Former U.S. President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris commented on the states of the country under President Donald Trump’s second term on Thursday, April 3, and criticized the administration’s recent actions.
Prior to Trump’s first term, Obama harshly criticized Trump’s efforts to reshape the federal government, suppressed immigration and dissent, and intimidated news media and legal institutions.
“So, this is my first public speech,” Obama said in a stage interview at Hamilton College. “I’ve been watching.”
Obama later added: “Imagine if I did anything, the same party that is silent now would tolerate such behavior to me or a whole bunch of my exes.”
Obama went on to say he believes Trump’s new tariff announcement “will be good for the United States.” But, he said he was more concerned about what he called the White House’s rights violations.
“I care more about a federal government that threatens the university if they don’t give up on exercising the right to freedom of speech,” Obama told the college student population.
“The White House can say the idea about law firms, if you represent a political party we don’t like, we will make all our businesses or prohibit you from representing people effectively. This behavior is the opposite of the basic compact we have as Americans.”
Harris said in a separate speech on Thursday that his move since Trump returned to office was basically predictable.
“We know a lot will happen,” Harris said in a video of her speech at the Summit of Leading Women’s Definition. “I’m not here to say that I’m telling you,” she said with a smile.
Harris said she recognized that Trump’s return to the Oval Office had “a great sense of fear”.
“We are seeing organizations keep quiet. We are seeing people who are succumbing to obvious unconstitutional threats. This is something we witnessed, and there is a great sense of fear every day in our country’s last few months.”
Earlier this week, Trump announced a deal with law firms that hired former second gentleman, Willkie Farr & Gallagher – the president said the company agreed to provide at least $100 million in Pro Bono legal services in its second term. This is another example of a deal for businesses to reach with the White House as Trump targets companies that work with what he believes are political enemies.
Before the Wilkie agreement was announced, Emerf told the matter: “The rule of law is under attack. Democracy is under attack. So all our lawyers need to do what we can to delay that.”
Harris’s speech on Thursday (the first reported by MSNBC) was her most direct comment since the beginning of Trump’s second term.
The former U.S. vice president, who lost to Trump in the November election, went on to say that despite fear being “contagious”, so did courage.
“Fear has a contagious way. When a person has fear, it spreads to those around him and spreads. We undoubtedly witnessed this,” Harris said at a gathering of female leaders of color.
She added: “But I say the same, dear friends, courage is also contagious.”
