Gambiaj.com – (Hartford, Connecticut) – Former President Barack Obama issued a stark warning on Tuesday about the fragile state of American democracy, describing the current political climate as increasingly resembling authoritarian regimes.
Speaking at a public event in Hartford hosted by Connecticut Public Radio, Obama said the political discourse and behavior under the Trump-aligned Republican leadership are “not consistent with American democracy.”
“It is consistent with autocracies,” he cautioned. “We’re not there yet completely, but I think that we are dangerously close to normalizing behavior like that.”
Obama was in conversation with Heather Cox Richardson, a Boston College professor and author of the widely followed Substack newsletter Letters from an American.
Their dialogue focused on democratic backsliding, political polarization, and the responsibility of citizens in upholding democratic values.
In a pointed critique of Republican leaders, Obama denounced the continued denial of the 2020 election results by many within the party.
“In 2020, one person won the election, and it wasn’t the guy complaining about it,” Obama said, alluding to President Donald Trump without naming him.
“That’s just a fact – just like my inauguration had more people. I say that, by the way, not because – I don’t care, but facts are important.”
Obama lamented what he sees as a widespread acceptance of political falsehoods within GOP leadership. “In one of our major political parties, you have a whole bunch of people who know that’s not true but will pretend like it is,” he said. “And that is dangerous.”
While his critique centered largely on the Republican Party and its post-2020 trajectory, Obama also expressed concern about a broader erosion in democratic norms.
He warned that the current federal leadership lacks a firm commitment to the foundational principles of liberal democracy.
“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… since World War II – our understanding of how a liberal democracy is supposed to work,” he said.
Despite his concerns, Obama said he remains hopeful. Referring to last weekend’s nationwide “No Kings” protests – a rebuke of political dynasties and authoritarian tendencies – the former president said public outrage and civic engagement are vital.
“I’m still the ‘hope’ guy,” he said. “It is important to be impatient with injustice and cruelty, and there’s a healthy outrage we should be exhibiting… But if you want to deliver on change, then it’s a game of addition, not subtraction. 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.”
Obama’s remarks come at a time of heightened political tension, as the country continues to wrestle with questions about the strength and resilience of its democratic institutions.
