Former President Barack Obama broke his usual silence Thursday, August 28, 2025, to launch a fierce attack on President Donald Trump’s use of military forces in American cities, marking the sharpest criticism yet from the normally reserved ex-president.
Obama took to social media to blast what he called dangerous changes in how Trump handles law enforcement across the country. “The erosion of basic principles like due process and the expanding use of our military on domestic soil puts the liberties of all Americans at risk,” Obama wrote on X.
The 44th president shared a bombshell interview between New York Times writer Ezra Klein and journalist Radley Balko titled “Trump Is Building His Own Paramilitary Force.” Obama said the interview shows some of the dangerous trends we’ve been seeing in recent months regarding federalization and militarization of state and local police functions.
In that interview, Balko accused Trump of building what amounts to a personal army. The journalist said Trump is using the tactics, operations, and policies that, over the last 20 years, I refrained from or tried to restrain myself from warning about because they would sound too unhinged.
Balko pointed to Trump taking over law enforcement in Washington, D.C., and sending thousands of California National Guard troops to Los Angeles during immigration protests as proof of Trump’s growing military control.
Trump recently signed an order creating special National Guard units designed to handle protests and civil unrest – jobs that local police have always done. Critics say this crosses a dangerous line by putting military forces in charge of American civilians.
Randy Manner, a former National Guard leader, slammed Trump’s plan as purely political. He said Trump wants Guard units whose purpose is to, quite frankly, dominate and police the American people. And that is extremely disturbing.
National Guard members in Washington, D.C., started carrying weapons this week after Trump’s defense secretary gave them permission. Some troops now patrol the nation’s capital with rifles and handguns – a sight that alarms many Americans.
Obama’s public attack represents a major shift from his typical post-presidency approach of staying quiet about Trump. The former president has mostly avoided political fights since leaving office in 2017, but recent events have pushed him to speak out.
This week, Obama even broke his popular summer tradition of sharing music playlists, writing on Instagram that he didn’t have time with everything going on right now. It’s the first time since 2015 that Obama skipped his widely followed summer music recommendations.
Obama’s criticism follows an earlier July clash when Trump accused him of treason over the 2016 election investigation. Obama’s office fired back, calling Trump’s claims outrageous and saying they normally don’t respond to the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House.
The former president also backed California Governor Gavin Newsom’s fight against Republican efforts to redraw voting districts in Texas, stating that voters should choose their politicians, not the other way around.
Trump’s approach reverses some of Obama’s own policies from his presidency. After police in Ferguson, Missouri, used military-style weapons against protesters in 2014, Obama banned local police from getting certain military equipment like armored vehicles and grenade launchers. Trump reversed those rules in 2017.
Now, Trump wants to give even more military power to federal agencies. His budget plan allocates roughly $170 billion toward immigration enforcement overall, including tens of billions for ICE over the next several years, while reducing funding for other law enforcement agencies.
Legal experts worry Trump’s actions violate laws that prevent the military from acting as police inside America. The ACLU called the deployments unnecessary, inflammatory, and an abuse of power, warning that the military should not police civilians. Critics also note that while such deployments are rare and controversial, they are not unprecedented, citing Little Rock in 1957 and the 1992 Los Angeles riots
Trump has hinted that he might send military forces to other cities, such as Chicago, telling reporters that his troops are ready to deploy anywhere with less than 24 hours’ notice. He suggested he might act even if local leaders don’t want federal help.
Social media users praised Obama for speaking out more often. One person wrote that many people could really benefit from hearing Obama’s voice in public more frequently.
Obama’s decision to directly challenge Trump demonstrates the seriousness with which he views the situation. Former presidents rarely criticize their successors so directly, but Obama appears willing to break that tradition to defend what he sees as threats to American democracy.
The clash between current and former presidents highlights growing tensions over how much military power Trump should have inside America’s borders. As Trump pushes for more federal control over local law enforcement, Obama warns that such moves threaten the rights of all Americans.
