--- title: Obama at DNC Fundraiser: 'This Is a Time of Great Urgency' description: Former President Barack Obama re-emerged into the political scene at a DNC event, making subtle references to his disapproval of the current administration canonical: https://time.com/5326945/obama-dnc-fundraiser/ author: Abby Vesoulis article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-06-29T20:50:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T20:44:12.631Z article:section: Politics og:title: 'This Is a Moment of Great Urgency.' Former President Barack Obama Tries to Mobilize Democrats at Fundraiser Event og:description: Obama re-emerged into the political scene og:url: https://time.com/5326945/obama-dnc-fundraiser/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8776dd0d791e79dd/698934544ee26267fe3123a7/obama-dnc-fundraiser.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Chicago Hosts Mayors At North American Climate Summit og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'This Is a Moment of Great Urgency.' Former President Barack Obama Tries to Mobilize Democrats at Fundraiser Event twitter:description: Obama re-emerged into the political scene twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8776dd0d791e79dd/698934544ee26267fe3123a7/obama-dnc-fundraiser.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'This Is a Moment of Great Urgency.' Former President Barack Obama Tries to Mobilize Democrats at Fundraiser Event > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=36af8d4a-f005-4d98-89ea-eafccb6e42e6&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Twice a week | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=36af8d4a-f005-4d98-89ea-eafccb6e42e6&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=36af8d4a-f005-4d98-89ea-eafccb6e42e6&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=36af8d4a-f005-4d98-89ea-eafccb6e42e6&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1)  by [Abby Vesoulis](https://time.com/author/abby-vesoulis/)  ## Abby Vesoulis Jun 29, 2018 8:50 PM UTC  CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 05: Former president Barack Obama speaks to a gathering of more than 50 mayors and other guests during the North American Climate Summit on December 5, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The summit was held to bring together leaders from the U.S., Canada and Mexico to commit their cities to addressing climate change at the local level. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 05: Former president Barack Obama speaks to a gathering of more than 50 mayors and other guests during the North American Climate Summit on December 5, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The summit was held to bring together leaders from the U.S., Canada and Mexico to commit their cities to addressing climate change at the local level. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Scott Olson—Getty Images  by [Abby Vesoulis](https://time.com/author/abby-vesoulis/)  ## Abby Vesoulis Jun 29, 2018 8:50 PM UTC [Former President Barack Obama](http://time.com/5302043/ben-rhodes-obama-white-house/) re-emerged into the political scene after months of maintaining a low profile, making subtle references to his disapproval of the current administration and possibly illuminating the reason behind his return to the limelight. “This is a moment of great urgency and you are right to be concerned,” Obama said at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser event in Beverly Hills, California, according to [Politico](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/29/barack-obama-advice-to-democrats-685940), though he never mentioned the administration by name. “To a large degree, we are seeing a competition between two stories,” he said, according to the [Washington _Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ahead-of-high-stakes-midterms-barack-obama-plans-a-bigger-role-in-political-races/2018/06/29/1af27090-7ae7-11e8-aeee-4d04c8ac6158%5Fstory.html?noredirect=on&utm%5Fterm=.898bd662fb90). “There’s the story that is based largely on fear, and there is a story based largely in hope. There’s the story that says we’re in it together, and there’s the story that says there’s an us and a them.” Obama also warned attendees to not grow overconfident because of the handful of Democratic special elections victories. Earlier this year, for example, Sen. Doug Jones defeated Republican candidate Roy Moore in Alabama, Rep. Conor Lamb beat out a Republican in a reliably red Pennsylvania district and Wisconsin State Sen. Patty Rivard Schachtner was victorious in a rural district that Trump won by about 17 points in the 2016 election. “I would caution us from extrapolating too much from a bunch of special elections and starting to think that, ‘okay, this will take care of itself.’ Because it won’t,” he said, according to the Washington _Post_. “I’m giving you the executive summary: Vote. Participate. Get involved.” It is the [first DNC fundraiser](https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/29/politics/obama-democrats-fundraiser/index.html) Obama has participated in this year. Obama is also spending his post-presidential free time working on details for his forthcoming [presidential library](http://time.com/3854751/president-obama-library-chicago/) in Chicago, a presidential memoir that is set to be [published by Penguin Random House](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/28/business/media/obama-book-deal-penguin-random-house.html) and a [production deal with Netflix](https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/barack-michelle-obama-netflix-deal-1202817723/). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5326945/obama-dnc-fundraiser/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5326945/obama-dnc-fundraiser/"},"headline":"'This Is a Moment of Great Urgency.' Former President Barack Obama Tries to Mobilize Democrats at Fundraiser Event","datePublished":"2018-06-29T20:50:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T20:44:12.631Z","description":"Former President Barack Obama re-emerged into the political scene at a DNC event, making subtle references to his disapproval of the current administration","url":"https://time.com/5326945/obama-dnc-fundraiser/","keywords":["Barack Obama","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8776dd0d791e79dd/698934544ee26267fe3123a7/obama-dnc-fundraiser.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Abby Vesoulis","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/abby-vesoulis/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8776dd0d791e79dd/698934544ee26267fe3123a7/obama-dnc-fundraiser.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Chicago Hosts Mayors At North American Climate Summit","caption":"Chicago Hosts Mayors At North American Climate Summit","creditText":"Scott Olson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/barack-obama/","name":"Barack Obama"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5326945/obama-dnc-fundraiser/","name":"'This Is a Moment of Great Urgency.' Former President Barack Obama Tries to Mobilize Democrats at Fundraiser Event"}}]}] ```