When it comes to criticism of President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama has been relatively silent, so much so that some have criticized him for not using his platform to call out some of the dangerous policies implemented by the current administration.
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But now, it looks he’s just as concerned about the current state of things as many other Americans are, and he’s ready to start talking about it.
During an Oct. 13 appearance on comedian Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast, our Forever President explained why he’s kept quiet for so long. But he also didn’t miss an opportunity to let us know how he really feels about Trump’s job performance, including his decision to deploy National Guard troops in American cities like Chicago.
Obama told Maron that he’d hoped to use his time outside of the White House to help groom the next generation of leaders in the Democratic Party.
“I tried to be a little bit disciplined about recognizing that I’d moved on to a new phase where I did not have formal power,” he said. “And so more than anything, for the long term, what I could do that would be most helpful would be to start promoting, lifting up, shining a spotlight on that next generation of leadership.”
But Obama also noted that the current occupant of the White House is operating by a completely different set of rules – rules he says are governed by values that are the “opposite” of those he and Former First Lady Michelle Obama tried to project.
“I think there is no doubt that a lot of the norms, civic habits, expectations, institutional guardrails that we had, that we took for granted for our democracy, have been weakened deliberately,” he continued. “I don’t think they’ve been destroyed, but they’ve been damaged and they’ve been systematic about it.”
Obama went on to speak out forcefully against what he believes is the current administration’s move to politicize the military.
“When you have militaries that can direct force against their own people, that is inherently corrupting,” he said. “When you see an administration suggest that ordinary street crime is an insurrection or a terrorist act, that is a genuine effort to weaken how we have understood democracy, that was understood by Democrats and Republicans.”
Most people who listened to the conversation were happy to hear Obama’s perspective, with many commenters begging him to keep talking.
“My God our country needs you right now, I need you. Please find a way to speak to us more often,” wrote someone on YouTube.
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