Navarro Discusses Who She Would Like To Speak Out
Calls are intensifying for former President Barack Obama to break his relative silence and publicly rebuke Donald Trump, whose second term continues to draw fierce opposition from progressive voices and media figures.
On Friday’s episode of The View, co-host Ana Navarro urged Obama to abandon political decorum and speak out directly, warning that the nation is experiencing what she described as “an American nightmare.”
“This isn’t the honeymoon period,” Navarro said. “These are not normal times.” Her comments came during a broader discussion about whether it’s appropriate for former presidents to remain quiet during their successors’ terms—a tradition rooted in political restraint but increasingly questioned in today’s highly charged environment.
Navarro's appeal followed a weekend of massive anti-Trump demonstrations labeled the “No Kings” protests, where an estimated 5 million Americans marched in opposition to what they view as authoritarian tendencies from the White House. The protests coincided with a large-scale military parade in Washington, D.C., held to commemorate the Army’s 250th birthday—a display critics saw as emblematic of Trump’s strongman style.
While other View co-hosts, including Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines, defended Obama’s decision to maintain a lower profile, Navarro insisted that figures like the former president have a moral obligation to use their platforms, particularly in times of political upheaval.
“America is in danger. Our democratic values are in danger,” Navarro said. “Each and every one of us has to do everything we absolutely can. Some of us have a bigger voice. Some of us have a smaller voice.”
She suggested a unified statement from all living former presidents condemning Trump’s actions could send a powerful message. Though Obama has made limited public appearances—supporting Democratic candidates and delivering carefully worded critiques—some on the left say his restraint is no longer tenable.
Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Institute, expressed frustration with Obama’s silence. “There are many grandmas and Rachel Maddow viewers who have been more vocal in this moment than Barack Obama has,” he told The Atlantic. “It is heartbreaking to see him sacrificing that megaphone when nobody else quite has it.”
Obama’s most pointed remarks in recent months have been indirect. Speaking in Connecticut this week, he appeared to challenge liberal elites to move beyond comfortable rhetoric. Yet, he avoided naming Trump directly.