PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Former President Barack Obama addressed the necessity of potential sacrifices to oppose the policies of President Donald J. Trump.
👥 Who’s Involved: Barack Obama and the Trump administration.
📍 Where & When: Hamilton College, Clinton, New York, on Thursday night.
💬 Key Quote: “You may actually have to do something and possibly sacrifice a little bit.” — Barack Obama.
⚠️ Impact: Obama criticized the Trump administration for challenging the post-World War II global order and urged active resistance against Trump’s policies, especially from law firms and universities.
IN FULL:
During a speech Thursday at Hamilton College, former President Barack Obama said it is no longer enough for those on the political left to call themselves progressives or say they are for social justice, emphasizing that action and sacrifices may be needed to resist the policies of President Donald J. Trump. Speaking to the college’s students, the Democrat former president also argued that universities and law firms must become more active in partisan political action against the Trump administration.
“It has been easy during most of our lifetimes to say you are a progressive, or say you are for social justice, or say you are for free speech, and not have to pay a price for it,” Obama said. “And now we’re in one of those moments when… it’s not enough just to say you’re for something. You may actually have to do something and possibly sacrifice a little bit.”
Demanding that universities, law firms, and other typically non-political organizations become more active in partisan resistance to Trump, former President Obama argued: “It’s unimaginable that the same parties that are silent now would have tolerated behavior like that from me or a whole bunch of my predecessors.”
The Democrat went on to defend the post-World War II global order, which has aligned itself against American interests in recent decades. “All of you have grown up in an international order that was created by America after World War II. … This is an important moment because, in the last two months, the U.S. government has been trying to destroy that order,” he said, repeating the Democrat trope that Trump is a threat to democracy: “Democracy is pretty recent in its vintage. An international order where you cooperate instead of fight is new. It’s fragile.”
Obama’s comments come in response to actions by President Trump to sanction law firms that have engaged in partisan lawfare action against conservative officials, candidates, and members of his administration—including himself.
Additionally, the Trump administration is moving to deport foreign nationals in the U.S. on student visas if they engage in pro-Hamas activities.