Former President Barack Obama shared his concerns on Tuesday about the state of American democracy, warning that the country may be on the brink of authoritarianism.
What Happened: Speaking in Hartford, Connecticut, with historian and Boston College professor Heather Cox Richardson, Obama said, "It is consistent with autocracies," when referring to recent political behavior under the Trump administration, according to Connecticut Public Radio. He emphasized that while the U.S. has not fully moved into authoritarian rule, "we are dangerously close to normalizing behavior like that."
Obama's criticism addressed not only the executive branch but also the Republican Party, citing false narratives about the 2020 election. "In 2020, one person won the election, and it wasn't the guy complaining about it. And that's just a fact, just like my inauguration had more people. I say that, by the way, not because — I don't care, but facts are important," he said.
Why It Matters: Obama also cautioned that several leaders in one of the nation's two major parties are willing to ignore facts: "In one of our major political parties, you have a whole bunch of people who know that's not true but will pretend like it is. And that is dangerous."
"If you follow regularly what is said by those who are in charge of the federal government right now, there is a weak commitment to what we understood – and not just my generation, at least since World War II – our understanding of how a liberal democracy is supposed to work," Obama said.
"There has to be a response and pushback from civil society, from various institutions and individuals outside of government, but there also have to be people in government in both parties who say, ‘No, you can’t do that,'" he added.
Despite his concerns, Obama expressed hope for the country's future. "I'm still the ‘hope' guy. I guess the thing when I'm talking to young people that they need to hear the most is, it is important to be impatient with injustice and cruelty," he said.
Earlier this week, referencing the ongoing crackdown on immigrants, Obama called for "dignity and respect." He also opposed Republican efforts to scale back major provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the "big, beautiful bill."
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