Donald Trump, continuing his pattern of criticizing political opponents, has recently turned his attention to former President Barack Obama.
In an October 19, 2025, interview on Fox News, Trump reiterated claims against Obama, alleging that he initiated illegal surveillance on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. This accusation is part of Trump’s ongoing narrative that the Obama administration sought to undermine his political pursuits through unauthorized monitoring.
During his discussion with Fox host Maria Bartiromo, Trump replied to Obama’s recent comments on democratic threats. Trump argued that Obama represented an actual threat due to the alleged campaign surveillance. “He knew it was illegal, but he started the whole thing. And there were a lot of dishonest people, and I suspect they’ll be caught,” Trump stated, further accusing that Obama’s actions were tantamount to treason.
Trump’s remarks coincide with a renewed Republican focus on claims of politically motivated surveillance. Earlier in October, Republican Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley revealed a document showing several Republican lawmakers were investigated during the January 6 Capitol riot inquiry. The document dated September 27, 2023, identified Senators Lindsey Graham, Bill Hagerty, Josh Hawley, Dan Sullivan, Tommy Tuberville, Ron Johnson, Cynthia Lummis, and Marsha Blackburn, along with Representative Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, as subjects of FBI scrutiny.
The document emerged following former special counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost investigation, which scrutinized the Capitol riot and election interference claims. It outlines how the FBI monitored the lawmakers by examining phone records via its cellular analysis survey team. The document implies that the investigation of these figures persisted into Biden’s administration.
Moreover, independent journalist Matt Taibbi testified before Congress on September 30, 2025, about the TSA’s Quiet Skies program, initially established to identify security threats after the September 11 attacks. Taibbi disclosed that the program had monitored former Democratic Congresswoman and current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, as well as three unnamed Republican Congress members. The Trump administration ended the program earlier this year, citing a cost of at least $200 million annually without preventing a single terrorist incident, according to Gabbard.
Republicans have intensified their focus on allegations of politically driven surveillance by Democratic administrations, while Democrats reject these claims as unfounded. The topic has gained traction as Trump’s administration calls for transparency regarding past surveillance activities.
The interview serves as another example of Trump making broad accusations against rivals without providing detailed evidence. His emphasis remained on alleged surveillance during the 2016 campaign, which he has consistently described as illegal actions by Obama officials.
These allegations perpetuate Trump’s longstanding grievance regarding the scrutiny of his 2016 campaign and presidency. Throughout his tenure, Trump has contended that his administration faced politically motivated investigations rather than legitimate law enforcement actions.
The release of the Grassley document has reinforced claims of government overreach by Trump and his supporters. The revelation that Republican lawmakers were subjects of the FBI’s inquiry during the January 6 investigation has intensified conservative concerns about federal investigative methods. The use of cellular analysis to monitor elected officials has sparked debates on privacy and the scope of law enforcement surveillance.
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