This reads like you're looking for a fight by using the least charitable interpretation of the quote.

Yeah, it's only really "us vs them" in the sense that "they" don't seem to realize they're also really "us."

Obama would say "we"

I say "folks" as a 1:1 synonym for "people" and only recently became aware that some folks/people find this in some way derogatory. I think it's a regional thing.

I’ve pretty much been using “folks” as a gender neutral “guys” because I find “people” potentially problematic (some constructions like “you folks” or “you all” are pretty much always casual while “you people” can sound charged, etc). I think this is common? Haven’t heard of people taking offense to “folks” before.