Former President Barack Obama refuses to leave the political spotlight, even though his last election was more than a dozen years ago, and Democrats are trying to find a new leader to rally behind.
Obama has been seen as of late speaking to Texas House Democrats about the redistricting battle, sharing a phone call with New York City socialist Zohran Mamdani, speaking at The Connecticut Forum, and headlining Democratic Party fundraisers.
After making the rounds last fall in support of then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, Obama, who has kept a residence in Washington, D.C., is again upping his involvement despite leaving office in January 2017.
For Democrats concerned about what the future holds both for their party and for the nation after their staggering 2024 losses, Obama’s presence can be reassuring.
“I think Barack Obama is still a good spokesperson for the party,” Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said. “Obama is very popular, and I’m always glad to see him enter the political fray.”
Bannon points to Gallup polling that found Obama was the most popular living president with a 59% favorability rating, with his Vice President and successor Joe Biden the lowest at 39%.
But Obama’s ability to uplift his party in the era of President Donald Trump remains in doubt. He, of course, cannot run for office again, and his party is floundering as it seeks a new leader to rally behind.
“A wise old philosopher once said that the simple answer is usually the correct one,” presidential historian Craig Shirley said. “This is about his ego.”
Obama, still just 64 years old, wants to be talked about, Shirley added, and fears being surpassed in relevance by younger politicians. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has reached historic lows in popularity, with just 29% approving in a recent CNN poll.
Obama’s re-entry into the political discussion hasn’t always been voluntary. Trump was delighted when Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabard declassified emails from the Russia collusion investigation that began when Obama was still in office.
A declassified statement released earlier this month from a senior United States intelligence official-turned-whistleblower said that Obama officials had pressured him to support flawed conclusions that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. The intelligence community assessment in question came during the final days of Obama’s second term.
“There is irrefutable evidence that details how President Barack Obama and his national security team directed the creation of an intelligence community assessment that they knew that was false,” Gabbard claimed. “The evidence that we have found and that we have released directly points to President Obama leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment. There are multiple pieces of evidence and intelligence that confirm that fact.”
Trump even shared an artificial intelligence video of Obama being arrested in the Oval Office.
But Obama has been more than happy to turn the lights back on himself as well.
The details of his call with Mamdani are short, but it was widely seen as a signal to other Democrats that it’s okay to associate with him despite his views that some see as far Left or even Marxist.
While speaking to Texas Democrats about redistricting, Obama told them their actions were made necessary by Trump’s moves in Texas, Ohio, and elsewhere to gain an advantage through new maps.
“We can’t let a systematic assault on democracy just happen and stand by, and so because of your actions, because of your courage, what you’ve seen is California responding, other states looking at what they can do to offset this mid-decade gerrymandering,” Obama said, according to CNN.
“My hope is that rather than have a race to the bottom where every district is predetermined based on how it’s drawn, that over time, the American people, ideally with the help of the courts, realize that there’s a better way,” Obama added.
TRUMP’S TAKEOVER OF BLUE DC MET WITH PRAISE AND RAGE BY FED-UP RESIDENTS
Shirley, the presidential historian, argues that Obama would be better off following the lead of other recent ex-presidents who moved to rural areas far removed from the capital. Ronald Reagan retired to his ranch in California, George W. Bush retreated to his ranch in Texas, and Jimmy Carter spent his long post-presidency in the hinterlands of Plains, Georgia.
“Obama can’t get away from politics,” Shirley said. “When Reagan left, he went back to California and started a new life. That was the last entry in his diary, ‘I’m back in California, starting a new life.’ He put the White House behind him.”
As a symbol of pre-Trump politics, Shirley added that Obama would not be the one to lead the Democratic Party into the future.
But Bannon countered that Obama still has a meaningful role, which is part of why he remains so popular among the electorate.
“Obamacare was a dramatic innovation in the way that the government delivers healthcare services,” Bannon said. “Democrats should carry that forward, talking about how they can continue to innovate in the healthcare policy space to improve the lives of voters.”
