An op-ed in the New York Times this week urged former President Barack Obama to end his silence and speak out against President Trump.

"It’s time for you to come back," wrote author Caroline Randall Williams, who explained that she and many others her age grew up during his presidency.

My generation graduated from college, got our first jobs and became adults all under the auspices of that truth. We learned to experience politics through the lens of your eloquent presence in the White House. In this respect, you raised us. So we are unaccustomed to all of this wildness. Just because we’re grown doesn’t mean we don’t need to hear from the man who brought us up.

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The 44th President of the United States has mostly held back from criticizing or directly mentioning Trump, though he did speak out against the Republicans' health care proposals and Trump's travel ban. The long-held tradition among U.S. presidents is to refrain from criticizing your successor.

Dagen McDowell pointed on "Outnumbered" that President George W. Bush followed this tenet during Obama's eight years. But Williams argued in her piece that Trump's presidency is different, so the tradition should be disregarded.

"I appreciate the instinct to hold back, to follow the keep-quiet-about-the-new-guy tradition of former presidents. But these are not traditional times. They are unprecedented, and frankly, unpresidential," she wrote.

Katie Pavlich said Obama may not be "out in front" but is working with his former Attorney General Eric Holder on redistricting ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

"It's really funny to watch them ask for the messiah, Obama, to come back," said Pavlich.

Watch the discussion above.

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