(Republicaninformer.com)- Two former presidents are touching on the same topics of “authoritarianism and disinformation” and the threats to our democracy both globally and at home, according to a report from Mediaite. The conferences by George W. Bush and Barack Hussein Obama will be back-to-back, although Axios reports that the timing was not coordinated.
Bush’s conference was held in Dallas on November 16 as part of the George W. Bush Institute’s The Struggle for Freedom series. He was set to interview Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but as a result of Russia’s airstrikes, Zelensky was unable to attend. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen was also scheduled to make a virtual appearance.
The institute’s website claims that “Freedom is under attack worldwide,” asserting that now is the time to be committed to democratic principles in the face of authoritarian regimes “flex[ing] their muscles.”
Bush’s executive director, David J. Kramer, who was also Senator John McCain’s associate, is also working on the conference. He reportedly pushed the now-discredited Steele Dossier to the FBI and legacy media.
Obama’s conference is taking place in New York on November 17 at the Obama Foundation’s Democracy Forum with Columbia University and the University of Chicago. The former president will be discussing the “state of democracy” with key world leaders, according to Axios.
The conferences come after President Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bali, Indonesia. Biden allegedly spoke to Xi about the U.S.’s focus to continue to vigorously compete with China. He also “underscored” that the two countries must work together on “transnational challenges,” such as climate change, and urged that the two countries maintain a strong line of communication.
Former President Donald Trump also revealed his “big announcement” before the conferences and declared his 2024 candidacy, much to the ire of Republicans who urged him to wait until after the Georgia Senate runoffs between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker.
The conferences reportedly precede an imminent battle on Capitol Hill on how much more the U.S. will support Ukraine in its war against Russia.