"I don't want reporters to talk to me because I'm a revolutionary and if it got out that I'm basically friendly with Obama it would hurt Obama"
About this Quote
The intent is reputational. "Revolutionary" is branding, not an operational description; it signals to his audience that he isn't just a commentator but a combatant. At the same time, the Obama reference smuggles in a claim of proximity and significance: I matter enough that my relationships would move narratives. The subtext is anxiety about category. D'Souza wants the credibility of the outsider and the validation of the insider, and the sentence tries to have both without admitting the contradiction.
Context matters because Obama-era media ecosystems rewarded exactly this posture: perform antagonism, hint at access, and convert the tension into authority. By framing the decision as protecting Obama, D'Souza also softens the refusal; it reads less like avoidance of scrutiny and more like principled restraint. It's a rhetorical judo move: he preemptively recasts potential criticism (Why won't you talk?) as moral concern (I can't, it would hurt him). The result is a self-portrait built from paradox: revolutionary, yet friendly; excluded, yet consequential.
Quote Details
| Topic | Friendship |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
D'Souza, Dinesh. (2026, January 17). I don't want reporters to talk to me because I'm a revolutionary and if it got out that I'm basically friendly with Obama it would hurt Obama. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-want-reporters-to-talk-to-me-because-im-a-57936/
Chicago Style
D'Souza, Dinesh. "I don't want reporters to talk to me because I'm a revolutionary and if it got out that I'm basically friendly with Obama it would hurt Obama." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-want-reporters-to-talk-to-me-because-im-a-57936/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I don't want reporters to talk to me because I'm a revolutionary and if it got out that I'm basically friendly with Obama it would hurt Obama." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-want-reporters-to-talk-to-me-because-im-a-57936/. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.






