Obama Warns Trump’s ‘Militarization’ of Police Should Concern ‘All Americans’: ‘Dangerous Trends’
AP Photo/John Minchillo
Former President Barack Obama pushed his concerns about “dangerous trends” in President Donald Trump’s “militarization” of law enforcement and endorsed a New York Times interview with journalist Radley Balko, who warned the president is trying to build a “paramilitary force” loyal only to him.
In a post on X Thursday, Obama pointed followers to Times columnist Ezra Klein’s latest podcast, during which he speaks with Balko.
The interview, he said, was “a useful overview of some of the dangerous trends we’ve been seeing” in the “federalization and militarization” of police. In a further post, he warned Trump’s moves should concern “all Americans”:
During the conversation with Klein, Balko, whose Substack tracks Trump’s use of police and the National Guard, warned the “worst-case scenario” would see active-duty troops sent into cities that displease the president.
“There aren’t very many countries in which the figurative political head of the country assembled his own personal paramilitary force that was loyal only to him where things turned out well,” he said.
In August, Trump dispatched National Guard units to Washington, D.C., framing the move as part of a campaign to suppress crime in the city, and later hinted that Chicago and New York may follow.
The intervention marks a careful but pointed escalation from Obama, who has typically limited his remarks to broader warnings about Democratic norms rather than direct critiques of his successor.
Obama also released a video on Thursday in an attempt to rally support for a Democratic fight against GOP redistricting efforts across the country.
In addition, according to Politico, the former president is working behind the scenes and privately reaching out to lawmakers as the Democratic party, including Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D).
Specifically, Playbook reported, Obama praised Talarico during a call for his appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
