On Thursday, Former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris delivered remarks on the state of the United States of America. Each of them particularly emphasised on the state of the country under President Donald Trump’s second term and heavily criticized his administration’s recent actions.
Barack Obama preceded Donald Trump’s first term, and he sharply criticized Trump’s efforts to reshape the federal government, the policies on dissent and immigration, and intimidate news outlets and the legal establishment.
“So, this is the first time I’ve been speaking publicly for a while,” Obama said during his on-stage interview at Hamilton College. “I’ve been watching for a little bit.”
“Imagine if I had done any of this,” Obama states, later adding: “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.”
“Our Nation’s Courts Are Broken”: President Trump SLAMS “Rigged System” After Corrupt Obama Judge Boasberg Was Assigned To ANOTHER Lawsuit Involving His Administration! I’m LIVE Covering This RIGHT NOW! Tune In! https://t.co/EoVzG4FO2K… https://t.co/GigmgMAHdH
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones24) March 27, 2025
As per CNN, the former president went on to explain that he does not think Trump’s new tariff announcement “is going to be good for America.” However, Obama said that he is even more concerned with what he describes as the “White House’s infringement of rights.”
“I’m more deeply concerned with a federal government that threatens universities if they don’t give up students who are exercising their right to free speech,” Obama remarked to the crowd of college students. “The idea that a White House can say to law firms, if you represent parties that we don’t like, we’re going to pull all our business or bar you from representing people effectively. Those kinds of – that kind of behavior is contrary to the basic compact we have as Americans.”
Obama had previously warned of the dangers the country would face if Trump was reelected. While he was campaigning for Kamala Harris during the final stretch of the 2024 presidential race. “Just because (Trump) acts goofy,” the former president said at the time, “doesn’t mean his presidency wouldn’t be dangerous.”
https://youtu.be/-CGzw7OphQo?si=8k20YriS-GoL-mc3
In a separate speech on Thursday, Kamala Harris said Donald Trump’s moves since he has returned to office were largely predictable.
“There were many things we knew would happen,” Harris said in a video of her remarks at the Leading Women Defined Summit. “I’m not here to say I told you so,” Harris added before laughing. Harris explained she recognizes that since Donald Trump has returned to the Oval Office has created “a great sense of fear.”
“We are seeing organizations stay quiet. We are seeing those who are capitulating to clearly unconstitutional threats. And these are the things that we are witnessing, each day in the last few months in our country and it understandably creates a great sense of fear,” Harris said.
Earlier this week, Trump signed a contract with Willkie Farr & Gallagher, the law firm that employs former second gentleman Doug Emhoff, in which the firm agreed to deliver at least $100 million in pro bono legal services throughout his second term. It was another example of high-profile firms negotiating deals with the White House, as Trump has targeted companies that have worked with his perceived political adversaries.
Obama: “fifteen years ago, I signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Now nearly 50 million people have received health care.
With everything going on right now, it’s easy to feel like regular folks can’t make a difference – but…change is possible.”
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) March 23, 2025
Emhoff addressed the matter before the Willkie agreement was announced. He said, “The rule of law is under attack. Democracy is under attack. And so, all of us lawyers need to do what we can to push back on that.”
Kamala Harris’ remarks on Thursday, which were first reported by MSNBC in a video, are her most direct comments since the start of Donald Trump’s second term. The former vice president, who lost to Trump in the November election, went on to suggest that courage is “contagious,” just as fear is.
“Fear has a way of being contagious. When one person has fear, it has a way of spreading to those around them and spreading. And we are witnessing that, no doubt,” Harris said at the gathering of female leaders of color.
“But I say this also, my dear friends, courage is also contagious,” she added.
