‘Squad’ Members Swipe Back at Obama for Saying ‘Defund the Police’ Slogan Loses a ‘Big Audience’

Members of the so-call Democratic “squad” are firing back after former President Barack Obama (D) ripped “snappy slogans” such as “defund the police.”

During an interview on Snapchat’s “Good Luck America” that aired on Wednesday, Obama suggested that the slogan had cost Democrats votes in the general election.

His comments did not go over well with the member of the “squad,” Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.).

Check out the reactions below:

Newly elected members of Congress who share a similar ideology with “the squad” also reacted to Obama’s comments.

During the interview, Obama said, “You lost a big audience the minute you say it, which makes it a lot less likely that you’re actually going to get the changes you want done.”

He added, “The 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?”

The phrase “defund the police” became a popular rallying cry of protesters against racism and police brutality after the death of George Floyd in May. 

Obama is not alone in his criticism of the phrase. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) also blamed the phrase for Democrats coming up short in Congressional races, as IJR reported.

Specifically, he suggested it had a negative impact on South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Jaimie Harrison’s chances, “That stuff hurt Jaimie, and that’s why I spoke out against it a long time ago. I’ve always said that these headlines can kill a political effort.”

“We are all about making headway, and I just hope that going forward, we will think about each one of these Congressional districts and let people represent their districts,” he added.