Barack Obama told a packed Glasgow audience that the world is facing major challenges but insisted progress remains possible if people continue to defend democracy and basic freedoms.
The former US president addressed just over 12,000 people at the OVO Hydro on Wednesday night (14 October), appearing in conversation with journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera.
During a wide-ranging discussion, Obama reflected on his years in the White House, the rise of social media, political polarisation, artificial intelligence and the growing difficulty of establishing an agreed set of facts.
He also found time to look back on his previous visits to Scotland, including a memorable round of golf at St Andrews and his encounters with Irn-Bru.
Obama first played the Old Course at St Andrews during a visit to Scotland in May 2017, shortly after leaving the White House.
The former president recalled the experience in Glasgow, including the unusual conditions he encountered on one of the most famous courses in world golf.
His 2017 visit took place during exceptionally warm Scottish weather. At the time, Obama joked that he would have to return because playing in sunshine did not feel like the full Scottish experience.
When asked by host Sathnam Sanghera whether he’d tried Irn-Bru while in Scotland, he said: “I have an Irn Bru in my bedroom as we speak. A very delicious beverage. Irn Bru’s very solid, very refreshing.”
He also referenced a Scottish band from the 1970s in front of the Glasgow crowd: “This may seem like a sort of random shoutout, but, at one of the first ever concerts I went to, Average White Band opened for Earth Wind and Fire.
“And that was a great concert. The young people here may not understand what I’m talking about, but that band could jam.”
The lighter moments came during a much broader discussion about democracy and the increasingly polarised political climate.
Obama said the early growth of the internet had appeared to offer enormous possibilities when he ran for president in 2008, allowing people to organise around causes including democracy and human rights.
He said: “It connected people for good, but also for ill.”
Obama argued that social media had increasingly become driven by anger, fear and resentment. He said: “It turns out that the reptilian side of our brain really gets attracted to anger, fear, resentment and the sense that someone is out to get you.”
The 44th president warned that artificial intelligence could make separating fact from fiction even more difficult: “It’s hard for democracy to function if we can’t at least agree on the facts,” he said.
Speaking about whether he remained optimistic about the future, Obama said hope was not simply a passive belief but a choice about how people responded to the world around them.
“I think when we act on that basis, it doesn’t always work out, but over time things do get better,” he said.
He added: “When we choose, when we make that decision, I do believe – and there is evidence for this – that the world gets incrementally better, and that is a worthy goal and it’s worth fighting for.”
The Glasgow appearance was Obama’s first visit to Scotland since COP26 in 2021. He arrived at Glasgow Airport on Wednesday afternoon before travelling by motorcade to the Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel in the city centre.
Glasgow was the second stop on a three-night tour after Belfast, with Obama due to appear in Manchester on Thursday night.