Sen. Tim Scott: 'No Higher Compliment' Than an Obama Attack

Sen. Tim Scott, a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, on Sunday, dismissed comments former President Barack Obama had made about his campaign last week, saying that there is "no higher compliment than being attacked" by him.

"The truth of my life disproves the lies of the radical left," the South Carolina Republican said on "Fox News Sunday." "You talk about addressing issues of poverty. My Opportunity Zones have seen more than $50 billion go into the poorest, hardest-hit communities, majority or minority."

Further, funding for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) during Obama's administration failed, but "we took the funding to the highest level in history in the country and we made it permanent."

The "radical left and teachers unions" are also refusing to allow quality education in blue cities, Scott said, but he said he supports school choice because "I support common sense."

"The radical left and President Obama failed, failed, and failed," said Scott. "We will make it happen."

Scott added that he would also work on further Opportunity Zones initiatives to bring resources, opportunities, and jobs to the nation's hardest-hit areas.

And, he added that Obama, if anyone, "should be standing and shouting from the mountain tops" because he is the one Americans supported twice to become president.

Last week, Obama criticized Scott, as a Black candidate, for comments that he'd made about race and racism in America, and said that voters have a right to be skeptical of minority candidates ignoring the nation's inequality.

“If somebody’s not proposing — both acknowledging and proposing — elements that say, ‘No, we can’t just ignore all that and pretend as if everything’s equal and fair. We actually have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk," Obama said on Democrat strategist David Axelrod's podcast last week. "If they’re not doing that, then I think people are rightly skeptical."

Scott, though, said that when Democrats "feel threatened" they "drag out" Obama and "have him make some negative comments about someone running, hoping that their numbers go down."

The senator on Sunday also discussed his presidential campaign, telling Fox News that he is anchored in conservative issues and his numbers are continuing to climb in the states where he is campaigning, as he has moved to third place in polls in Iowa and New Hampshire.

"I am the most conservative person in the race for president," said Scott, adding that his message is different than what the frontrunner, former President Donald Trump is offering.

"[We are] bringing manufacturing home," said Scott. "We are talking about we are in the midst of an economic Cold War with China, having the ability to secure our borders and stop 70,000 Americans from losing their lives to fentanyl." But "more importantly," he said, his campaign is "addressing the failures of the radical left and Joe Biden."

"Americans continue to face crippling inflation, 16% since [he took] office," said Scott. "As a guy raised in a single-parent household, mired in poverty, when my mom's gas goes up by 40%, the electricity by 20%, food by 20%, this is a crisis."

He added that his life "disproves the narrative of the left but also reinforces that in America any kid from anywhere at any time can rise beyond their circumstances because we as a nation continue to provide opportunities not based on the color of your skin but by your character, your grit, and your talent."