Obama says Trump is 'a symptom, not a cause'

Former President Barack Obama said President Donald Trump is "a symptom, not a cause" of what's dividing the country.

During a speech Friday at the University of Illinois, Obama said that Trump is capitalizing on the same resentments, fear and anger, that politicians have fanned for years. He said it's the result of a rapidly changing world and growing inequality, and that politicians who appeal to that fear are using "an old playbook."

Obama received an award for ethics in government at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

He also called on people to vote in the November election, saying "our democracy depends on it." He said the country is at a pivotal moment in its history and "the consequences of any of us sitting on the sidelines are more dire" than in prior elections.

The speech is Obama's first big step into the campaign for the midterm elections. His advisers say it's a preview of the case he'll make throughout the fall campaign season.

After spending much of his post-presidency on the political sidelines, Obama has several events scheduled in coming days where he'll campaign for Democrats. He will next travel to California for an event with seven House candidates in Orange County. Next week he'll be in Ohio to campaign for Richard Cordray and other Democrats.

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