Grace Tame’s brutal swipe at Barack Obama as he arrives in Australia for a speaking tour alongside his wife Michelle
- Grace Tame commented on Anthony Albanese’s Insta post
- The activist was referencing 2016 episode during Flint water crisis
- Appeared to share an in-joke with her fiancé, Max Heerey
Australian of the Year Grace Tame has called out former US President Barrack Obama in a bizarre reference to a 2016 water crisis in a small US town.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese shared a picture of himself with the former US president standing underneath umbrellas on a rainy Sydney morning on his Instagram page alongside the caption: ‘Honoured to welcome President @barackobama to Sydney’.
‘Did he drink the water, or just pretend?’, wrote Ms Tame underneath the post.
Ms Tame’s Instagram story (pictured) where she makes clear her comment was a reference to a 2016 episode during the Flint water crisis when then President Obama took a sip from a glass of water to reassure people it was safe
The former Australian Of The Year, 28, tagged her fiancé Max Heerey in the comment and later clarified what she was referring to in an Instagram story.
She shared a picture of her comment with a screengrab from a 2016 Guardian article which analysed Mr Obama’s then visit to the US town of Flint.
At the time, the former President had declared a state of emergency in the Michigan city after its drinking water was contaminated with lead.
The public health crisis happened after the town changed its water source to the Flint River and residents started complaining about the taste, smell, and appearance of the water.
Between 6,000 and 12,000 children were exposed to drinking water with high levels of lead.
Ms Tame (left) with her fiance Max Heerey (right)
Kobie Thatcher criticised the ‘heavy police presence’ associated with Mr Obama’s visit, questioning whether Australian taxpayers are footing the bill
Obama infamously took a brief sip of Flint water at a press conference in 2016 after the city switched back to its original water supply.
Mr Obama told those gathered that the act was ‘not a stunt’ but rather to show that people could drink the water if it was properly filtered.
The excerpt Ms Tame shared quoted US filmaker Matthew Moore who was deeply critical of the US Government’s handling of the crisis.
‘You say you’re coming to “listen to the people of Flint”,’ Moore wrote ahead of Mr Obama’s visit to the town.
‘Sir, they’ve been poisoned for two damn years. You’ve known about it since October. There’s nothing to listen to.’
It is unclear why Ms Tame was referencing that particular episode during Obama’s tenure as President.
Her fiancé Mr Heerey responded: ‘Lead us all know the truth’, in a presumed jibe referencing how the water was contaminated.
Mr Heerey works as the chief operating officer of The Grace Tame Foundation, which advocates for victims of childhood sexual abuse.
Mr Obama is currently in Australia on a speaking tour.
He was pictured disembarking from a private jet with his wife Michelle in Sydney this morning.
He is set to speak in Sydney Aware Super Theatre for ‘An Evening with President Obama’ on Tuesday evening – where Australians are spending $195 to hear about the politician’s ‘path to success’.
He is doing the same talk the following day in Melbourne.
However, not everyone is delighted about his trip down under.
Some have questioned whether Australian taxpayers are shelling out for his security detail while he is in the country.
Twitter user Kolbie Thatcher shared a video of the Obama’s police motorcade which stopped traffic in central Sydney.
‘Heavy police presence as Former US President Obama arrived in Australia this evening,’ wrote MS Thatcher.
‘Who is paying for his police escorts while he is in Sydney and Melbourne for speaking events? It wouldn’t happen to be Australian taxpayers, would it?’
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