Former US presidents criticise Trump’s leadership, calling for action to protect democracy

Former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden have openly criticized the current president, Donald Trump, signalling growing concerns about his leadership.

Barack Obama urged Americans to resist Trump’s behaviour, calling it "bullying," Caliber.Az reports, citing US media.

Speaking on April 3 at Hamilton College in Upstate New York, Obama emphasized the importance of collective action in the face of what he described as a threat to democratic norms. "It is up to all of us to fix this," Obama stated. "It’s not going to be because somebody comes and saves you. The most important office in this democracy is the citizen, the ordinary person who says, ‘No, that’s not right.’"

Joe Biden, during his speech in Chicago at the national conference of Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled, warned that Trump’s policies are undermining the "sacred promise" of Social Security. "The last thing [beneficiaries] need from their government is deliberate cruelty," Biden remarked. "In fewer than 100 days, this administration has done so much damage and so much devastation."

Meanwhile, Bill Clinton spoke at an emotional ceremony in Oklahoma City, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which claimed 168 lives. Reflecting on the current national climate, Clinton compared it to the healing process in Oklahoma City after the tragedy.

"It’s like everybody is arguing about whose resentments matter most, whose resentments are more valid, when it’s okay to stretch the truth a little bit to gain an advantage," Clinton observed. He warned that a focus on dominance would jeopardize the progress America has made toward a more perfect union. "If our lives are going to be dominated by the effort to dominate the people we disagree with, we are going to put the 250-year march to a more perfect union at risk."

Clinton also took aim at Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce, praising the service of federal workers. "It does you good every now and then to admit you’re wrong," he added, making a case for humility in leadership.

By Khagan Isayev