Former President Barack Obama praised “defund the police” activists saying that they are courageous and media savvy. He made the statements during an interview for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. This comes after the backlash that he received after his criticism of the movement.

But he wasn’t all praises for the movement. He was still critical of the slogan and said that it could alienate possible allies. “Nothing made me more optimistic during a difficult year than the activism that we saw in the wake of George Floyd’s murder,” Obama said.

“I have consistently believed that their courage, activisms, media-savvy, strategic resolve far exceeds anything I could’ve done at their age and I think has shifted the conversation in ways I would not have even imagined a couple of years ago.”

Obama’s praise for those advocating for abolishing the police comes in the midst of soaring crime in major cities across the country. In New York City alone, the number of shootings doubled in November. Los Angeles, Chicago, and other major cities are also seeing major increases in crime.

Earlier this month, the former president was very harsh in his criticism of the movement. “You lost a big audience the minute you say it, which makes it a lot less likely that you’re actually going to get the changes you want done,” he told Peter Hamby in an interview with Good Luck America.

“The key is deciding, do you want to actually get something done, or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?”

Obama received harsh criticism for his remarks. From the progressive section of the Democratic party. Ilhan Omar responded to Obama’s criticism by saying that “defund the police” is not just a slogan but a policy statement.