Story highlights Ginsburg's political observations are rare for a member of the high court

"I would say that we are not experiencing the best of times," Ginsburg told the BBC

Washington (CNN) Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg offered a dark assessment of the country's current state in a pair of interviews Thursday, but said there was reason to hope for better in the long run.

Although she didn't mention President Donald Trump by name, she said the country was not mindful of "what makes America great" while stressing the importance of a free speech and "the idea of our nation being receptive to all people, welcoming all people."

"For the most part, those are our ideals, our treasured First Amendment and the notion that in our nation we are many and yet we are one," she said in a discussion moderated by NPR's Nina Totenberg and co-sponsored by the Newseum and the Supreme Court Fellows Association in Washington.

It is rare for a member of the high court to speak out on the current state of the country, and Ginsburg's observations come months after the characteristically outspoken justice courted controversy when she criticized Trump, calling him a "faker." Trump harshly replied, quipping, "Her mind is shot." A few days later, she issued an apology and said the remarks were inappropriate for a judge to make.

On Thursday, she noted the importance of diversity and said she herself was a beneficiary of a father who was able "to leave the old world where the conditions were not good to come here and make a living and raise a family -- that is America to me, " she said to a round of applause.

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