6 hours ago
Last Updated:June 19, 2025, 20:13 IST
Barack Obama criticised the Donald Trump administration, questioning the White House's commitment to the democratic principles "long upheld by the United States. “
Former US President Barack Obama
Former US President Barack Obama issued a stark warning about the state of American democracy as he cautioned that the country is “dangerously close" to accepting behavior more aligned with autocracies than with democratic values.
Speaking at a public event in Hartford, Barack Obama criticised the Donald Trump administration, questioning the White House’s commitment to the democratic principles “long upheld by the United States. “
What we’re seeing right now … is not consistent with American democracy," he said, adding, “It is consistent with autocracies. It is consistent with Hungary under Orbán. It’s consistent with places that hold elections but do not otherwise observe what we think of as a fair system."
Barack Obama noted that while the US hasn’t crossed that line entirely, it is “dangerously close to normalising behavior like that." He criticized current federal leadership for demonstrating a “weak commitment" to the post–World War II norms of liberal democracy, including checks and balances and equal representation.
Barack Obama emphasized that defending democratic institutions requires more than activism. “There also has to be people in government in both parties who say, ‘Well, no, you can’t do that,’" he said.
Acknowledging the criticism over his low profile, Barack Obama said, “I’m still optimistic. I’m still the ‘hope’ guy."
Offering advice to young people, he urged them to embrace both passion and pragmatism, saying, “It is important to be impatient with injustice and cruelty… But if you want to deliver on change, then it’s a game of addition, not subtraction."
Barack Obama invoked Abraham Lincoln’s call to the nation’s “better angels." He said, “When people actually meet and get to know each other and work on a common endeavor… that’s not just the basis for democracy, but that’s the basis for our long-term salvation."
When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?"
When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?"
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
First Published:News world Barack Obama Warns US ‘Dangerously Close’ To Normalising Autocracy: 'But I’m Still Optimistic'
