President Donald Trump made accusations of treason against former President Barack Obama on January 28, on his Truth Social platform. These accusations, which many critics deemed baseless, were part of a series of posts Trump shared that evening.
In a post on his Truth Social site, Trump displayed a video from the previous summer where he alleged that Obama, along with former President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former FBI director James Comey, attempted to manipulate elections.
“Barack Hussein Obama is the ringleader,” Trump declared in the video. “It’s there, he’s guilty. This was treason, this was every word you can think of,” he continued.
No substantiation has surfaced for Trump’s allegations. These assertions were made following the killing of two citizens in Minneapolis, Minnesota by federal agents, which resulted in appeals for Trump to defuse the national tension. Instead, the president embarked on a series of posts, disseminating memes, conspiracy theories, and falsehoods.
Trump also propagated a peculiar post suggesting that China, Iran, Italy, and others collaborated with Obama to position Biden as a puppet, but no evidence supports these claims. The president has consistently promoted conspiracy theories regarding the 2016 and 2020 elections, maintaining his pattern of raising baseless charges about election integrity.
On January 28, the FBI executed a search warrant at a Georgia election office. This is the same state where, following his 2020 election loss, Trump famously pressured the Republican secretary of state during a phone call to find enough votes for him to win. This FBI action underscores Trump’s ongoing preoccupation with unsubstantiated 2020 election claims.
Throughout his flurry of posts, Trump also propagated two unfounded posts claiming that Walmart would be shutting down 250 stores in California due to the state’s $22 minimum wage. These claims about Walmart closures are incorrect. Furthermore, Trump included these untruths in his broader assault on California and its Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, who is mulling a presidential run in 2028.
Newsom refuted Trump’s claims through his press office account, countering what he labeled as misinformation disseminated by the president. This interaction underlines the persisting political friction between Trump and potential Democratic challengers as the 2028 presidential race starts to take form.
Trump’s criticisms also targeted other political figures and recent events. He assailed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents during a confrontation in Minneapolis, Minnesota on January 24. In an overnight post, Trump labeled Pretti as a potential insurrectionist, based on a video showing a confrontation involving Pretti 11 days prior to his death.
Pretti’s lawyer contended that the shooting was unwarranted, while critics denounced the Trump post as distasteful, noting the president’s decision to attack a deceased American citizen rather than addressing federal force concerns.
Pretti was the second citizen killed by federal agents in Minneapolis in January. Earlier, on January 7, Renee Good, a mother of three and a poet, was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. These two incidents sparked protests and calls for a national ICE Out strike on January 30, reflecting escalating worries about federal immigration enforcement methods and deadly force usage.
These violent incidents in Minneapolis have led to scrutiny of the Trump administration’s handling of immigration enforcement and federal agents’ operational rules within US cities. Civil liberties advocates have voiced concerns over what they perceive as an escalation in force against American citizens during immigration operations.
This approach has faced criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans, who argue that the president should exercise greater restraint, particularly in periods of national unrest.
Trump’s preference for Truth Social as his primary communication platform illustrates the evolution of presidential communication in today’s digital age. After being banned from mainstream social media platforms following the January 6, 2021 events, Trump, since his return to office, has continued to use his own platform to make announcements and express his views.
The accusations against Obama represent a rise in rhetoric between the incumbent and former presidents. While political rivals often criticize each other, charging a former president with treason is highly unusual and prompts questions about the current status of American political discourse.
Legal experts emphasize that treason has a specific constitutional definition requiring aid to be provided to United States enemies during wartime, and that Trump’s allegations do not meet this standard. Additionally, no evidence has been presented to support any claims of criminal misconduct by Obama related to elections.
The posts included attacks on various Democratic figures and the promotion of diverse conspiracy theories, reflecting what critics see as an attempt to divert attention from other prevalent issues. The quantity and content of the posts have raised concerns among some observers about the president’s focus and priorities.
As the 2026 midterm elections approach and the 2028 presidential race begins to take shape, Trump’s ongoing focus on past elections and political opponents suggests these themes will continue to be central to his political strategy. The series of posts on January 28 provides a glimpse into what could be a contentious political landscape in the coming months and years.
