Former President Barack Obama is sharing how he thinks the âsnappyâ slogans such as âdefund the policeâ lose a âbig audience.â
Speaking with Peter Hamby on Snapchatâs âGood Luck America,â set to air in part on Wednesday morning, Obama said, âYou lost a big audience the minute you say it, which makes it a lot less likely that youâre actually going to get the changes you want done,â according to Axios.
He added, âThe 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?â
Obama also addressed why he thinks President Donald Trump gained support among young Black men in the 2020 presidential election.
The former president said, âI think men generally are more susceptible to public figures who act tough, try to project a stereotypical macho style. I donât think Black men are immune to that any more than white or Hispanic men are.â
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âDefund the policeâ was a chant that was widely used over the summer by protestors following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police.
A mural reading âDefund the Policeâ was painted in bright yellow on 16th Street NW in Washington, D.C., near the White House over the summer. It was painted next to the âBlack Lives Matterâ mural in the city.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was asked by ABC News if she would remove the âDefund the Policeâ mural, to which she said at the time, âWell, itâs not a part of the , and we certainly encourage expression, but we are using the city streets for city art.â
A âBlack Lives Matterâ mural was also painted in New York City near Trump Tower. Trump responded at the time, âNYC is cutting Police by ONE BILLION DOLLARS, and yet the is going to paint a big, expensive yellow Black Lives Matter sign on Fifth Avenue, denigrating this luxury avenue.â
He added in a tweet, âMaybe our GREAT Police, who have been neutralized and scorned by a mayor who hates disrespects them, wonât let this symbol of hate be affixed to New Yorkâs greatest street. Spend this money fighting crime instead!â
Similar to Obama, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said in November that the phrase âdefund the policeâ can âkill a political effort.â
