Barack Obama Praises ‘Resistance’ to Trump in DOJ and Military

Former President Barack Obama hailed “resistance” to partisan pressure inside the military and Justice Department on Monday night as he warned that the nation’s institutions under the Trump administration were “more unstable” than at other stage in his lifetime.

Speaking in Arkansas at the launch of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art’s new Building Bridges lecture series, the conversation, hosted by Crystal Bridges board chair Olivia Walton, toggled between music, leadership, and the state of the nation.

The former president said that while the country has endured darker chapters in the past, like the civil war, he “would not have expected the legitimacy of an election and the peaceful transfer of power to have been challenged.”

“I would not expect the politicization of the Justice Department or our military,” he said, before continuing: “And I don’t think that’s happened [because] I think there’s been resistance, particularly in the military, to that, but the degree to which that has been encouraged, you know, that used to be something that I would lecture other countries not to do.”

He added, pointedly: “You don’t have your military involved in partisan politics, its loyalty is to the Constitution.”

The event doubled as a showcase for Obama’s leadership pipeline, with the former president touting the Obama Presidential Center opening in 2026 and ongoing efforts to train young civic leaders.

“I am hopeful as long as young people don’t succumb to cynicism or despair,” he told the audience.

Watch above via YouTube.

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