President Obama Says U.S. Lacks Leadership in Virtual Commencement 2020 Speech - Watch

Former President Barack Obama is honoring the Class of 2020.

Obama, 58, gave the commencement speech on Saturday night (May 16) during the virtual Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020 special, where he addressed the current uncertainty of the world.

“Just as you’re about to celebrate having made it through, just as you’ve been looking forward to proms and senior nights, graduation ceremonies — and, let’s face it, a whole bunch of parties — the world is turned upside down by a global pandemic,” Obama said before joking, “And as much as I’m sure you love your parents, I’ll bet that being stuck at home with them and playing board games or watching Tiger King on TV is not exactly how you envisioned the last few months of your senior year.”

“This pandemic has shaken up the status quo and laid bare a lot of our country’s deep-seated problems — from massive economic inequality to ongoing racial disparities to a lack of basic healthcare for people who need it. It’s woken a lot of young people up to the fact that the old ways of doing things just don’t work,” Obama continued.

“So, if the world’s going to get better, it going to be up to you. That realization may be kind of intimidating. But I hope it’s also inspiring,” Obama continued before subtly throwing a few jabs at President Trump.. “Do what you think is right. Doing what feels good, what’s convenient, what’s easy — that’s how little kids think. Unfortunately, a lot of so-called grown-ups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs, still think that way — which is why things are so screwed up. I hope that instead, you decide to ground yourself in values that last, like honesty, hard work, responsibility, fairness, generosity, respect for others.”

In closing, Obama said, “In so many ways, you’ve already started to lead. Congratulations, Class of 2020. Keep making us proud.”