Obama’s Strong ‘Defund The Police’ Warning Comes With ‘Yes We Can’ Backlash

Former President Barack Obama is causing a buzz on Twitter after parts of an interview were released in which he suggested the use of “snappy” slogans in political campaigns, such as “defund the police,” can lose voters.

Obama made the statement in an interview on “Good Luck America,” which went live at 6 a.m. EST on Wednesday. Portions of the three-part interview will be released through Friday on Snapchat.

In the interview, Obama warned that using “’snappy’ slogans such as ‘defund the police’ can alienate people, making the statement less effective than intended,” reports Axios.

The phrase “defund the police” gained traction during the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer, following the death of George Floyd in May. Floyd, who was Black, was killed after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck, pinning him to the ground as he said he couldn’t breathe.

Floyd’s death sparked outrage across the U.S. with protests that called for the defunding of the police. The movement aimed to reallocate funding to social services in minority communities from local police departments, The Hill reported.

In the interview, Obama explained how saying the use of the slogan, and others like it, can hurt a politician’s campaign. “You lost a big audience the minute you say it, which, makes it a lot less likely that you’re actually going to get the changes you want done,” he said.

Obama continuing by stressing that “the key is deciding, do you want to actually get something done, or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?”

Obama is one of the few high-profile Democrats that has come out to say that these catchphrases actually hurt Democrats in the election. Following his criticism of the slogan, Obama’s own 2008 campaign slogan, “Yes We Can,” has come under attack.

On Wednesday, “Defund the Police” and “Yes We Can” trended on Twitter as a result of the former president’s comments.

One Twitter user said, “Defund the police isn’t a ‘slogan’ it’s a well considered policy initiative. We mean what we say Mr. Yes We Can.”

Another user said, “Snappy slogans like ‘Yes we can,’ of course, are awesome because they are vague and promise nothing. ‘Defund the Police’ implies specific policies that politicians will then be accountable for.”

One individual criticized Obama for using the slogan “Yes We Can” but accused him of failing to deliver on his promises, writing, “Or when you get elected on the mantra ‘Yes we can’ and then spend the next eight years showing ‘no we cannot.’”

Obama supporters have also come to his defense following the backlash with one person saying his comments were taken out of context.

In the interview, Obama was also asked about President Trump’s support among young Black men during the 2020 election. He said: “I think men generally are more susceptible to public figures who act tough, try to project a stereotypical macho style. I don’t think Black men are immune to that any more than white or Hispanic men are.”

Obama also mentioned the importance of young people in politics saying, “I think that there have been times where we stick so long with the same old folks and don’t make room for new voices.”

The interview with Obama was part of a press tour where the former president is promoting the first volume of his new memoir, “A Promised Land.”

Former President Obama speaks during the MBK Rising! My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Summit on Feb. 19, 2019, in Oakland, California. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images