Administration Obama slams Trump at Jesse Jackson funeral without naming him by Ryan Mancini - 03/06/26 4:23 PM ET by Ryan Mancini - 03/06/26 4:23 PM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email NOW PLAYING Former President Barack Obama on Friday slammed the Trump administration without specifically naming it during a speech at the funeral for the Rev. Jesse Jackson in Chicago, saying “every day we wake up to some new assault on our democratic institutions.” The comments came at a star-studded funeral for Jackson that also included speeches by former President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton, as well as left-leaning luminaries such as the Rev. Al Sharpton. Jackson, 84,  died last month  after battling the neurodegenerative disorder progressive supranuclear palsy, his family  said in a statement . The former Democratic presidential candidate was celebrated for his civil rights work and efforts that helped pave the way for other Black politicians, most notably Obama. Obama, Biden and Clinton have all come under criticism at various points from President Trump, and Obama’s remarks were notably pointed. “We are living in a time when it can be hard to hope,” Obama said. “Each day we wake up to some new assault on our democratic institutions. Another setback the idea of the rule of law. An offense to common decency.” “Every day you wake up to things you just didn’t think were possible,” he continued. “Each day, we’re told by those in high office to fear each other, and to turn on each other. And that some Americans count more than others. And that some don’t even count at all. Everywhere we see greed and bigotry being celebrated and bullying and mocker masquerading as strength.” Obama later noted that “it’s hard to hope in those moments.” “But this man, Rev. Jesse Jackson, inspires us to take a harder path. His voice calls on each of us to be heralds of change, to be messengers of hope,” Obama said, hinting at his 2008 presidential campaign slogans. Obama was recently targeted in a racist video that Trump re-posted showing he and his wife, the former first lady Michelle Obama, as apes. The video was taken down by the White House after a sea of criticism and complaints from members of both parties. Biden, Obama’s former vice president, followed his ex-boss with a shorter lambast on Trump, saying Americans are “in a tough spot, folks.” “We got an administration that doesn’t share any of the values that we have, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating a little bit,” Biden said, adding that Jackson “knew who we were at our best, that he simply refused to let us off the hook as a party, as a nation, or as individuals.” “And time and again, with triumph and turmoil, with relentless insistence on what is right and just, he helped lead us closer to fulfilling our nation’s promise of restoring the nation’s soul,” Biden said, with those lost words echoing the phrase he commonly used during his term, “the battle for the soul of the nation.” Clinton, who gave Jackson the presidential medal of freedom in 2000, also attended the funeral. He made no reference, direct or indirect, to Trump during his tribute to the late civil rights leader. Trump did not attend the funeral. Following Jackson’s death, the president paid tribute to him while also criticizing Obama. “Jesse was a force of nature like few others before him,” Trump wrote on Truth Social . “He had much to do with the Election, without acknowledgment or credit, of Barack Hussein Obama, a man who Jesse could not stand. He loved his family greatly, and to them I send my deepest sympathies and condolences. Jesse will be missed!” Add as preferred source on Google Tags Al Sharpton Barack Obama Bill Clinton Clinton Donald Trump Jesse Jackson Joe Biden Michelle Obama Obama Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email More Administration News See All Defense Trump says defense contractors agree to quadruple production of ‘exquisite class’ weapons by Filip Timotija 20 minutes ago Defense  /  20 minutes ago