https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/...0f4417ab89a36b17aaf395d586be2e74#site-content
Former President Barack Obama told donors at a recent event that it was incumbent on Democrats to produce tangible results for people if they hope to win elections and remain in power. Credit...Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times
By Reid J. Epstein
Reporting from Washington
July 14, 2025Updated 3:50 p.m. ET
Former President Barack Obama has a stern critique for members of his party: Too many have been cowed into silence.
In private remarks to party donors on Friday night, Mr. Obama scolded Democrats for failing to speak out against President Trump and his policies, suggesting they were shrinking from the challenge out of fear of retribution.
“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,” Mr. Obama said at a fund-raiser for the Democratic National Committee at the home of Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey.
“What I have been surprised by is the degree to which I’ve seen people who, when I was president, or progressives, liberals, stood for all kinds of stuff, who seem like they’re kind of cowed and intimidated and shrinking away from just asserting what they believe, or at least what they said they believe,” he added.
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Locked out of power in Washington, Democrats have been largely arguing among themselves about how to confront a hostile Trump administration. Mr. Obama’s remarks were circulated by his office on Monday.
He expressed particular disdain for law firms that he said had been willing to “set aside the law” in response to Mr. Trump’s actions “not because, by the way, that they’re going to be thrown in jail, but because they might lose a few clients and might not be able to finish that kitchen rehab at their Hampton house. I’m not impressed.”
Mr. Obama did not mention Columbia University, his alma mater, which is on the verge of paying hundreds of millions of dollars to settle with the Trump administration over accusations it permitted antisemitism on campus, or name any of the prominent Democratic law firms that have made deals with Mr. Trump’s White House.
But the former president’s comments were interpreted by people in the room as a critique of the party’s elites for having gone quiet when they were sorely needed to step up, according to a person who attended.
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The excerpts provided by Mr. Obama’s office contained no evidence of physician-heal-thyself reflectiveness. Mr. Obama, after all, has scarcely been at the tip of the Democratic spear in resisting Mr. Trump. He has issued few public statements opposing Trump administration actions and has yet to appear this year at a rally, town hall or other public event staged by opponents of Mr. Trump.
Mr. Obama has spent much of his post-presidential life producing movies, documentaries and podcasts while building a beachfront compound in Hawaii and playing golf on Martha’s Vineyard.
Last month, Mr. Obama appeared in a conversation in Connecticut with the celebrity historian Heather Cox Richardson during which he said the country was “dangerously close” to sliding into autocracy.
On Friday, not only did Mr. Obama scold Democrats who have failed to speak out against Mr. Trump and his administration, he also appeared to mock the level of sacrifice or risk-taking that doing so required. He invoked the nine-foot-by-nine-foot prison cell in which Nelson Mandela spent 27 years, saying, “Nobody’s asking for that kind of courage.”
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Mr. Obama warned that the country was in danger of backsliding on the steady social progress it has made since World War II — a period “in which everything kept getting better, more or less,” he said.
“For most of our lives, it was easy to stand for equality and justice, et cetera,” Mr. Obama said. “You didn’t really have to make a lot of sacrifices. That hasn’t been true for most of human history or American history. It’s still not true in most of the world. So these are moments where your values are tested and you have to stand up for them.”
“Don’t tell me you’re a Democrat, but you’re kind of disappointed right now, so you’re not doing anything,” Mr. Obama 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. It is, you know, what’s needed now is courage.”
During the fund-raiser, Mr. Obama praised the Democratic nominees for governor of New Jersey, Representative Mikie Sherrill, and Virginia, former Representative Abigail Spanberger. He also urged donors to contribute to the Democratic National Committee, which his own aides worked to diminish during his presidency.
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Mr. Obama also waded into a dispute between the party’s left and some moderates, telling the donors that, whatever their ideology, it was incumbent on Democrats to produce tangible results for voters if they hoped to win elections and regain power.
“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.”
Reid J. Epstein covers campaigns and elections from Washington. Before joining The Times in 2019, he worked at The Wall Street Journal, Politico, Newsday and The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
See more on: Barack Obama, Donald Trump, U.S. Politics, Democratic Party
Democrats Must ‘Toughen Up’ Against Trump, Obama Tells Donors
Frustrated that prominent Democrats have not fought harder, former President Barack Obama said in a speech that his party’s leaders needed to step up.
Former President Barack Obama told donors at a recent event that it was incumbent on Democrats to produce tangible results for people if they hope to win elections and remain in power. Credit...Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times
By Reid J. Epstein
Reporting from Washington
July 14, 2025Updated 3:50 p.m. ET
Former President Barack Obama has a stern critique for members of his party: Too many have been cowed into silence.
In private remarks to party donors on Friday night, Mr. Obama scolded Democrats for failing to speak out against President Trump and his policies, suggesting they were shrinking from the challenge out of fear of retribution.
“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,” Mr. Obama said at a fund-raiser for the Democratic National Committee at the home of Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey.
“What I have been surprised by is the degree to which I’ve seen people who, when I was president, or progressives, liberals, stood for all kinds of stuff, who seem like they’re kind of cowed and intimidated and shrinking away from just asserting what they believe, or at least what they said they believe,” he added.
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Locked out of power in Washington, Democrats have been largely arguing among themselves about how to confront a hostile Trump administration. Mr. Obama’s remarks were circulated by his office on Monday.
He expressed particular disdain for law firms that he said had been willing to “set aside the law” in response to Mr. Trump’s actions “not because, by the way, that they’re going to be thrown in jail, but because they might lose a few clients and might not be able to finish that kitchen rehab at their Hampton house. I’m not impressed.”
Mr. Obama did not mention Columbia University, his alma mater, which is on the verge of paying hundreds of millions of dollars to settle with the Trump administration over accusations it permitted antisemitism on campus, or name any of the prominent Democratic law firms that have made deals with Mr. Trump’s White House.
But the former president’s comments were interpreted by people in the room as a critique of the party’s elites for having gone quiet when they were sorely needed to step up, according to a person who attended.
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
The excerpts provided by Mr. Obama’s office contained no evidence of physician-heal-thyself reflectiveness. Mr. Obama, after all, has scarcely been at the tip of the Democratic spear in resisting Mr. Trump. He has issued few public statements opposing Trump administration actions and has yet to appear this year at a rally, town hall or other public event staged by opponents of Mr. Trump.
Mr. Obama has spent much of his post-presidential life producing movies, documentaries and podcasts while building a beachfront compound in Hawaii and playing golf on Martha’s Vineyard.
Last month, Mr. Obama appeared in a conversation in Connecticut with the celebrity historian Heather Cox Richardson during which he said the country was “dangerously close” to sliding into autocracy.
On Friday, not only did Mr. Obama scold Democrats who have failed to speak out against Mr. Trump and his administration, he also appeared to mock the level of sacrifice or risk-taking that doing so required. He invoked the nine-foot-by-nine-foot prison cell in which Nelson Mandela spent 27 years, saying, “Nobody’s asking for that kind of courage.”
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Mr. Obama warned that the country was in danger of backsliding on the steady social progress it has made since World War II — a period “in which everything kept getting better, more or less,” he said.
“For most of our lives, it was easy to stand for equality and justice, et cetera,” Mr. Obama said. “You didn’t really have to make a lot of sacrifices. That hasn’t been true for most of human history or American history. It’s still not true in most of the world. So these are moments where your values are tested and you have to stand up for them.”
“Don’t tell me you’re a Democrat, but you’re kind of disappointed right now, so you’re not doing anything,” Mr. Obama 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. It is, you know, what’s needed now is courage.”
During the fund-raiser, Mr. Obama praised the Democratic nominees for governor of New Jersey, Representative Mikie Sherrill, and Virginia, former Representative Abigail Spanberger. He also urged donors to contribute to the Democratic National Committee, which his own aides worked to diminish during his presidency.
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Mr. Obama also waded into a dispute between the party’s left and some moderates, telling the donors that, whatever their ideology, it was incumbent on Democrats to produce tangible results for voters if they hoped to win elections and regain power.
“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.”
Reid J. Epstein covers campaigns and elections from Washington. Before joining The Times in 2019, he worked at The Wall Street Journal, Politico, Newsday and The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
See more on: Barack Obama, Donald Trump, U.S. Politics, Democratic Party
More on the Democratic Party’s Troubles
- Can Democrats Find Their Way?: The country’s steady march to the right since 2016 reveals the extent of the transformation in the Trump era and the severity of the Democrats’ problems. As the party considers the 2026 midterm elections, it is scrambling to adapt on issues like immigration, policing and transgender rights.
- The Search for a Path Forward: Top party officials are weighing how to rebuild and connect with voters. Megadonors are being pushed to fund efforts to counter the G.O.P.’s online clout, and a group of Democratic thinkers are drafting a “Project 2029.”
- A New Generation of Leadership?: A generational divide is one of the party’s deepest rifts and younger Democrats, frustrated with the establishment, are announcing runs for office and notching big wins. Some with records of winning tough races are forming a new group with ambitions to remake their party. But with new energy comes new risks.
- The Party’s Other Challenges: The Democratic National Committee has been plagued by infighting and a drop in big donations. ActBlue, the party’s fund-raising organization, is in turmoil. Senate Democrats face long odds to retake a majority, and one battleground state looks particularly bumpy for the party.
- Looking to 2028: A long list of top Democrats seem to be mulling a presidential bid. Five big midterm questions could ultimately shape who runs.
No shit. Since their puppets, of corporate donors. It's very unlikely to happen.
