Advanced Trump’s first term, Obama has pointedly criticised Trump for his efforts to rebuild the federal government, repression of immigration and objections, and for threatening the press and legal facilities.
“So this is the first time I’ve spoken publicly for a while,” Obama said in an on-stage interview at Hamilton College. “I’ve looked a bit.”
“If I had done this, Obama later added, “I can’t imagine that the same political party that is now silent would have allowed me, or my bundle of predecessors.”
Obama went on to say that Trump’s new tariff announcements do not seem “good for America.” However, he said he was more interested in what he described as an infringement of White House rights.
“I have a deep interest in the federal government that threatens universities if they don’t give up on students who exercise their rights to free speech,” Obama told the crowd of college students. “The idea that the White House can tell the law firm. If you represent a party we dislike, we prohibit pulling out all our business or representing people effectively. Such actions go against the basic compact we have as Americans.”
While campaigning for Harris during the final stretch of the 2024 presidential election, President Obama had previously warned about the dangers the country faces if Trump is re-elected. “Just because (Trump) acts dumb,” the former president said at the time, “it doesn’t mean that his presidency is not dangerous.”
MNA/