Barack Obama has shared a no-nonsense response to Americans who are frustrated with the way Donald Trump has been leading the country.
With Donald Trump back in the White House, a lot of Democrats are feeling frustrated, stuck, or just plain unsure of what to do next. There’s tension within the party, plenty of debate about what direction to take, and real concern over how to push back with any impact.
But Barack Obama has a pretty clear answer: get off the sidelines.
The former president showed up at a private fundraiser in Red Bank, New Jersey, on Friday night with a straight-talking message for Democrats: stop moping, stop waiting for someone else to fix things, and start showing up.
“Stop looking for the quick fix. Stop looking for the messiah. You have great candidates running races right now. Support those candidates,” Obama said during the event, which raised a huge $2.5 million for the Democratic National Committee. “Make sure that the DNC has what it needs to compete in what will be a more data-driven, more social media-driven cycle, which will cost some money and expertise and time.”
But that was just the warm-up. Obama had a bit of a reality check for anyone in the party who’s tuned out or thrown their hands up. “I think it’s going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions. And it’s going to require Democrats to just toughen up,” he said, via CNN.
“You know, don’t tell me you’re a Democrat, but you’re kind of disappointed right now, so you’re not doing anything. No, now is exactly the time that you get in there and do something,” he added.
“Don’t say that you care deeply about free speech and then you’re quiet. No, you stand up for free speech when it’s hard. When somebody says something that you don’t like, but you still say, ‘You know what, that person has the right to speak.’ … What’s needed now is courage.”
The event was hosted by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and his wife, Tammy, and also featured Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who’s running for governor in the state. Obama called her (and Virginia’s Democratic nominee, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger) “powerful spokespersons for a pragmatic, commonsense desire to help people and who both have remarkable track records of service.”
And while a lot of the party has been caught up in internal debates between progressive ideals and more moderate approaches like the so-called "abundance agenda," Obama made it clear that action matters more than ideological perfection.
“There’s been, I gather, some argument between the left of the party and people who are promoting the quote-unquote abundance agenda. Listen, those things are not contradictory. You want to deliver for people and make their lives better? You got to figure out how to do it,” he said.
“I don’t care how much you love working people. They can’t afford a house because all the rules in your state make it prohibitive to build. And zoning prevents multifamily structures because of NIMBY,” he added. “I don’t want to know your ideology, because you can’t build anything. It does not matter.”
Though Obama has been fairly quiet since Trump returned to office in January, he’s started speaking out more.
He’s previously called out Trump’s tariffs and warned that the U.S. is “dangerously close” to sliding into autocracy.
At Friday’s event, he said he’s “not surprised by what Trump’s done” and that “there are no more guardrails within the Republican Party.” He also urged institutions like law firms and universities to push back against pressure and intimidation from the current administration.
His message to everyday Democrats? It’s time to get uncomfortable.
“What’s being asked of us is make some effort to stand up for the things that you think are right,” he said. “And be willing to be a little bit uncomfortable in defense of your values. And in defense of the country. And in defense of the world that you want to leave to your children and your grandchildren.
"And if we all do that, if we do our jobs over the next year and a half, then I think we will rebuild momentum and we will position ourselves to get this country moving in the direction it should.”