Administration

Obama says his impact would be diminished if he criticized Trump more often

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by Max Rego - 05/04/26 8:28 PM ET

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by Max Rego - 05/04/26 8:28 PM ET

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Former President Obama has been selective in criticizing President Trump during the latter’s two terms in office. But he said in a recent interview that doing so more frequently would reduce the effect.

“For me to function like Jon Stewart, even once a week, just going off, just ripping what was happening — which, by the way, I’m glad Jon’s doing it — then I’m not a political leader, I’m a commentator,” Obama told the New Yorker for a wide-ranging profile.

Since leaving office in January 2017, Obama has taken Trump to task from time to time.

In February, he slammed the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics — after federal officers fatally shot two American citizens in Minneapolis, Renee Good and Alex Pretti — and the nationwide GOP redistricting push.

“The rogue behavior of agents of the federal government is deeply concerning and dangerous,” he told liberal commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, referring to the actions of immigration officers.

“Redistricting is another good example of where I strongly believe we should not be having politicians draw lines that determine who’s voting for them,” he later said.

Republicans in the Texas Legislature redrew their state’s congressional maps last year, at the urging of Trump. Democratic-controlled states, such as California and Virginia, have responded in a redistricting battle that is rolling on roughly six months before the midterms.

Obama even spoke out in support of a successful ballot measure in Virginia, which allows Democrats in the commonwealth to redraw congressional maps there.

“The media environment is so difficult that people don’t even know all the stuff I am doing, right?” Obama told the New Yorker. “And, I think, when they do see me, then the sense is, ‘Well, why isn’t he doing that every day instead of just during a midterm election, or during a referendum campaign around gerrymandering, or what have you?’”

When he left the White House, Obama had an approval rating of 59 percent, according to the American Presidency Project. Dating back to former President Truman, that was tied for the third-highest mark among departing presidents, behind only former President Clinton and former President Reagan.

In January 2025, Obama’s approval rating remained at 59 percent, according to a Gallup survey. That was the highest of the five living current or former presidents, with Trump’s approval rating sitting at 48 percent just after he took the oath of office for the second time.

As of Friday, the incumbent’s mean approval rating was just 39.7 percent, according to an average of polls calculated by Decision Desk HQ.

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