Former President Barack Obama issued sharp criticism toward universities that, in his view, compromised their academic principles under political and financial pressure during the Trump administration. Speaking in New Jersey, Obama specifically cited Columbia University—his alma mater—which faced a reported threat of losing $400 million in federal funding unless it took stronger action against alleged anti-Semitism on campus amid protests over Israel’s war in Gaza.
“If your core mission, if your core value is to teach, you may teach without compromising values of academic independence,” Obama said. “Yeah, you may lose some grant money temporarily. That’s why you have those big endowments.”
Obama’s remarks were part of a broader warning about what he described as an erosion of democratic norms. During an appearance at The Connecticut Forum on June 17, he cautioned that the country was “dangerously close to normalizing authoritarian behaviors,” emphasizing the need for civic vigilance and moral consistency in public life. “We’re not there yet completely,” he added, “but I think that we are dangerously close to normalizing behavior like that.”
While Obama’s comments reignited debate over institutional integrity and political influence in academia, his successor and fellow Democrat, former President Joe Biden, has been grappling with controversy of his own. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Biden addressed questions surrounding his use of an autopen to sign his final round of clemency orders during his last weeks in office—an act that included more than 1,500 pardons and commutations.
The White House previously described the move as the single largest one-day clemency action by any U.S. president. Biden explained that although he personally determined the eligibility criteria and approved the overall framework, staff members executed the signing process through an autopen, which replicated his signature on the official documents. “I made the decisions on who qualified,” Biden said, emphasizing that he did not personally review every individual case.
Republican critics have since accused Biden of delegating a core presidential responsibility and undermining transparency in the clemency process. The administration, however, has defended the procedure as both legal and consistent with historical precedent, citing similar use of autopens for routine or time-sensitive presidential approvals.
Together, Obama’s and Biden’s remarks underscore an ongoing national dialogue about leadership ethics, accountability, and the challenges of governance. From universities navigating political coercion to presidents balancing constitutional powers with administrative efficiency, both episodes reflect the tension between principle and pragmatism that continues to define American political life.