Trump says he 'happens to like and respect' the Obamas ahead of their DNC appearance

Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump offered rare praise for his predecessor, Barack Obama while speaking to reporters ahead of his scheduled appearance at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night.

Although Trump has been a relentless critic of Obama in the past, he took a softer tone this time, referring to the 44th president as a “nice gentleman” whom he happens to “like and respect” in an interview with CNN.

“I thought he was a terrible president. He didn’t do the job. He let people take advantage of us on trade,” Trump said while on the campaign trail in Michigan. “Especially trade—he was very weak on trade. But I happen to like him. I respect him and his wife.”

Trump’s softer tone contrasts sharply with his past and frequent criticisms of Obama, including his promotion of the “birther” conspiracy , a false claim about Obama’s birthplace that Trump eventually walked back in 2016 . And in 2016, Trump falsely accused Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower during the 2016 election.

Despite the praise, Trump’s latest comments still centered on trade—a key issue during his presidency.

Obama and his wife, Michelle, are expected to speak in support of Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign later tonight.

Jeremy Yurow is a politics reporting fellow based in Hawaii for the USA TODAY Network. You can reach him at JYurow@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter @JeremyYurow

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says he 'happens to like and respect' the Obamas ahead of their DNC appearance