However, this time, Obama has a more bleak opinion of the US’s future under the Trump administration and has warned that what is happening is ‘not consistent with American democracy’.
Speaking on Tuesday evening (June 17) in Hartford, Connecticut, he said that the nation was instead moving ‘dangerously close’ to becoming an autocracy.
He also gave examples of what kind of real-world nations the US could become like politically if things continue to move in this direction.
What is an autocracy?
An autocracy is a form of government in which one individual has absolute decision-making power. This form of rule isn’t new and has existed throughout history in the form of emperors and kings, according to National Geographic.
In more modern times, it is realized in absolute monarchies and dictatorships. Autocratic rulers are not accountable to anyone, including advisors, judicial systems, the people, or the press.
The people governed under autocracies also have no say in determining the country’s laws or how they are enforced.
What did Barack Obama say about the US under Trump?
Obama made it clear that he believes the US is creeping closer to autocratic rule.
At the event, he said: “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.
“What we’re seeing right now … is not consistent with American democracy.
“It is consistent with autocracies. It is consistent with Hungary under Orbán. It’s consistent with places that hold elections but do not otherwise observe what we think of [as] a fair system in which everybody’s voice matters, and people have a seat at the table, and there are checks and balances, and nobody’s above the law.
“We’re not there yet completely, but I think that we are dangerously close to normalizing behavior like that.”
Why is this relevant now?
Last weekend (June 14), protests against Trump’s policies began popping up across the US, dubbed ‘No King’ rallies.
Reportedly, more than 2,000 protests occurred across all 50 states, with organizers saying they hoped to ‘reject authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy,’ according to a CNN report.
As well as this, there had been protests against Trump for his support of ICE and their conduct in Los Angeles, in addition to the fact that the President called in the National Guard to deal with the unrest.
Obama praised the effort to spark change, however, he stressed the importance of elected officials protecting US institutions, adding: “There also has to be people in government in both parties who say, ‘Well, no, you can’t do that.”
What is Barack Obama’s solution?
While Obama highlighted what he believes are the dangers of the current administration, his speech was not without its optimism.
Despite his criticisms, he noted how he thinks the nation can get back on track while also offering guidance to young people growing up.
He said: “I’m still optimistic — I’m still the ‘hope’ guy. … I guess the thing when I’m talking to these young people, though, [what] they need to hear the most is: It is important to be impatient with injustice and cruelty, and there’s a healthy outrage that we should be exhibiting in terms of what’s currently happening both here and around the world.
“But if you want to deliver on change, then it’s a game of addition, not subtraction, which means you have to find ways to make common ground with people who don’t agree with you on everything but agree with you on some things.”
Reflecting on the future of democracy in the US, Obama reiterated the importance of finding common ground and coming together, adding: “When people actually meet and they get to know each other and then they work on a common endeavor, then what Lincoln called those ‘better angels’ come out.
“People start recognizing themselves in each other and they start trusting each other, and that’s not just the basis for democracy, but that’s the basis for our long-term salvation.”
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