Defund the Police: Obama says 'snappy slogan' risks alienating people

Former President Barack Obama has cautioned young Democrat activists against using snappy slogans such as "defund the police" if they want to bring about genuine reforms in the US.

Defund the Police became a widely-used phrase after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May.

Mr Obama said "you lost a big audience the minute you say it", making it "a lot less likely" to effect change.

His comments received a backlash from some key black progressive Democrats.

Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar tweeted "it's not a slogan but a policy demand... for equitable investments and budgets for communities across the country".