Former President Obama's call for Democrats to "toughen up" sparked discussion about his changing influence, with a former NPR host suggesting he no longer appeals to the base.

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.”

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.

Barack and I, we are all about creating what we call the attractive nuisance. We want to make it so that you want to be back here.”

Former Obama speechwriter David Litt suggested in a guest essay for The New York Times that ostracizing conservatives might be the wrong approach, detailing a personal acedote.

Obama's alma mater, Columbia University, gave in to the administration's demands after it slashed $400 million in federal funding. The Trump administration said the cuts were because of the university's failure to combat anti-semitism when protests over Israel's war in Gaza erupted on campus.