Two weeks into Trump’s second time period and it’s official: America f’d round, and now we’re discovering out. As an onslaught of horrific insurance policies, headlines, and bulletins with typos roll out of the forty seventh president’s administration, many citizens (who aren’t melanated) are performing shocked and shocked that Trump is doing every little thing he stated he would do — from DEI cuts to setting his sights on undocumented immigrants.
Nobody who paid consideration in the course of the 2024 election ought to have their mouths dropped. However as is commonly the case when every little thing goes dangerous, we are inclined to marvel what Black folks in energy are doing about it…this time round, that features our former president: “The place’s Obama,” some have begun to ponder.
Since his look at Trump’s inauguration, former President Barack Obama has been noticeably silent on all the present debauchery brought on by his successor. He’s posted condolences to households impacted by the wildfires and up to date airplane crashes; and he’s publicly acknowledged Black Historical past Month.
However not a rattling phrase relating to every little thing occurring in his former workplace. And what…? I don’t blame him.
For starters, Obama warned us about Trump…many instances. All these passionate speeches throughout the nation in the course of the Kamala Harris marketing campaign had been in all places. Who might neglect his iconic gesture throughout his 2024 Democratic Nationwide Conference speech when he measured Trump’s…ego? From 2016 to now, Obama has been telling us of the hazards of a Trump presidency.
He did it in 2016 for Hillary Clinton, in 2020 for his former Vice President Joe Biden and in 2024 for Harris. At this level, what extra can he say that he hasn’t stated already?
Those that’ve studied the forty fourth President know that he usually rises from the ashes like a phoenix when issues actually name for him to intervene. Proper now, a lot of what Trump has executed thus far has amounted to threats and pledges to do harm – however the materials impression has but to be totally accounted for. Obama isn’t an impulsive responder or an alarmist in terms of Trump – go look to members of Congress, activists, and advocacy organizations for such real-time responses.
Matter of truth, go to Clinton’s social media pages in order for you extra frequent reactions (and shade). Obama is a former president — he’s going to maneuver in another way and extra strategically. It’s been lower than three weeks, so he’s in all probability someplace reflecting alongside Perpetually First Girl Michelle Obama.
Once more, none of that is new for him – and fairly frankly, it shouldn’t be for us both.
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Ernest Owens is an award-winning journalist and writer of “The Case for Cancel Tradition.” You may examine him out at ernestowens.com.