ATHENS: US President Barack Obama was on Wednesday wrapping up the Greek leg of a farewell European trip with a visit to the Acropolis and an eagerly-awaited speech on democracy before heading to Berlin.
Casually dressed in a dark jacket, cream trousers and sunglasses, Obama, who arrived on Tuesday, could be seen gazing down at the Greek capital from the 2,500-year-old citadel, the country’s most iconic archaeological site.
On his final visit to Europe as president, Obama has chosen Greece, the “cradle of democracy”, as the place to deliver a speech addressing the uncertainties that have led to the rise of populists like Donald Trump.
In his speech, he will build on a topic he touched on Tuesday — the “frustration and anger” of an electorate that feels it has been left behind by rapid globalisation.
The 44th president is keen to soothe European allies anxious at the prospect of Trump taking the reins of the world’s leading superpower following his shock election win.
“The lesson I draw — and I think people can draw a lot of lessons but maybe one that cuts across countries — is we have to deal with issues like inequality,” said Obama.
Trump was able to tap into “a suspicion of globalisation, a desire to rein in its excesses, a suspicion of elites and governing institutions,” he said.
Obama’s visit to Europe — his last foreign trip as American leader — has been all about reassuring traditional allies worried about Trump’s campaign rhetoric.
Trump welcomed Britain’s shock vote in June to leave the European Union and has cast doubts on the NATO alliance that has guaranteed relative peace on the continent for decades.
