scott](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012709282.jpg?w=1024)
Host Shannon Bream asked him if these experiences proved Obama right.
“Absolutely not,” he replied.
Obama’s remarks surfaced on a podcast featuring Democratic strategist David Axelrod, who surmised that Republicans like Scott shared “half” of Obama’s views on race relations – the part about US progress.
![President Barack Obama speaks at a Michigan Democratic campaign rally for Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2022.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012871383.jpg?w=1024)
But Axelrod claimed that Republicans diverged from him when he suggested that racial challenges were “a part of the past and we do not have to worry about that a lot.”
“I’m not being cynical about Tim Scott individually, but perhaps suggesting the rhetoric of ‘Cannot all of us get along,’ Obama added, ‘that needs to be backed up by an honest account of our past and present.'”
Scott had previously argued that “America will not be a racist country” and cited his life story as proof.
![Senator Tim Scott on Fox News on Sunday](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012871379.jpg?w=1024)
“Here’s what people need to know: The reality of my life refutes the lies of the unconventional left,” Scott continued on Fox News, referring to his single mother upbringing and trip to the upper chamber.
Scott is considered one of three black senators and the one black Republican within the upper house. He can be considered one of two within the 2024 GOP predominant field, alongside conservative radio host Larry Elder.
The senator had previously responded to Obama’s criticism by claiming that “the one thing the far left doesn’t desire a black person on this country is a conservative.” throughout the interview with conservative radio host Mark Levin.
![Senator Tim Scott](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012637387-1.jpg?w=1024)
Obama’s remarks also mentioned fellow South Carolina and 2024 hopeful Nikki Haley.
“I feel Nikki Haley has the same approach,” he said.
Haley, the primary Indian American to serve within the presidential cabinet and the second Indian American to function governor, similarly sharply criticized Obama for these remarks.
“Barack Obama has pushed minorities backwards as victims as an alternative of empowering them. In America, exertions and private responsibility count. My parents didn’t raise me to consider that I’d at all times be a victim. They raised me to know that I used to be accountable for my success,” Haley said in an announcement.