U.S. Judge Julia Kobick blocked the State Department's requirement that passports reflect the biological sex of the passport bearer, the Daily Caller reported. Kobick is an appointee of then-President Joe Biden and maintains close ties to the Democratic Party.
The State Department implemented the policy that President Donald Trump introduced on his first day in office, stating that the U.S. recognizes only two genders. "Under the executive order, we will no longer issue U.S. passports or Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBAs) with an X marker," the State Department's website said.
"We will only issue passports with an M or F sex marker that match the customer’s biological sex at birth," it added. Applicants for U.S. passports are currently allowed to have their sex listed as "X" instead of male or female.
The new rule would require individuals obtaining new passports, renewing old ones, or changing their name or gender to have their correct biological sex recorded on the official document. However, Kobick's ruling Tuesday puts a temporary hold on Trump's rollback of gender nonsense.
It comes as no shock that this judge has deep and cozy ties with Democrats. It was a well-known fact that Kobick volunteered for Democratic heavy hitters, such as John Kerry's 2004 failed presidential bid and Sen. Elizabeth Warren's 2020 presidential campaign.
The judge volunteered for her local Democrats, including in the state senate campaign for Eric Lesser in 2014 and the congressional candidacy of Chris Pappas in 2018. She also personally donated to Warren and other candidates, including Hillary Clinton.
Kobick contributed to the leftist fundraising group ActBlue, with contributions to Democrats totaling $1,202.92. The judge clerked for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a hero of the Democratic Party and the feminist left.
She served as assistant attorney general under Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, who was previously the Attorney General. In 2022, Biden announced Kobick's nomination and touted her as one of several diverse candidates because she's a woman.
"I cultivate relationships with the fellows and interns, and I served for a year on the Government Bureau’s Racial Equity Working Group," Kobick disclosed to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees. Predictably, she has espoused radical leftist ideals from the bench.
Before this idiotic take, Kobick has had others that were similarly ridiculous. "She argued before the Supreme Court claiming the 2nd Amendment didn't apply to stun guns because they did not exist when the Amendment was written," a user on X, formerly Twitter, charged in a post with a screenshot of Kobick's recent ruling.
Julia Kobick, Biden appointed, is a former elementary school teacher. She clerked for RBG and was deputy attorney general for MA. She argued before the Supreme Court claiming the 2nd Amendment didn't apply to stun guns because they did not exist when the Amendment was written!😂 pic.twitter.com/jrCpeFRtlB
— Lauren G 🇺🇸 (@lbc360) June 17, 2025
According to Fox News, Kobick was deputy solicitor general when she "supported the conviction of a Massachusetts woman in 2016 for owning a stun gun that she used to defend herself against her violent ex-boyfriend." The Supreme Court dismissed the case against the woman, Jaime Caetano, calling it "frivolous."
Justice Samuel Alito supported Caetano's use of the weapon in his concurring opinion. "Caetano’s encounter with her violent ex-boyfriend illustrates the connection between those fundamental rights: By arming herself, Caetano was able to protect against a physical threat that restraining orders had proved useless to prevent," Alito wrote.
There should be no question about whether a person should list his or her biological sex on a document used for identification. Unfortunately, there are leftists like Kobick who are trying to subvert the natural order of things for political reasons, and it's shameful.
Elon Musk posted what appeared to be the negative results of a urinalysis to dispute claims that he uses drugs, the New York Post reported. The New York Times accused the former Department of Government Efficiency head of using drugs during the 2024 presidential campaign and beyond.
Musk's public behavior has indeed been erratic and at times intense. His public falling out with President Donald Trump seemed to confirm what many have been saying behind closed doors.
To combat these rumors, Musk posted what appeared to be a comprehensive panel for controlled substances, all showing "negative" or "normal" results. Musk shared this with the simple caption "lol" on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.
lol pic.twitter.com/pMe3YfXFxS
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 17, 2025
The New York Times recently ran an explosive piece accusing Musk of using drugs, including ketamine, a tranquilizer used for anxiety. Musk has admitted to using a "small amount" occasionally, as directed by his doctor.
"If you’ve used too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done, and I have a lot of work," Musk said. However, the Times claims that sources said Musk ratcheted up his drug use during the campaign, using psychedlic mushrooms, ecstasy, Adderall, and ketamine.
Musk reportedly traveled with a medication organizer that contained about 20 pills and suffered from "bladder issues," which can be attributed to Ketamine use. Notably, the Times said Musk's infamous "Nazi salute," which was nothing but fabrication by the mainstream media, was possible proof of a drug problem.
The Wall Street Journal had also reported on Musk's use of the sleep aid Ambien, which worried the board members at Tesla where Musk acts as CEO. The Journal said Musk also allegedly used LSD, cocaine, and other drugs that left everyone around him unsettled.
With so many media reports about his drug use, it seems plausible that there's at least some truth to it. However, the most compelling argument is Musk's behavior, negative test results notwithstanding.
Regardless of whether or not there's truth behind the reports of drug use, it's difficult to deny that Musk provides plenty of reasons to speculate. Most recently, Musk went scorched earth on Trump after the two agreed to part ways.
In a series of social media posts, Musk claimed Trump couldn't release the files on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein because the president was implicated in them. He also said Trump only won the 2024 presidential election thanks to the SpaceX mogul's help.
After several such posts, Musk finally deleted them and walked back his comments. "I regret some of my posts about President [Trump] last week. They went too far," Musk said.
As for Trump, he allegedly said privately that Musk was a "big-time drug addict," but wouldn't say so publicly. "I really don’t know. I don’t think so. I hope not," Trump said when a reporter asked about whether Musk was on drugs in the White House.
The document Musk posted showed that he had no drugs in his system. While there's no proof of anything otherwise, Musk should be careful about his behavior that fuels such rumors.
President Donald Trump reportedly believes the G7 didn't go far enough against Iran's nuclear program in its resolution, Breitbart reported. The nations participating in the summit were calling for monitoring rather than complete abolition of the program.
Iran has been enriching uranium ostensibly for use in nuclear power. However, the Trump administration believes that the amounts have surpassed what would be needed for that purpose and may be an attempt at a nuclear weapons program.
Recent nonproliferation talks between the U.S. and Iran stalled, which led Israel to launch a preemptive attack on the country Friday. Nations participating in the G7 summit wanted a strongly worded resolution for both sides of that conflict.
However, Trump felt it didn't go far enough to eliminate the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran and refused to agree to put his name behind it, which stunned his fellow Republicans. "I can confirm that he did not sign on to the statement," a senior U.S. official shared.
Israel was already locked in a battle after retaliating against the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hamas over its attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Now the nation has moved to directly strikingIran in a new war over the prospect of nuclear weapons.
So far, Trump has yet to get the U.S. completely engrossed in Israel's war with Iran, as Reuters reported that the president is not interested in "taking out" Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz is making no promises.
"I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and fire missiles at Israeli citizens," Katz said to his top military officials. Katz believes Khamenei could go the way of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who was executed following the U.S. invasion.
Trump made it clear that the U.S. is tracking Khamenei and knows his whereabouts, though "we are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now," the president assured the world on social media. "Our patience is wearing thin," Trump added as a caveat.
Meanwhile, Iran and Israel continue to lob missiles at one another as Trump decided to leave the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, early. Trump said it had nothing to do with the conflict, but the president was trying to strike a deal with Iran when the war broke out.
In the midst of this turmoil, Vice President J.D. Vance is attempting to shore up Trump's approval of possible invovlement. In a lengthy post to X, formerly Twitter, Vance noted Trump's actions "from the inside" and explained his stance on the conflict.
"First, POTUS has been amazingly consistent, over 10 years, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," Vance explained. He said Trump drew the line at Iran's enriching uranium and warned "this would happen one of two ways--the easy way or the 'other' way," Vance wrote.
The vice president explained that the amount they've enriched is "far above the level necessary for any civilian purpose" of nuclear power. "They've been found in violation of their non-proliferation obligations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is hardly a rightwing organization," Vance said.
The vice president said that Trump has given them leeway but may "decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment," Vance said. "That decision ultimately belongs to the president. And of course, people are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy," Vance said, assuring the public that Trump will work in the best interests of the U.S.
The situation in the Middle East is getting more dangerous by the day. A nuclear Iran is a frightening prospect, but getting the U.S. involved in yet another costly foreign conflict is a serious matter. It should be soberly weighed against the cost to American lives and treasure.
ABC reporter Terry Moran was recently let go from the network after he posted a rant against President Donald Trump and White House adviser Stephen Miller on social media.
According to Fox News, liberal comedian and host Bill Maher slammed Moran for posting the rant, which ultimately led to the loss of his job, arguing that Moran was a journalist, and should have remained impartial, no matter his personal feelings.
Maher, who often bucks Democratic Party talking points, and opts to tell the hard truth instead, ticked off plenty on the left over his criticism of Moran's post.
The leftist comedian made his criticism of Moran known during the "Overtime" segment of his hit show.
For someone supposedly in the impartial news business, Moran deviated quite far from that playbook in his post targeting Trump and Miller.
Fox News noted:
Moran posted on social media that Trump and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller were "world-class" haters on June 8, and then deleted the post. ABC News first announced they were suspending Moran but then ultimately parted ways with him.
As is typical for Maher, the host held nothing back when leveling criticism against Moran for straying from the journalistic reservation and letting his personal political feelings get the best of him — and his employment.
"This guy's a reporter, what the f---?" Maher said, with guest, Ian Bremmer, adding that there are "lots of jobs" in which someone like Moran could post what he posted, saying "journalism is not one of them."
Maher agreed, saying "Lots of jobs you can have and do that, that is the one job I'm looking at you to be impartial, just give me the facts, I don't need to know this from you, Terry Moran."
At least one ABC News staffer agreed that it was a dumb decision on Moran's part, telling Fox News Digital, "People love Terry here, I want to be clear, nobody thinks Terry is a bad person, but this was a very, very stupid thing to do in a time where all of our credibility is on the line."
Users across social media had plenty to say about Moran's departure from the network.
Disgraced ABC journo Terry Moran is making the anti-Trump media rounds to cry about the Trump admin —
— while claiming to be “not that liberal."
After launching another diatribe about the “venom” of Stephen Miller, he calls Trump immigration policy a “terror campaign."
“It's… pic.twitter.com/2qvobdDBc0
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) June 16, 2025
"He has to be in minute 14 of his 15 minutes," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Someone who cares for him might need to do an intervention. This is a call for help if I ever saw one."
Ever since she made the ill-fated decision to criminally pursue Donald Trump, Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis has encountered nothing but trouble.
Now, the Georgia Supreme Court is poised to hear arguments regarding whether the Republican-led state Senate has the power to subpoena Willis regarding her prosecution of the now-president, as the Washington Examiner reports.
The state's high court revealed last week that it would entertain an appeal of a lower court decision made in December, which determined that Willis could indeed be subpoenaed by the state Senate Special Committee on investigations.
Willis has disputed the notion that the panel can subpoena her for testimony and document production related to her case against Trump.
According to Willis, the committee lacks the necessary authority to enforce such a subpoena against her, and she also claimed that the panel's requests were impermissibly broad.
Unfortunately for the beleaguered D.A., Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram determined late last year that the committee did indeed possess the authority to demand her compliance.
The Georgia high court is slated to hear oral arguments from the parties in October, with a decision to follow at a later date.
Her lower court loss on the subpoena issue is far from the only serious setback Willis has suffered in recent months.
It was also late last year that an appeals court in the state disqualified her from further involvement in the case against Trump due to her previously undisclosed ties to the lead prosecutor she hand-picked to handle the matter.
The high court is still considering whether to accept Willis' appeal of the disqualification, but as of now, the case against Trump is likely going nowhere, given that another county D.A. would have to begin the prosecution from scratch -- a tall order few are likely to accept.
As the Associated Press reported, a judge back in March ordered Willis to pay over $54,000 in attorneys' fees and also to produce a host of requested documents amid a finding that her office ran afoul of the Georgia Open Records Act in connection with the Trump case.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Rachel Krause labeled Willis' conduct “intentional, not done in good faith, and...substantially groundless and vexatious.”
Though Willis was re-elected to her role in November, her conduct with regard to Trump has yielded no end of trouble for her, both personally and professionally, with some advocates going so far as to demand her disbarment.
Regardless of how the Georgia Supreme Court rules in her latest controversy, it is far from certain that Willis' career will ever fully recover from her ill-fated “get-Trump” caper.
Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins won't tolerate his agency being run by unions and private contractors over concerns of waste and abuse, the Daily Caller reported. Collins said this during an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation published on Thursday.
President Donald Trump's administration is committed to slashing waste, abuse, and fraud in the federal government overall. Collins is more than on board with that in his own agency.
In a sit-down with the DCNF, Collins cited one of the most egregious examples of waste at the VA with outside contractors who charge millions to do simple administrative work that can be done in-house. Collins promises those days are over as he demands accountability.
Many government entities spend money on frivolous things, but Collins believes his agency took this to a whole new level and must reverse course. The secretary boasted about eliminating the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives out of the gate.
Collins also discovered that the agency was outsourcing tasks such as creating meeting notes and PowerPoint slides to the tune of millions of dollars. It didn't make sense to Collins, and he took action right away.
"We had a department set up in the VA with employees, and yet we contracted another company to actually sort of run that department. And it’s like, okay, either we need to contract this or we need the employees," Collins reasoned.
"We don’t need both," he added, demonstrating common sense where there was none. "And so that’s the kind of stuff we’re seeing," Collins told the DCNF. The secretary stated that a private firm was hired for its "management capabilities" and to provide "oversight," but there were already in-house employees who were supposed to perform those tasks.
"It was like, you know, why are employees here at this point?" Collins added. "For folks understanding where we’re at in government right now going into an administration, it’s like going back into your room that you had been gone from for, say, a year or two, and you come back and you say, ‘why is this here?'” Collins said.
In addition to getting rid of the wasteful spending and redundancy, Collins was also concerned about quality control at the VA. He shared that the VA’s Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection has experienced "a little bit higher" numbers of complaints.
The purpose of the office is to make recommendations or take necessary action for VA staff misconduct. Tips to the office had increased under then-President Joe Biden, even though the final reports were down.
With Collins at the helm, the tips have also increased, though he said many "have been dismissed because sometimes people use it as a venting tool." Collins is also concerned about the role unionization plays in disciplining these employees, even with well-founded concerns.
Nearly 80% are protected under the public sector union, but Collins pledged to "hold people accountable" nonetheless. Under Biden, many employees who were fired over allegations of misconduct were hired back, which Collins also plans to rectify.
The VA exists to protect and care for those who served our country. Collins seems to be the first official in a long time who is interested not only in cutting waste for taxpayers but also in ensuring that they receive the best possible services.
Passengers were safely evacuated after a JetBlue flight returning from Chicago skidded off the runway at Logan Airport in Boston on Thursday, Fox News reported. No injuries were reported, but the incident is still under investigation.
"Safety is JetBlue’s top priority. We will conduct a full investigation of the incident and will work closely with the relevant authorities to understand the cause," the company said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The aircraft had already safely landed but rolled off the runway onto the grass. The Federal Aviation Administration shut down the busy international airport for a time during the investigation, but later reopened.
Tom Kinton, the former CEO for the Massachusetts Port Authority, described a likely scenario. "It appears it went in at a low speed, the grass doesn't seem to be torn up, indicating that it was a very controlled speed that went in there, but clearly lost steering for some reason," Kinton said.
As CBS News reported, the pilot reported steering problems to air traffic control. "Yeah, so we had no steering on this runway here," she is heard telling the control tower in a recorded transmission.
While it could have been so much worse, it was still an unsettling scenario for unsuspecting airline passengers. Chicago resident Adam Glick said it was his "first real plane scare," but was grateful everyone was okay in the end.
"The pilot said she lost full control of the steering wheel, which is very alarming," Glick said. "You never know, something could have been worse," he added.
Another man on the plane similarly reported feeling worried as the plane pulled to the left after landing. "At first, no one really seemed super worried, it felt like a smooth landing," Drew Behmoiras said.
"But we fully went left, veered off the runway while we were still at full speed. Everyone's OK, thank God. Definitely not flying JetBlue for a while," Behmoiras said.
This latest incident comes on the heels of a catastrophic Air India crash that also happened on Thursday. According to The Hill, the plane took off from Ahmedabad headed for London when it crashed into a nearby building shortly after leaving the runway.
One survivor reportedly remained while another 241 perished in the fiery crash. "Most of the bodies have been charred beyond recognition," local state police official Vidhi Chaudhary said.
The survivor, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, was taken to an area hospital where he was examined by doctors. "He was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body. But he seems to be out of danger," Dr. Dhaval Gameti told the press.
While the two are unrelated, it only adds to the uneasiness that some feel around air travel. Whether it is pilot error or equipment failure, neither crash does the airline industry's reputation any favors.
Aviation accidents have the potential to be anywhere from minor to catastrophic, as demonstrated by the two incidents that happened on the same day. The airline industry has work to do to maintain safety as its top priority.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth authorized families and dependents of U.S. military members to evacuate key locations in the Middle East on Wednesday, Fox News reported. This comes as Iran-backed militias increase attacks on the region and tensions flare.
"The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority, and U.S. Central Command is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the CENTCOM AOR," a defense official told Fox News.
The news was shared by military publication Stars and Stripes on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday. "The American military has authorized 'the voluntary departure' of troops’ dependents from locations across the Middle East as tensions with Iran have risen," the publication wrote, noting the directive was from Hegseth.
The American military has authorized “the voluntary departure” of troops’ dependents from locations across the Middle East as tensions with Iran have risen.
One U.S. defense official said the order came from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.https://t.co/CsKrexKKo7
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) June 11, 2025
It's telling that the order applies to the families of those stationed in Iraq, Qatar, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates. However, it is primarily for those stationed at the U.S. Navy base in Bahrain, which is home to the largest concentration of military dependents.
A defense official noted that this is part of a broader plan. "CENTCOM is working in close coordination with our Department of State counterparts, as well as our Allies and partners in the region to maintain a constant state of readiness to support any number of missions around the world at any time," the defense official said.
This is part of a number of troubling signs for possible military action in the region. It's not unusual for these evacuations, which are funded at the expense of the U.S. government, to occur; however, it certainly signals a possible escalation of tensions.
There is no order for uniformed military personnel in these evacuations, which points to the need for military readiness. According to the Washington Post, there are fears of an Israeli strike on Iran, which could spark an active conflict in the region.
President Donald Trump is in talks with Iran about its controversial nuclear plan, which is at the center of the escalation. Unfortunately, those negotiations seem to be breaking down as other indicators suggest Iran has already violated its longstanding nuclear deal.
The United Nations has found that Iran may have violated its decades-old nuclear nonproliferation agreement. Now it appears the nation may have "stockpiles of near-weapons-grade uranium" in direct violation of previous arrangements.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found Iran in noncompliance because of "undeclared nuclear material and activities at multiple undeclared locations." Iran has announced a new enrichment site at a "secure location" without giving specifics.
This move is "concerning" to Kelsey Davenport, Arms Control Association's director of nonproliferation policy. "If this turns out to be a facility that Iran has already built out, then it could become operational relatively quickly and pose much more of a risk," Davenport said.
Meanwhile, U.S. and Iranian talks are going nowhere despite several attempts. A sixth round will take place in Oman on Sunday with the hopes of diffusing this situation by offering sanctions relief for Iran in exchange for a solid deal to limit its nuclear program.
The world is in a precarious situation with the tension in Iran and the implications of its growing nuclear program. It will be up to Trump and all of those involved to come to a favorable solution before the situation gets out of hand.
Elon Musk now says he regrets his barrage of social media posts slamming President Donald Trump, Fox News reported. The former Department of Government Efficiency head launched a series of personal attacks on the president on social media.
The feud between Musk and Trump erupted over the president's "big beautiful" bill that came with a huge price tag. The Tesla billionaire was incensed that he worked to slash spending while Trump's legislation would add to the deficit.
Musk lashed out at Trump, saying the Department of Justice had evidence that Trump was tied to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Musk deleted the posts and later shared to X, "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far."
I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025
Things got ugly as Musk very publicly made the claim about Trump and Epstein. "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files," Musk wrote in a since-deleted post to X.
"That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!"
Musk also accused Trump of "ingratitude" as he claimed that it was he who helped push Trump over the finish line to win the 2024 presidential election. Musk went so far as to say Trump should be impeached and Vice President J.D. Vance installed as president.
Surprisingly, Trump was mostly subdued in his criticisms of Musk, which is a far cry from how the president handled such situations in the past. Trump did say that "Elon's totally lost it" during a Fox News interview, but otherwise, Trump's response was measured.
Still, Trump couldn't help but take a jab on social media. "Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" Trump wrote.
Trump would later share kind words for his former associate, signaling that he had moved on from the feud. "We had a great relationship and I wish him well—very well, actually," Trump said Monday.
Besides his quasi-apology, Musk subtly reasserted his support for Trump by sharing one of his posts about the riots happening in Los Angeles. "Governor Gavin Newscum and ‘Mayor’ Bass should apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they’ve done, and this now includes the ongoing L.A. riots," Trump's post shared by Musk said.
"These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists," Trump added in the post. On another post by Vance that also shared Trump's words, Musk replied with two American flag emojis.
The post voiced Vance's support for Trump's position on the riot while also including a screenshot of Trump's post."This moment calls for decisive leadership. The president will not tolerate rioting and violence," Vance captioned the screenshot.
This situation had the potential to become a drawn-out feud between these two powerhouses of American politics and culture. While the internet had fun with it for a few days, it seems cooler heads have prevailed as both men have gone back to their respective corners.
Former President Barack Obama has been unusually quiet as the left mounts its resistance against President Donald Trump, The Atlantic reported. Staff writer and book author Mark Leibovich believes the former leader is just what the Democratic Party needs to reverse its decline.
The left can't seem to let go of the past. Whether it's failed candidates like Hillary Clinton and Stacy Abrams or their previous winners like Obama, they believe recycling the same politicians is the key to future success.
Liebovich was almost begging Obama to return to the forefront of politics in his essay "Where Is Barack Obama?" published Sunday. He demonstrated no awareness that Obama was part of the problem Democrats face today.
"Trump has begun his second term with a continuous spree of democracy-shaking, economy-quaking, norm-obliterating action. And Obama, true to form, has remained carefully above it all," Liebovich gushed.
The author hit the usual talking points about Trump to make the case for a more prominent role for Obama in the public discourse these days. While he acknowledges that Obama hasn't been completely missing in action, he believes the former president isn't doing enough.
"No matter how brazen Trump becomes, the most effective communicator in the Democratic Party continues to opt for minimal communication. His 'audacity of hope' presidency has given way to the fierce lethargy of semi-retirement," Liebovich charged.
While Obama pops up for serious reasons every now and then, he also seems to revel in more cushy cultural roles like his "summer and year-end book, music, and film recommendations." The author sees this as unacceptable in light of Trump's presidency.
"In normal times, no one would deny Obama these diversions. He performed the world’s most stressful job for eight years, served his country, made his history, and deserved to kick back and do the usual ex-president things: start a foundation, build a library, make unspeakable amounts of money," Liebovich contends.
"But the inevitable Trump-era counterpoint is that these are not normal times. And Obama’s detachment feels jarringly incongruous with the desperation of his longtime admirers—even more so given Trump’s assaults on what Obama achieved in office," he added.
Liebovich mentions Obama's one contribution to the 2024 presidential election, which was convincing then-President Joe Biden to give up his reelection bid. The author downplays the implications of the Democrats' loss in relation to Obama's continued popularity.
"Obama did insert himself in the 2024 election, reportedly taking an aggressive behind-the-scenes role last summer in trying to nudge Biden out of the race. He delivered a showstopper speech at the Democratic National Convention and campaigned several times for Kamala Harris in the fall," Liebovich claimed.
However, the truth is that Obama just couldn't push Biden or then-Vice President Kamala Harris, his replacement, over the finish line. If Obama were the oracle Liebovich makes him out to be, it would have been an easy win for either Democrat.
The author closes with a fantasy scenario where Obama would steal Trump's thunder during the June 14 parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the Army’s 250th anniversary. "Few things would fire up Democrats like a head-to-head matchup between Trump and Obama," Liebovich added.
What Democrats fail to realize is that Obama's popularity was never as universal as they made it out to be, and handwringing over his diminished role is a waste of time. Perhaps Obama is trying to preserve his legacy by lying low while the party implodes under its own weight.