Former President Barack Obama sharply criticized law firms, universities and businesses that have negotiated settlements with President Donald Trump’s administration, urging organizations to “take a stand” rather than capitulate to pressure on hiring and diversity policies.
The remarks came during an interview for the final episode of comedian Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, posted Monday. Obama specifically targeted institutions conceding to policies influenced by top White House aide Stephen Miller, arguing that standing up for principles requires only “a little discomfort” rather than extreme sacrifice.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Monday for comment.
Why It Matters
Obama’s podcast comments represent some of his most direct criticism of Trump outside campaign appearances, coming as the administration has orchestrated an unprecedented effort extracting massive financial commitments and policy concessions from America’s most powerful institutions.
Columbia University agreed to pay $221 million, and Brown University committed $50 million in July, while at least nine major law firms have pledged between $40 million and $125 million each in pro bono services, according to a July news release from the White House.
Media companies have also capitulated: Disney’s ABC paid $16 million to settle Trump’s defamation lawsuit, while Paramount paid $16 million over a 60 Minutes interview edit, clearing the way for its $8 billion merger with Skydance. Meta also paid Trump $25 million in January to settle a 2021 lawsuit.
What To Know
Obama acknowledged the real challenges organizations face, including doxing, hostile online attacks and business consequences, but insisted the current moment doesn’t require extreme sacrifice. Drawing a stark comparison, he said Americans aren’t facing Nelson Mandela’s 27 years in a jail cell breaking rocks: “Right now, there’s just a little discomfort.”
The former president outlined specific actions for different sectors. Law firms should declare they’ll “represent who we want” and uphold their core mission even if losing business. Universities should use endowments to weather potential federal grant losses rather than compromise academic independence. Businesses should maintain hiring from diverse backgrounds and refuse to be “bullied” into accepting criteria “cooked up by Steve Miller.”
The Trump administration has targeted elite universities, including Columbia, Brown, Harvard and UCLA, freezing billions in federal research funding over allegations of antisemitism, DEI violations and civil rights infractions. Columbia’s $221 million settlement includes commitments to combat antisemitism, refrain from considering race in admissions and allow government monitoring. Brown agreed to pay $50 million to workforce development programs and ban transgender women from women’s sports. UCLA faces a potential $1 billion settlement demand, while Harvard is negotiating a possible $500 million deal.
In the legal sector, at least nine major law firms have settled with the Trump administration. Paul Weiss committed $40 million in pro bono work, while Skadden agreed to $100 million. Four additional firms—Kirkland & Ellis, Allen Overy Shearman Sterling, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and Latham & Watkins—each pledged at least $125 million in free legal services. These settlements require firms to allow independent monitors to oversee their recruiting and hiring practices.
Obama framed the issue as a generational test of conviction, arguing that his generation and Maron’s became “so accustomed to things kind of getting better consistently” that progressive positions never really cost anything. “If convictions don’t cost anything, then they’re really just kind of fashion. They’re not really convictions,” he said, suggesting this moment tests whether stated values are genuine or merely trendy positions taken when convenient.
The interview, recorded at Obama’s Washington office, also addressed the psychological toll of public criticism. Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama distinguish between themselves and what they call “civilians” who become “freaked out” by hostile comments online. While acknowledging that he chose public life—”as Michelle will point out”—Obama recognized how difficult it is when “your email or your phone is filled up with hostile, nasty trolling garbage.”
Beyond institutional responses, the wide-ranging conversation touched on Trump’s National Guard deployment to Chicago, which Obama called “a deliberate end run” around laws prohibiting military domestic law enforcement, and the evolution of political communication through podcasts.
What People Are Saying
Obama, on institutional responsibility: “We all have this capacity, I think, to take a stand. We can call it like we see it. We need people who have whatever platforms they have to be able to say, no, that’s not who we are.”
Obama, on his generation’s progressive values: “We were so accustomed to things kind of getting better consistently over our lifetimes, a little less racist, a little less sexist, less homophobic, a little more generous, that it was easy to say, ‘well, yeah, I’m a progressive, but it didn’t really cost us anything.'”
What Happens Next
The interview marks the conclusion of Maron’s 16-year podcast run, with the comedian having previously interviewed Obama in 2015.
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