Barack Obama explains his criticism of 'defund the police'

Former President Barack Obama recently came under fire for his criticism of the slogan “Defund the police.” In a recent interview to promote his memoir, A Promised Land, Obama expands on his criticism of the saying.

Obama appeared on The Daily Show as part of the promotion of his book that recounts his time in the White House. Speaking to host Trevor Noah, Obama explained his criticism of the “Defund the Police” calls made by protesters during the civil unrest that took over the US several months ago. It has since become a rallying cry among the Black Lives Matter movement as well as the more progressive wing of the Democratic party, who demanded that funds be given to the social and public health sectors rather than the law enforcement. Obama previously criticized the saying, saying that its use would not appeal to the more moderate faction of the party.

Obama then explained that the issue is not on the meaning of the saying, but rather how it is said. “That particular slogan I think the concern is there may be potential allies out there that you’d lose. The issue always is how do you get enough people to support your cause that you can actually institutionalize it and translate it into laws?” said the former president. Obama also noted that roles in society need the appropriate language, even if the roles are pushing for the same goals and calling for the same changes.

The former president also clarified his criticisms for those who took it to mean that he is a little against the Black Lives Matter movement. Obama praised the activists and demonstrators for their efforts to demand change.

In the interview, Obama also touched on the state of the Republican party and described the political party as the “minority” in the country. The former president explained that while Republicans do not appear to be a minority in terms of the structures in government like the Senate and the Electoral College, it is a minority in terms of diversity. Obama cited the time he went into the House Republican caucus as where he noticed a lack of diversity among the lawmakers.