*During a podcast conversation released Saturday, former President Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump and his administration, characterizing their public conduct as a “clown show.”
The remarks came in response to a question from YouTube host Brian Tyler Cohen about what he described as a decline in political discourse under the current administration. The discussion followed widespread backlash over a video Trump shared on Truth Social that portrayed Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. Although the post was later taken down, Trump did not apologize. Obama did not reference the video directly but addressed what he sees as troubling behavior and rhetoric from the White House.
“I think it’s important to recognize that the majority of the American people find this behavior deeply troubling,” Obama said. “It is true that it gets attention. It’s true that it’s a distraction.”
He continued by pointing to what he described as enduring public values across the country, noting that the American people “still believe in decency, courtesy, kindness, and there’s this sort of clown show that’s happening in social media and on television.” Obama added, “And what is true is that there doesn’t seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sort of decorum and a sense of propriety and respect for the office [of the president], right?”
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Obama also voiced alarm over the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota. “The rogue behavior of agents of the federal government … is deeply concerning and dangerous,” he said.
He expanded on that criticism, stating, “This is not the America we believe in, and we’re going to fight back, and we’re going to push back with the truth and with cameras and with peaceful protests and shining a light on the sort of behavior that in the past we’ve seen in authoritarian countries and we’ve seen in dictatorships, but we have not seen in America.”
Beyond his critique of the Trump administration, Obama turned to the Democratic Party’s future, encouraging competitive primaries in 2028. “We shouldn’t be afraid of having a robust debate. I want all comers to sort this out. I benefited from having about as grueling a primary as I could have. It made me a better candidate. It ultimately made me a better president because I had been tested. My ideas had been tested,” he said.
Watch Obama’s podcast interview below.
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