"The View" co-host Ana Navarro called Friday on former President Barack Obama to publicly condemn President Donald Trump, saying we are living in "an American nightmare" in his second term and it was his duty to take a stand.
After Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines largely defended Obama’s right to stay out of the limelight after recent media discussions about his role in the Democratic Party, Navarro pushed for Obama and other past presidents to use their platforms to fight against the Trump administration.
"In normal times, former presidents would remain quiet and not criticize or attack the current president, particularly in year one when it was the honeymoon period. Well, this isn’t the honeymoon period. It’s a nightmare. It’s an American nightmare. These are not normal times," she said.
Navarro referenced the "No Kings" protests across the nation last weekend where an estimated 5 million people took to the streets to protest the president and his agenda, as Trump held a military parade in Washington, D.C., to mark the Army’s 250th birthday.
Demonstrators take part in the "No Kings" protest, Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
"The American people are taking it upon themselves. They’re not waiting for a leader," Navarro continued. "They’re not waiting for a great White knight or a Black knight or Latino knight to drive them out of the forest into the wilderness. They're doing it upon themselves."
Navarro said she loved that Obama was "happy" and enjoying life out of the political spotlight by "making money" and "making movies." But she insisted it was his obligation to speak out against Trump for endangering the country.
"America is in danger. Our democratic values are in danger. I think if you feel that way, each and every one of us has to do everything we absolutely can," she said. "Some of us have a bigger voice. Some of us have a smaller voice."
Navarro suggested all the living presidents could come out and make a unified public declaration rebuking the sitting president.
Former President Barack Obama was urged to speak out on Friday's "The View." (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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Some progressives shared their disappointment that Obama hasn’t been more outspoken in his criticism of Trump during the president's second term.
"There are many grandmas and Rachel Maddow viewers who have been more vocal in this moment than Barack Obama has," co-founder of the Progressive Change Institute, Adam Green, told The Atlantic in a report published earlier this month.
"It is heartbreaking," Green said, "to see him sacrificing that megaphone when nobody else quite has it."
Obama campaigned alongside former President Joe Biden before he dropped out of the race and also stumped for former Vice President Kamala Harris when she became the nominee last year. The former president spoke out against Trump in April at an event in New York, but has largely remained out of the spotlight since Trump won.
Former President Barack Obama campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
This week in remarks in Connecticut, Obama took veiled shots at Trump but never mentioned him by name. He chided affluent liberals that they might have to go to uncomfortable places if they wanted to be truly progressive in this new era.
Obama's office didn't return a request for comment.
Fox News’ Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.