In an appearance with writer Heather Cox Richardson in Connecticut, Obama “pointed to an erosion of traditional values like the rule of law, an independent judiciary, the freedom of the press and the right to protest.” He then went further gently chastising wealthy liberal elites:
“During his presidency, liberals felt ‘comfortable in their righteousness,’ he said, because it wasn’t tested.
‘You could be as progressive and socially conscious as you wanted and you did not have to pay a price,’ he said. ‘You could still make a lot of money. You could still hang out in Aspen and Milan and travel and have a house in the Hamptons and still think of yourself as a progressive.’ He added, ‘We now have a situation in which all of us are going to be tested in some way and we are going to have to decide what our commitments will be.’
‘Now things are a little different,’ he said. ‘You might lose some of your donors if you’re a university and if you’re a law firm, your billings might drop a little bit, which means you cannot remodel that kitchen in your house in the Hamptons this summer.'”