USA Obama and Harris call for sacrifice and courage
According to media reports, former US President Barack Obama has called on people to stand up to attempts at intimidation by President Donald Trump's administration. According to CNN, he emphasized in his speech to students that it was the first time he had spoken publicly in a while. "I've been watching for a while." The Daily Sentinel newspaper wrote that Obama had called on citizens in the US, universities and the big law firms not to lose heart.
04.04.2025, 18:00
SDA
It is up to the people of the USA to solve the problem. No one will come to the rescue, CNN quoted him as saying. "The most important office in this democracy is the citizen," Obama said in the speech to over 5,000 students at Hamilton College in New York state, according to a CNN reporter. Video recording was not permitted at the event.
Sacrifices may have to be made
Law firms should be prepared to lose business, Obama said, according to the reports. Trump had put massive pressure on several law firms whose lawyers were involved in lawsuits or investigations against him.
The universities, from which the government is withdrawing funding because of their diversity programs, for example, should use their endowments or cut costs instead of capitulating to Trump's demands. Obama said he was also concerned that the government was threatening universities that would not give up their students who were exercising their right to free speech.
Kamala Harris: Courage is contagious
Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris also commented on the government for the first time in a long time. In a speech to women, she said she was aware that Trump's return to the Oval Office had triggered "a great sense of fear". She called for courage. There had been many things that people had known would happen, Harris said. "I'm not here to tell you I said it," she said with a laugh.
