Barack Obama, 64, is “not so sure” that “America would survive Donald Trump,” according to CNN.
People close to Obama told the outlet on Friday that Trump’s head-on attacks to deny Democrats power worry the former president about the fate of his party.
“The harm is so profound that this calls for both a different approach generally, and a different involvement specifically by President Obama,” said Eric Holder, the former attorney general and longtime friend of Obama. “There will be damage done along the way—there’s no question about that. We won’t win every battle.”
Obama and his aides are revising his strategy of maintaining a low-key public presence.
“He doesn’t want to be the leader of the party—he was the leader of the free world. But it feels like sometimes he’s got to speak his mind,” an insider said.
Obama, who declined an interview with CNN, senses his party’s views are shifting farther from where they stood when he served as president. Still, he wonders if he’s needed to maintain its relevance, according to the outlet.
Recently, Obama has been gearing up to return to the campaign trail—sort of.
He is set to campaign for two moderate Democrat candidates on Saturday—New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger out of Virginia—ahead of the gubernatorial elections on Nov. 4.
Top Democratic officials and operatives told the outlet that Obama has struggled to return to the public stage to defend his views. But Trump’s calls to indict and shutter Democratic institutions have stoked his fears, according to CNN.
“No one expected this: this bad, this ugly, literally the rule of law in play every day,” one insider said.
However, Obama has reportedly said in private conversations that deeply held beliefs must be “tested.”
“If you have convictions and they’re not being tested, then it’s just fashion,” Obama reportedly said.
The former president is reaching out to institutional leaders to urge them not to bow to the current administration, even if it would cost them financially, according to CNN.
Insiders said the former president was shocked and disgusted when many of the rich people in his social life conceded to Trump.
Still, Obama’s longtime friend remains optimistic about America’s future.
“If we are focused, if we’re willing to engage, if we are willing to do the work, the nation and our democracy can survive this,” Holder told CNN.
Barack Obama did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
