Jesse Jackson Jr. Blasts Obama, Biden and Clinton for Using Father’s Memorial to Attack Trump

A high-profile, interfaith public tribute to the Rev. Jesse Jackson was held in Chicago following his death in mid-February at age 84, drawing former presidents and prominent officials to praise his civil-rights work.

“Obama criticizes the Trump administration at a tribute to civil rights figure Jesse Jackson Chicago (United States) (AFP) – Former US president Barack Obama sharply criticized Donald Trump's policies during a tribute on Friday in Chicago to the Rev”

France 24

Reports describe a 'star-studded public service' at Chicago's House of Hope and a ceremony that featured or was set to feature remarks from former presidents Joe Biden and Bill Clinton, former president Barack Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris and international figures such as Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

France 24

The event recalled Jackson's decades of activism and public service, grounding the tributes in his long civil-rights career and international mediation work.

At the private memorial held at Rainbow PUSH headquarters, Jesse Jackson Jr. sharply rebuked the public eulogies delivered by leading Democrats.

He said the former presidents "did not know" his father and that their public remarks had been used to attack President Trump.

Hindustan Times

Multiple accounts contrast the public, political tone of the tributes with the family's private remembrances.

The accounts report that Jackson Jr. told guests the eulogies misread his father's long, prophetic and nonpartisan mission to defend the marginalized.

Coverage highlights distinct tones among the public speakers: Obama criticized the Trump administration and invoked Jackson’s example as a call to defend democratic institutions.

Biden and Clinton offered tributes that mixed personal recollection with political framing.

Reports quote Obama recalling Jackson as "a man who, when the poor and the dispossessed needed an advocate … stepped forward again and again."

Obama warned that "every day we wake up to a new attack on our democratic institutions."

Biden is reported to have recalled Jackson’s role in keeping hope alive.

Clinton said Jackson "made me a better president."

News accounts emphasize the contrast between the public political messaging and the family's private perspective, noting that Jackson Jr. and other family members delivered eulogies at a private service that, according to reports, pushed back on turning the event into a partisan indictment of the current administration.

The private memorial at Rainbow PUSH served as a setting where the family articulated a different view of Jackson's mission, insisting on a prophetic, nonpartisan defense of the marginalized rather than partisan attacks.

France 24

Beyond the dispute over tone, the coverage reiterates Jackson’s long civil-rights record and international activism.

“Jesse Jackson Jr hits out at Obama, Biden and Bill Clinton over funeral speeches: ‘They didn’t know…' Jesse Jackson Jr”

Hindustan Times

Jackson participated in sit-ins.

Hindustan Times

Jackson took part in the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march.

Jackson was present in Memphis after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.

Jackson ran for president in 1984 and 1988.

Jackson worked as a mediator and envoy on apartheid and overseas hostage situations.

Those details form the backdrop both for the public leaders’ tributes and for the family’s insistence that his legacy transcend partisan politics.