In a rare public rebuke of President Trump’s second term, former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris delivered scathing remarks on the state of American democracy, warning of an unprecedented erosion of civil liberties and constitutional norms.
At Hamilton College, Obama expressed deep concern over the administration’s aggressive reshaping of the federal government, highlighting a crackdown on immigration, dissent, and a growing intolerance for independent media and legal voices.
He recalled that the same political tolerance and deference he once received would never have been extended to him, suggesting that the silence of many political actors now would have been unimaginable during his time in office.
Obama also criticized Trump’s recent tariff announcement, cautioning that while the economic impact might be significant, the more alarming threat lay in the White House’s increasingly heavy-handed measures against free speech and independent institutions.
Pointing to efforts to pressure universities and law firms, he condemned the idea that the government should dictate who gets to speak or represent whom, arguing that such actions undermine the very foundations of the American constitutional compact.
In a separate address at the Leading Women Defined Summit, Kamala Harris described many of Trump’s moves since his return as not surprising but entirely predictable, reflecting a deliberate strategy to intimidate and control.
Harris acknowledged a growing atmosphere of fear across the nation, noting that organizations are increasingly silenced and capitulating to what she termed “clearly unconstitutional threats.”
She emphasized that while fear is contagious, so too is courage, urging citizens and leaders alike to stand firm against the administration’s erosion of democratic norms.
Harris referenced a recent agreement between the White House and a major law firm—obliging the firm to provide significant pro bono legal services—as yet another example of high-profile entities being drawn into the president’s web of political favoritism.
Both former leaders warned that the current trajectory poses severe risks to the nation’s democratic institutions, with Obama reminding listeners that his warnings during the 2024 campaign were alarmingly prescient.
As the debate over the rule of law intensifies, the strong words from Obama and Harris resonate as a rallying cry for those committed to preserving the core principles of American governance in the face of growing authoritarian tendencies.
