Former President Barack Obama has issued some of his most damning criticism yet of the Trump administration. During an interview on comedian Marc Maron’s podcast, “WTF,” the former president said the idea of deploying troops to American cities “against their own people” is “inherently corrupting.”
Obama called Trump’s actions a clear example of the “politicization of the military” and noted that, “when you see an administration suggest that ordinary street crime is an insurrection or a terrorist act, that is a genuine effort to weaken how we have understood democracy and that was understood by Democrats and Republicans.”
On Monday, “The Weeknight” co-host Michael Steele shared his reaction to Obama’s condemnation of Trump, which he said he found “really disappointing in some respects, frustrating in others.”
Steele explained that his frustration did not lie with Obama, who, in his view, was “trying to bring clarity” in an important political moment — behavior the MSNBC host described as “very presidential.” Instead, Steele said Obama’s comments underscored the silence of the only living Republican former president, George W. Bush.
“President Bush, please, man,” Steele pleaded, “we could use your voice right now. We really, really could.”
The former chairman of the Republican National Committee said that while he could understand why the former Republican president may not want to wade into the “partisan stuff,” he wished Bush understood that he has “a voice that would resonate” with many Americans. The MSNBC host said he believes there would be power in the two former presidents joining together for a “West Wing”–style moment to publicly condemn the Trump administration. “I really think that combination, if you could imagine just a President Bush and Barack Obama sitting together having that conversation, what that would say to the country and what it would say to Donald Trump,” Steele said. You can watch Steele’s full comments in the clip at the top of the page.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW.
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