Barack Obama is no fan of Donald Trump’s. His letting those feelings all come out for everyone to hear.
And what Obama just said about Trump will leave you completely furious.
Obama Sparks Debate by Calling Out Trump’s Media Crackdown—But His Own Past Tells a Different Story
Former President Barack Obama set the internet ablaze last week with a critique of President Donald Trump’s bold decision to shake up the White House press pool. Speaking at Hamilton College in New York on Thursday, Obama didn’t hold back, painting a vivid picture of the outrage that would’ve erupted had he pulled a similar stunt during his own time in office.
“Imagine if I had done any of this. Imagine if I had pulled Fox News’ credentials from the White House press corps,” Obama said. “You’re laughing, but this is what’s happening.”
The comment hit a nerve, especially given the irony that Obama’s own administration once flirted with sidelining Fox News. Back in 2009, his team tried to freeze out the network’s pool reporters, blocking them from interviewing Kenneth Feinberg, the so-called “executive-pay czar,” while granting access to other outlets. At the time, Obama’s crew openly questioned whether Fox even qualified as a legitimate news organization.
“We see Fox right now as the source and the outlet for Republican Party talking points,” Anita Dunn, then White House Communications Director, declared.
“And it’s fine if that’s, you know, how they want to build their business model. And we understand that. And it’s working for them and we understand that, as well. But we don’t think we need to treat them as though they are a news organization the way other news organizations here are treated.”
The move sparked a rare show of solidarity among rival networks. CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC pushed back hard, refusing to go along with the White House’s plan to exclude Fox from the Feinberg interview.
In the end, Obama downplayed the dustup. “We’re going to take the media as it comes,” he told NBC News. “And if media is operating basically as a talk radio format, then that’s one thing, and if it’s operating as a news outlet, then that’s another. But it’s not something I’m losing a lot of sleep over.”
Despite the tension, Obama never went so far as to revoke Fox’s credentials and even sat down for several interviews with the network over the years.
Fast forward to today, and Trump is rewriting the playbook. He’s become the first president in nearly 100 years to directly meddle in the White House pool selection process, a task traditionally left to the White House Correspondents Association.
His administration has axed guaranteed spots for heavyweights like Reuters, the Associated Press (AP), and Bloomberg, swapping them out for a single rotating wire service slot. In their place, Trump’s team has carved out “new media” positions, giving a rotating cast of lesser-known outlets a shot at pool access.
The shake-up hasn’t been subtle. In February, the White House barred AP from an Oval Office event after the outlet refused to swap “Gulf of Mexico” for “Gulf of America” in its style guide. Then, last month, Trump’s team booted HuffPost’s S.V. Date from the daily print pool gig—replacing him with an Axios reporter—in a midnight switcheroo. And just last week, word leaked that the administration wants to take over the press briefing room seating chart, another duty long handled by the Correspondents Association.
Obama, who’s mostly kept a low profile since leaving office, couldn’t resist weighing in. His Hamilton College remarks doubled down on the critique. “Imagine if I had said to law firms that were representing parties that were upset with policies my administration had initiated, that you will not be allowed into government buildings,” he said.
“We will punish you economically for dissenting from the Affordable Care Act or the Iran deal. We will ferret out students who protest against my policies. 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.”
Trump’s latest moves go beyond the press. He’s yanked security clearances from political rivals and targeted law firms linked to his adversaries. Last month, he tried to strip credentials from Perkins Coie, a Democratic-leaning firm tied to the infamous Steele dossier, only for a judge to step in.
Other firms, like Paul Weiss, have bent under the pressure—pledging $40 million in pro bono work for Trump’s administration after an executive order threatened their bottom line. Trump has even tapped U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to dig into law firms filing what he calls “frivolous” lawsuits, hunting for ways to hit back.
“That kind of behavior is contrary to the basic compact we have as Americans,” Obama insisted. His words may carry the weight of experience, but they also shine a light on his overall hypocrisy.
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