Obama Says Trump Crime Crackdown ‘Not Our Idea Of America’

He compared the current moment to prior periods of political tension in American history, including the McCarthy era, and said public engagement is necessary.

“What’s required in these situations is a few folks standing up and giving courage to other folks,” Obama said. “And then more people stand up and kind of go, yeah, no, that’s not who we are.”

Obama encouraged individuals and institutions to push back against what he sees as overreach. “If enough people start not being in a fetal position, but also not being just not worrying about it and detached from it, being vigilant, and also saying, you know what – yeah, we can stand up to this,” he said.

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