US President Barack Obama(R) and First Lady Michelle Obama(L) welcome Preisdent-elect Donald Trump(2nd-R) and his wife Melania to the White House in Washington, DC January 20, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / JIM WATSON
In a scathing rebuke of Donald Trumpโs presidency, former U.S. President Barack Obama accused the current administration of authoritarian behavior, alleging suppression of the press, attacks on political opponents, and a disturbing rollback of civil liberties.
Speaking during a conversation with Hamilton College President Steven Tepper, Obama condemned Trumpโs reported order to revoke The Associated Pressโs West Wing access after it refused to adopt the new term โGulf of America,โ following the presidentโs controversial rebranding of the Gulf of Mexico.
Obama warned that Trumpโs policiesโsuch as cutting university funding over diversity programs and threatening law firms that represent criticsโpose a dangerous threat to democracy. โImagine if I had pulled Fox Newsโ credentials,โ Obama quipped, highlighting what he called glaring partisan double standards.
He also blasted the Department of Educationโs directive targeting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, calling it a โchilling attackโ on academic freedom and student rights.
The former president further criticized the GOPโs silence, suggesting that the same behavior under a Democratic administration would provoke national outrage. โThis is not conservatism. This is creeping authoritarianism,โ he warned.
Touching on Americaโs gun crisis, Obama denounced the continued inaction on firearm reform, particularly the prevalence of semi-automatic weapons.
Now focused on the Obama Foundation and his upcoming memoirs, the former president urged citizens to โfix whatโs broken,โ calling on everyday Americans to protect the democratic values under threat.
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