Two former Presidents voiced concerns Thursday about the current political climate in the United States, urging citizens to oppose threats to American democracy.
Neither Barack Obama nor George W. Bush named President Donald Trump in their high-profile speech, but the comments were seen as a veiled criticism of his leadership.
After keeping a low profile and avoiding direct confrontation with his successor for months, Obama returned to the campaign trail on Thursday. Speaking at a rally in Newark for Phil Murphy, the Democratic candidate for governor in New Jersey, Obama decried the politics of division.
Speaking for Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam in Richmond later, the former president railed against 'the politics of fear.'
"We need you to take this seriously. Our democracy is at stake," Obama, who is still the most popular Democrat in the country, told the gathering that waited a long time to see him.
Both the elections are scheduled for November 7th, one year after the billionaire-turned politician swept the presidential polls.
Termed as "big elections," the gubernatorial races are is seen as a major test for Trump and his Republican Party and also potential indicators of voter sentiment ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Addressing the Bush Institute's Spirit of Liberty event in New York earlier in the day, George W. Bush urged citizens to oppose threats to American democracy.
"Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication." Bush said.
He added, "We've seen nationalism distorted into nativism, forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always brought to America."
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