Transcription
Hey everybody, it's Barack and I am here with my good friend, Attorney General Eric Holder, because we're facing an existential threat to our democracy and we need your help. Right now, in states across the country like Texas and Florida, these extreme conservative politicians are announcing and acting on plans to slice and dice house districts with the goal of preserving their own power while diluting the voting power of communities of color. They're doing the same thing in Ohio, trying to give one party control over almost 90% of congressional seats.
Rather than facing their voters at the polls next year, they're trying to silence them instead. In a rare and pointed critique, former President Barack Obama has publicly rebuked President Donald Trump again. This time taking aim at Trump's policies that Obama believes undermines democratic norms and institutions. This marks the third time in consecutive weeks the former president has decided to speak out against the man that succeeded him as president. First, during a recent event at Hamilton College, Obama addressed what he described as quote unimaginable actions by the Trump administration. He discussed the Trump administration's threats against universities and law firms that he believes is contrary to the basic principles of American democracy.
"Imagine if I had done any of this. Let, let me just, I, I, I just, I just want to be clear about this. I, I imagine that. Imagine if I had pulled Fox News's credentials from the White House press corps. You're laughing, but no, that this is what's happening. Imagine if I, I'd said to law firms that were representing parties that were upset with policies my administration had initiated that you will not be allowed into government buildings. We will punish you economically for dissenting from the Affordable Care Act or the Iran deal. We will ferret out students who protest against my policies. 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. So, I, and I say this, I say this not on a partisan basis. This has to do with something more precious, which is who are we as a country and what values do we stand for?"
Before turning his attention to Republican efforts to gerrymander and why he supports Gavin Newsome's response, and he put out this video alongside Eric Holder in a video posted to X.
"Hey everybody, it's Barack and I am here with my good friend, Attorney General Eric Holder, because we're facing an existential threat to our democracy and we need your help. Right now, in states across the country like Texas and Florida, these extreme conservative politicians are announcing and acting on plans to slice and dice house districts with a goal of preserving their own power while diluting the voting power of communities of color. They're doing the same thing in Ohio, trying to give one party control over almost 90% of congressional seats. Rather than facing their voters at the polls next year, they're trying to silence them instead. Eric and I started the NDRC to win fights like this. So, if you want your voice to be heard in next year's midterm elections and beyond, help us meet this moment and preserve our democracy. You've got countries all around the world where the elections are fixed and whoever's in charge suppresses and makes it hard for the opposition to compete. And we used to be a shining example to those countries and people would aspire to the kind of true democracy that America has and and we need to get back to that because that's not just a Democratic or Republican idea. That's an American idea. That's what we're fighting for."
Now, as we know, Obama has continued to express particular concern of the administration's attempts to intimidate institutions that dissent from its policies, as well as trying to manipulate the midterms and utilize the military against its own citizens.
"Okay, let's say a Democratic president had absolutely no respect for Congress, a co-equal branch, appropriating funds, right? To determine tariff policy. You'd be saying, 'What is this? This isn't what the Constitution wanted.' Let's say that a Democrat was deploying the Yes, you would. Don't. Then you're a bad constitutionalist. Let's say that a Democrat was deploying the National Guard to cities controlled by Republicans. Let's say that a Democratic president was shaking down private businesses and saying, 'Give me 10% of intel and maybe I'll make things more favorable.' That's not your bias to every one of these things. And then you expect us to agree with you. Exactly what Donald Trump is doing, but in the form of Barack Obama on the 11th anniversary of Tan Suitgate, I might add. Let's say a Democratic president said, 'I would like to control what goes in our museums. I would like to control American life on campuses.' We could play this dystopian universe forever, but it's now 5:27. He didn't. He did. They're saying, 'Sorry, we have to go.' But you know that if a Democrat president was doing any of these things, it would be outrage. I do my mind. I know you well enough. No, you. Yes, I know you very well. Typical. Oh, you. All right? You have now absolutely gone too far."
These comments have sparked a renewed national conversation about the state of American democracy and the role of institutions in holding power accountable. And as we know, they're bound to rile up the man in the Oval Office, a man that rarely has Obama's name out of his mouth. I mean, he questioned Obama's legitimacy, repeatedly promoting the birther conspiracy, which we know.
"Certificate obsession. Did he ask to see yours when you met him? Well, I needed to put mine anyway because if you want to become an American citizen, you need to put the, the birth certificate. I have a birth certificate from Slovenia. And do you want to see President Obama's birth certificate? I've seen it. I've seen it. It's. It's not a birth certificate. Well, it's a, it's a certificate of live birth, which they give. But Melania, that if they, if he insists on what he's saying, then no one in Hawaii can ever run for president because they all get the same live birth certificate. Well, but they need to have. Is finished, for example. They need to have and in one way it will be very easy if President Obama just show it and because it's not only it's not only Donald who wants to see it, it's American people."
He criticized Obama's foreign policy and economic record in personal, often exaggerated terms, despite then taking credit for said economic record, which Obama, as we know, called him out for.
"And the reason some people think, wow, I don't know. I remember that economy when he first came in being pretty good. Yeah, it was pretty good because it was my economy. We had had 75 straight months of job growth that I handed over to him. It wasn't something he did. I spent 8 years cleaning up the mess that the Republicans had left me the last time. So, just in case everybody has a hazy memory, that he didn't, he didn't do nothing."
He mocked Obama's speeches, yes, this guy mocking someone else's speeches, oftentimes resorting to personal attacks, and of course, in his latest attempts, tried to blame him for the Epstein hoax that he himself promised to release. And remember, don't let them forget. It's so important. Obama cheated on the election. Look, the camera just went off. Obama, the red light just went off. Can you believe these people? How bad they are? Obama cheated. When they give you all nonsense, Obama cheated and his people cheated, but he was there. You ever hear this? They talk about, if, if they ever even mention it, they never mention his name. Just the opposite with me. But they only mention my name. They don't mention any of you guys. They don't mention Tom. They don't mention Steve. They don't mention our great speaker. They mention Trump all the time. I'd like to have him mention you. But remember this. Obama cheated on the election. And we have it cold, hard, blue, and it's getting even more so because the stuff that's coming in is not even believable. So, and, and you should mention that every time they give you a question that's, uh, not appropriate, just say, 'Oh, by the way, Obama cheated on the election.' You'll, you'll watch the camera turn off instantly."
So, rest assured, Obama throwing his weight behind Democrats' push to combat Republicans trying to gerrymander is bound to rile up their fearless leader.
"Donald Trump is here tonight. Now, I know that he's taken some flak lately, but no one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the Donald. And that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter. Like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac? [Applause] All kidding aside, obviously, we all know about your credentials and breadth of experience. Um, for example, uh, no, seriously, just recently in an episode of Celebrity Apprentice at the steakhouse, the men's cooking team, uh, did not impress the judges from Omaha Steaks, and there was a lot of blame to go around. But you, Mr. Trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of leadership. And so ultimately, you didn't blame Little John or Meatloaf. You fired Gary Busey. And these are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night. Well handled, sir. Well handled. Say what you will about, uh, Mr. Trump, he certainly would bring some change to the White House. Let's see what we've got up there. [Music] Thanks for watching. Be sure to add the Midas Touch podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts for new updates every single day. [Music]"