Former President Obama Calls for Restoring Norms on Presidential Power Amid White House Criticism
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Obama made the remark during an interview with "The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert, who asked what restrictions should be placed on presidential power. Obama’s Tuesday appearance comes during the show’s final weeks.
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USA TodayFormer President Barack Obama joked with Stephen Colbert about the talk show host running for president. He stated the attorney general should be the people's lawyer, not the president's personal lawyer. Obama believes norms that prevent the expansion of executive power may need to be codified into law. The former president expressed concern about the politicization of the Justice Department and the military.
Washington TimesMr. Colbert opened by floating his own hypothetical presidential campaign, telling Mr. Obama: “I’m looking for a new gig soon. And a lot of people tell me I should run for president.” Mr. Obama replied that Mr. Colbert has “the look” — and “the hair.” When Mr. Colbert pressed him and asked how foolish the idea really was, Mr. Obama offered a pointed non-answer. “Well, you know, the bar has changed,” Mr. Obama said. “I think you would perform significantly better than some folks we’ve seen.” When Mr. Colbert asked whether that constituted an endorsement, Mr. Obama answered firmly: “It was not.”
Breitbart“It was not,” Obama quipped. Colbert’s conversation with Obama comes just weeks before his CBS show, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, is set to air its final episode on May 21.
Washington ExaminerLate-night talk show host Stephen Colbert interviewed former President Barack Obama on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night. It was a prerecorded interview that took place at the yet-to-open Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois.
HuffPostFormer President Barack Obama took some subtle shots at President Donald Trump and named the one thing he believes American democracy cannot survive during a Tuesday night interview with “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert.
New York TimesThe former president was critical of President Trump, without ever naming him. Mr. Obama also urged Democrats to be plain-spoken, and talked about aliens.
The HillFormer President Obama on Tuesday warned against allowing the attorney general to become the president’s “consigliere,” emphasizing the need for the nation’s top prosecutor to remain independent of political influence. Obama made the comments during an interview on CBS’s “The Late Show” as the Department of Justice under President Trump pursues a number of prosecutions…
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"There had been a whole series of norms that were in place to ensure that you weren't trying to make the military loyal to you, as opposed to the Constitution, and the people of the United States," Obama said. "We're going to have to find mechanisms to restore that."
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Breitbart“As president, you are commander in chief,” Obama said. “You are responsible for directing our military, but there had been a whole series of norms that were in place to ensure that you weren’t trying to make that military loyal to you as opposed to the constitution and the people of the United States.”
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“We’re going to have to find mechanisms to restore that,” the former president added. “And a good policy that I’d like to see followed is that the President of the United States shouldn’t have a bunch of side hustles.”
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The HillFormer President Obama on Tuesday said the president “shouldn’t have a bunch of side hustles” signaling there should be a clear ethical standard for those occupying the Oval Office. “A good policy that I’d like to see followed is that the President of the United States shouldn’t have a bunch of side hustles that those…
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“The bar has changed,” Obama said. “I think that you could perform significantly better than some folks that we’ve seen.”
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BreitbartObama responded, “Well, you know, the bar has changed,” adding, “Let me put it this way, I think that you could perform significantly better than some folks that we’ve seen.”
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In an emailed statement to USA TODAY on May 6, White House spokesman Davis Ingle called Obama "a classless moron who clearly suffers from a severe and debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his brain."
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Fox NewsThe White House called former President Barack Obama "a classless moron" suffering from "a severe and debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome" after Obama launched a thinly-veiled criticism at President Donald Trump by saying a president should not direct the attorney general to prosecute individuals.
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"He is a total disgrace for all the division he has sowed upon this country, and history will not judge him well," White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said of the former president. "The only special interest guiding the Trump Administration’s decision-making is the best interest of the American people. Only pathetic trainwrecks like Stephen Colbert would waste their time interviewing one of the worst presidents in history on his failing show."
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USA Today"He is a total disgrace for all the division he has sowed upon this country and history will not judge him well," Ingle said. "The only special interest guiding the Trump Administration’s decision-making is the best interest of the American people. Only pathetic trainwrecks like Stephen Colbert would waste their time interviewing one of the worst presidents in history on his failing show.”
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Obama's remarks come as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche indicted former FBI Director James Comey for allegedly threatening the president's life based on an Instagram post showing a seashell formation spelling out "86-47," a reference to removing Trump from office. The latest charges follow the dismissal of previous charges brought against Comey by the Justice Department last year.
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USA TodaySince then, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former personal defense lawyer to Trump, has backed his office securing new charges against Comey, which accuse the former FBI director of threatening to harm or kill Trump by posting an image in May 2025 depicting seashells arranged to say "86 47."
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The former president was likely referring to attempts made by Trump’s Justice Department to prosecute his perceived political enemies, such as former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
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USA TodayIn September, Trump posted a message on Truth Social to then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, telling her the DOJ "can't delay any longer" in criminally prosecuting former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff.
Fox NewsTrump posted a message on Truth Social in September directly addressed to former Attorney General Pam Bondi requesting that she prosecute several of his political foes.
6 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 Fox News Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded with a sharp one-liner after former President Barack Obama criticized the Trump administration for politicizing the Department of Justice.
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02 Washington Examiner Washington Examiner columnist Joe Concha criticized Democrats’ embrace of socialism and figures like New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) and Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner.
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03 USA Today "God bless him. I know Byron. We got to know each other last year, actually. He's fascinating. You know his history with Carson?" Colbert told the outlet, referring to the fact that Allen became the youngest comic to perform on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" when he was 18.
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04 Breitbart Watch Below: Notably, this line from Obama is one that some viewers might see as blatant gaslighting, especially given that FBI Director Kash Patel recently said the FBI lied to obtain surveillance warrants that were used to illegally spy on Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign.
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05 Washington Times Mr. Obama also discussed the direction of the Democratic Party, telling Mr. Colbert he was less concerned about the so-called rift between its liberal and progressive wings than about whether Democrats could speak plainly to ordinary voters: “Can you talk plain English to folks?” He was also asked whether the government is concealing evidence of alien life, reiterating his view that any such secret would have leaked long ago.
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06 The Hill Dave Chappelle says the headlines get “more appalling” each day, telling Michelle Obama that the current political climate “doesn’t seem like it’s ever going to end.” The comedian appeared on “IMO,” Obama’s podcast with her brother, Craig Robinson, in an episode released Wednesday. Asked by Obama about how he felt about “where we are now in…
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- foxnews
- washtimes
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- nyt
- huffpost
- washexaminer
- thehill
- usatoday