Conservatives took to social media to slam former President Barack Obama after he delivered his first post-election speech lamenting political polarization.
In a speech Thursday at the Obama Foundation’s Democracy Forum, President Obama said that if “one side” were to “suppress votes,” “politicize” the military, or weaponize the judicial and criminal justice systems, “a permanent He argued that if the government seeks to solidify its grip on power, If you target an enemy, you have “crossed the line.”
“Pluralism is not about holding hands and singing ‘Kumbaya,'” President Obama said. “It’s not about abandoning your beliefs or folding when things get tough. In a democracy, power comes only from those who forge alliances, who build coalitions, and who are awakened within those coalitions. It’s about recognizing what comes from making room for people who are awake and awake.
“Purity testing is not the secret to long-term success.”
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Former President Obama and President-elect Trump (AP image)
Obama’s speech immediately drew strong criticism from conservatives.
“Obama is finished,” journalist Miranda Devine wrote on X. “The curse has been broken. Donald Trump, Biden, Harris, Bush, Cheney, all of them have been defeated by the force of the spring.”
Conservative radio host Buck Sexton said, “Since he desperately smeared Trump at the last minute with the lie that “both sides are very good people,” Barack Obama has become the Democratic Party’s false prophet. “We have been slow to realize that our status as such is over,” he posted on X. .
Eagles’ Jalen Hurts had no intention of playing golf with Obama and had a debatable excuse as to why: “He didn’t want these issues.”
Former President Obama attends the Obama Foundation’s 2024 Democracy Forum in Chicago on December 5, 2024. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“Obama has changed our politics to ‘If you don’t agree with me, you’re a bad person,'” Republican communicator Matt Whitlock wrote. “Very few people have done that, and Mr. Trump can take the seat.”
“By voting in a democratic election, millions of people have proven that they hate democracy,” author John Gabriel wrote on X. He has intelligence.”
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President-elect Trump waves with Kid Rock, Dana White and Elon Musk at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“Aside from the incredible hypocrisy here, this is also the man who is launching a project to reduce our political divisions, riding a horse and looking down with dismay at the unwashed masses. , this is Obama at his peak while publicly lamenting the problem,” Fox News contributor Guy Benson posted on X.
In his remarks, President Obama said, “I am convinced that if democracy as we understand it is to survive, people must strive for a renewed commitment to the principles of pluralism.” ‘ he claimed.
“Because the alternative is what we’ve seen here in the United States and in many democracies around the world. They are increasingly willing to violate democratic norms to get their way, using state power to target critics, journalists, and political opponents to gain and maintain power. even uses violence.
Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitberg contributed to this report
