WATCH: 'It's up to all of us to fix this,' Obama says about democracy

Former President Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump's actions targeting law firms and universities Thursday, encouraging them to fight back.

"It is up to all of us to fix this," Obama said during a speech at Hamilton College. "It’s not going to be because somebody comes and saves you. The most important office in this democracy is the citizen, the ordinary person who says, no, that’s not right."

The comments come after Trump issued a series of executive orders targeting law firms that represented people who he says worked against him or what he said were American interests. The administration has also threatened to withhold federal funding from institutions that continue DEI efforts, which the administration has spoken out against.

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