Liberal singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus called former president Barack Obama a "war criminal" after he tweeted out an annual summer playlist that included a song by her band, boygenius.
Although Dacus did not elaborate on her comment except for a ":(" typed emoji, she may have been attacking Obama for his use of drone strikes during his administration, which others on the left have frequently criticized. Obama authorized more than 500 drone strikes during his eight years in office, killing 324 civilians.
war criminal 🙁 https://t.co/ikW3tMevxe
— Lucy Dacus (@lucydacus) July 20, 2023
Dacus and her two bandmates, Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker, are no fans of former president Donald Trump or Republicans either. During a Coachella set in April, Dacus shouted, "Trans lives matter, trans kids matter" and Bridgers yelled, "Abortion rocks and f— Ron DeSantis."
Dacus's comment is the latest example of leftist political and cultural figures criticizing Obama for actions he took during his administration. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) tweeted a defense of the "defund the police" slogan at Obama after the former president criticized the slogan, saying it would not "actually get something done." In the 2020 Democratic presidential primary debates, progressive candidates targeted the former president on his health care plan. Former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio championed a Medicare-for-All proposal while criticizing the private health care system that Obamacare left in place.
CNN reporter Rebecca Buck in 2019 said Obama was "expressing exasperation" over the Democratic Party's lurch to the left.