OObama Jailed Whistleblowers, Increased Wars But Is Now Warning Against Authoritarianism

Fast Fact: Obama effectively silenced journalists, jailed whistleblowers & increased wars during his presidency - but is now warning against authoritarianism

The Obama administration used the Espionage Act to aggressively prosecute whistleblowers who provided information to journalists—prosecuting more than all prior administrations combined.

These prosecutions resulted in over 500 months of prison time for whistleblowers.
High-profile cases included those of Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden.

The administration also spied on journalists, by doing things like obtaining phone records of reporters.

Obama also Repealed the Smith-Mundt Act - which led to the CIA and FBI’s authorization to feed political propaganda to American Citizens

However, fact checkers say that the move lifted the ban on domestic access to propaganda materials - allowing Americans to view content produced for foreign audiences if they asked for it.

Plus, Obama Deported a record 3 million people over his eight years in office, which is more than any other president. 75–83% of those deported were from Latin America.

This earned him the nickname "Deporter in Chief.

The infamous 'kids in cages' pictures that popped up during Trump's first administration were actually from the Obama-era, where Obama's Border Patrol used chain-link "cages" in temporary holding facilities in Texas to house children before transfer.

That’s not all, Obama took the country from 2 wars, to 7 wars and or active conflicts during his tenure.

Drone strikes surged dramatically with Obama authorizing 563 strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia (ten times Bush's 57), plus hundreds more elsewhere, killing an estimated 2,200–3,500 militants but also 380–800 civilians.

Obama signed the NDAA, which codified indefinite military detention without being charged or going through a trial for anyone (including U.S. citizens) that is suspected of giving "substantial support" to al-Qaeda or associated forces.

The ACLU said his move threatened civil liberties for the first time in U.S. history.

Even through all of that… here’s Obama in 2025, warning Americans about the current rise in ‘authoritarianism’ and the dangers of Conservative voters and their beliefs.

"Like many of you, I've become increasingly concerned about the rising wave of authoritarianism sweeping the globe."
"We're seeing politicians target civil society, undermine freedom of the press, weaponize the justice system."
"No one is being spared, even countries that thought they were immune from wholesale assaults on democracy now understand we are all part in this struggle. It's an enormous challenge."