‘Imagine if I had….’: Obama slams Trump over targeting students, journals and law firms | World News

Former US President Barack Obama on Friday delivered one of his sharpest critiques yet of Donald Trump’s adminration, warning that core American values are under threat and calling out what he sees as a dangerous silence from Republican leaders.Speaking at Hamilton College in New York, Obama said he is “deeply concerned” actions from the White House — from its crackdown on student protesters and universities to its pressure on law firms and the press — arguing that such behavior would never have been tolerated from any of his predecessors.
“It’s unimaginable that the same parties that are silent now would have tolerated behavior like that from me or a whole bunch of my predecessors,” Obama said, condemning the adminration’s decision to restrict Associated Press access after the agency refused to adopt Trump’s push to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
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“Imagine if I had pulled Fox News’ credentials from the White House press corps,” he added. “I say this not on a partisan basis. This has to do with something more precious, which is who are we as a country and what values do we stand for?”

OBAMA: “IMAGINE IF I HAD DONE ANY OF THIS… I say this not on a partisan basis. This has to do with something more precious — who are we as a country, and what values do we stand for?” pic.twitter.com/zSFKNzNDhR
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) April 4, 2025
Obama also urged ordinary Americans, colleges, and law firms to be prepared to “possibly sacrifice” in defence of democratic principles — setting the stage for a broader call to action.

“It is up to all of us to fix this,” Obama said, adding that his call was for “the citizen, the ordinary person who says, ‘No, that’s not right.’”
While he disagreed with Trump’s sweeping new tariffs, Obama expressed greater concern over the adminration’s threats to cut federal funding to universities that refuse to drop diversity programs or enforce controversial protest guidelines.
“I don’t think what we just witnessed in terms of economic policy and tariffs is going to be good for America, but that’s a specific policy,” Obama said.Story continues below this ad
“I’m more deeply concerned with a federal government that threatens universities if they don’t give up students who are exercising their right to free speech,” he added.

He urged schools and students to scrutinize whether they had genuinely broken any rules or were merely being bullied: “If not, and you’re just being intimidated, well, you should be able to say, ‘That’s why we got this big endowment.’”
The Trump adminration has targeted institutions like Columbia University for student protests linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict, accusing them of fostering antisemitism. Federal agents arrested two international students, citing immigration violations tied to their activism. In response to the loss of $400 million in grants, Columbia made sweeping policy changes, including banning protests in academic buildings and giving security officers arrest powers.
Harvard, Princeton, and other universities also face federal funding reviews over similar issues.Story continues below this ad
Obama also questioned the ethics of corporate law firms cooperating with Trump’s executive orders against attorneys involved in prosecuting him or representing political opponents of the adminration.

“Now we’re at one of those moments where, you know what? It’s not enough just to say you’re for something; you may actually have to do something,” he said.
Obama said that “hory zigs and zags and there are times of conflict and there are times of stupidity and there are times of danger”, adding that he wants people to stay resilient despite these changes.
“Don’t get discouraged,” he said. “I know it’s a little crazy right now, but we’re going to be OK.”