Reacting to the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, former US President Barack Obama took to social media on Sunday to assert that there is “no place for political violence in our democracy.”
“Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics,” Obama, who was succeeded by Trump in 2017, wrote.
However, Obama’s statement drew widespread criticism from netizens who highlighted the US’s history of political violence and military interventions.
A social media user, Atra, remarked, “There is no place for political violence in US democracy, and that’s why we export it to innocent civilians, especially in Gaza.” He shared a screenshot from a recent Lancet medical journal report indicating that at least 186,000 Palestinians could have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7, 2023.
Another user, Tiberius, questioned Obama’s past actions, asking, “What about all those times you bombed other people?” He added, “I bet their surviving family members feel so much better knowing that you feel this way, though I can’t help but think they would feel it was pretty f*****g political.”
Journalist Ben Norton, based in Beijing, criticized US democracy as “political violence,” stating, “All US presidents for decades (both Republicans & Democrats) have waged nonstop war, in Korea, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, etc. The US has killed MILLIONS. But I guess foreign lives don’t matter.” He pointed out that Obama “dropped 26,171 bombs in 2016, while the US military ran 800 foreign military bases and US special ops were in 138 countries.”
Richard Medhurst, a British independent journalist, commented on the clear messaging from the American political class, stating, “Violence is okay, but not in America. Only outside, against the rest of the world. As usual.” He also described the US as “the most violent place on earth,” citing its history of genocide against Indigenous nations and military interventions worldwide.
New York-based writer and peace activist Margaret Kimberley responded to Obama’s tweet by highlighting US military and CIA interventions since World War II, asserting that “political violence has no place in our country. Well, it sure as hell has a place in the rest of the world.”
Alan MacLeod, a staff writer at Mint Press, echoed similar sentiments, saying, “If you think this assassination attempt is bad, you should see what the US has done to dozens of foreign leaders.”
Pakistani barrister Asad Rahim Khan criticized Obama for his military actions in countries with Muslim majorities, stating, “Obama bombed Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Syria in his last year alone. 26,171 times.”
Palestinian writer and podcast host Yara Hawari called Obama’s statement about “no political violence” laughable, questioning the US’s history of coups, assassinations, and ongoing military support for what she termed genocide in Gaza.
Another social media user questioned whether bombing children with drones was considered “political violence,” referring to Obama’s record of drone strikes.
Critics also pointed out Obama’s role in expanding the so-called US “war on terror,” which resulted in widespread death, destruction, and chaos, particularly in South Asia and West Asia. Samuel Myon, writing in the Guardian in August 2021, elaborated on Obama’s “armed drone empire,” stating that the rise of drone warfare under his administration symbolized the extension and expansion of endless war.
