Brett Cooper says Democrats have sparked a progressive Gen Z revolt they can’t control, as Obama tells party members to stop 'whining’ and get in the fight.

Former President Barack Obama has urged disillusioned Democrats to quit “navel-gazing” and “whining” in a call to stand firm against the Trump administration. The 44th president offered his blunt perspective as he returned to the fundraising circuit at a private event in New Jersey on Friday, telling his party to “toughen up.”

Goldberg shared some of the remarks Obama reportedly made during a recent public appearance where he said, “Democrats need to speak out more forcefully against [Trump] and they should stop looking for a messiah. It’s going to require less navel-gazing and a little less whining.”

Tommy Vietor and Jon Favreau, former Obama staffers and co-hosts of "Pod Save America," responded to criticisms that the Democratic Party has a viewpoint diversity problem, on the "Flagrant" podcast.

And it’s going to require Democrats to just toughen up,” Obama said at the fundraiser, according to excerpts of his remarks exclusively obtained by CNN. It may have escaped former President Look Forward,

Rahm Emanuel, former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, issued a call to action for the Democratic Party on Monday. In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Emanuel said that Democrats need to make the middle class their “North Star,” and encouraged the party to “work like dogs” to make the American Dream more accessible.

Former President Barack Obama has returned to the fundraising circuit, attending an event in Red Bank, New Jersey, on Friday night. Obama was set to join the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, at the high-dollar fundraiser, Axios reported ahead of the event.

Democrats are looking to run the Republican Obamacare playbook and use the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as a political cudgel heading into the 2026 midterm elections. Early polling on President Donald Trump’s signature legislative victory suggests a small fraction of adults support the bill signed into law on Friday.