LOS ANGELE.–Former President Barack Obama, 63, expressed concerns about 78-year-old President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, doubtful they would lead to anything positive for the U.S. economy. Speaking to a group of college students at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, Obama said he was more worried about Trump’s invasive immigration policies, rounding up students who expressed certain political opinionss that run afoul with the administration. “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,” Obama told the crowd, not admitting that the students in question were not U.S. citizens but operating on student visas while they participated in pro-Palestinian rallies on college campuses. Some of the students broke U.S. laws related personal property and free speech.
Free speech doesn’t mean you can intimidate other students in the case of Mahmoud Kahlil, arrested at his Columbia University residence March 9 and transported to an ICE detention center in New Orleans. Kahil held a valid green card at the time of his arrest but was taken anyway, charged with violating U.S. immigration laws. “The ideal that a White House can say to law firms, if you represent parties that we don’t like, we’re going to pull all our business or bar you from representing people effectively. Those kinds of behavior is contrary to basic compact we have as Americans,” Obama said, going a bit too much into the weeds for college students. College students naturally have more sympathy for fellow college students but Obama didn’t give any details on Khalil. Khalil backs the Hamas terror group that massacred 1,200 Israelis Oct. 3, 2023.
If Obama stuck to the economic reality that Trump tariffs could wind up hurting college students’ eventual work opportunities, he’d give them a better reason to oppose his pro-tariff policies. Obama and Harris can sit back and gloat about the stock market meltdown but they don’t really know whether the tariffs or just a bear market has seized Wall Street. Bull markets don’t last forever so to attribute Wall Street’s meltdown to Trump is easy politics but doesn’t tell the whole story why Wall Street periodically sells off. “There were many things we knew would happen,” Harris said in video to the Leading Women Defined Summit. “I’m not here to say I told you so,” Harris said before laughing. Harris has disappeared from the limelight after losing to Trump Nov. 5, 2024, largely stay away from cameras. She’s trying to decide on her future plans, possibly running for California governor in 2026.
Harris says Trump actions have created “a great sense of fear,” not sure whether she’s referring to the tumbling stock market. “We are seeing organizations stay quiet. We are seeing those who are capitulating to clearly unconstitutional threats. And these are the things that we are witnessing, each day in the last few months in our country and it understandably creates a great sense of fear,” Harris said, objecting to Trump’s policies scaling down the federal government. Most Republicans disagree with Harris, think the government runs too high deficits that are not sustainable without major cuts. Obama and Harris have no problem dealing with increasing the debt ceiling or borrowing more cash to keep the government running. So when Kamala criticizes what Trump does it’s a different governing philosophy built on borrowing more cash to keep the government going.
Obama said during the campaign that Tump was “goofy” at times but not dangerous to the country. When former President Joe Biden dropped out of the race July 21 under pressure from Obama, he didn’t endorse Kamala for five days after Biden anointed her as his successor. Obama had misgiving about Harris for whatever reason but said she was not his first choice for the Party’s nominee. So it’s convenient now for the fake news to show unity in the Party when there was anything but in the 2024 campaign. Harris wants to Monday morning quarterback now that she can’t make up her decision what to do with her life. She can’t decide to forego the 2028 presidential election and take the low-hanging fruit of succeeding California Gov. Gavin Newsom. All indications point to Kamala having the best shot of winning the governorship in 2028 but she hasn’t decided.
Obama and Harris can criticize Trump all they want but when they had their shot to convince voters in 2024 they both failed. Obama put his credibility on the line and couldn’t rescue the Harris campaign from sinking in 2024. All the Hands Off protests about to hit the streets April 5 can’t deny the fact that they lost the election and don’t like Trump’s policies. Hands Off protesters demand that Trump keep the status quo government spending. Whatever happens on Wall Street, it will eventually figure things out and get back to its ways of making money for itself and investors. Obama and Harris can disagree with Trump on policy but he’s got his time to implement his program, whatever happens. When it comes to how the government spends taxpayer money, the country must decide now whether it wants to give Trump any time to implement his program.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
