Frustrated that prominent Democrats have not fought harder, former President Barack Obama said in a speech that his party’s leaders needed to step up.

Former President Barack Obama issued a call to action for Democrats at a private fundraiser in New Jersey on Friday evening, urging those frustrated by the state of the country under President Donald Trump to “stand up for the things that you think are right.

The report comes about six months after Trump returned to the White House and began taking drastic measures that his administration says will improve government efficiency and protect U.S. interests, triggering condemnation from Democrats that the moves could amount to ceding global influence to China.

Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee accused the Trump administration of “ceding global leadership to China,” citing the trade war and a retreat from international engagement through cuts to foreign aid and media agencies.

The minority members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee say the White House is undercutting American soft power and letting China fill the void.

Democrats are decidedly more optimistic about 2028.

Democrats have been divided in the wake of then-Vice President Kamala Harris' loss to Donald Trump in the November presidential 2024 election. Some blamed her loss on the party alienating moderate voters,

Democrats' political jockeying for the 2028 presidential contest appears to be playing out earlier, with more frequency and with less pretense than ever before. It’s only 2025, but several