Obama hammers Trump’s ‘chaotic disaster’ coronavirus response and says he’s made US ‘selfish, tribal and divided’
BARACK Obama blasted the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as “an absolute chaotic disaster” last night. The former president blamed his successor for stoking “tribal” politics and suggested the Covid outbreak is worse because he’s made the US more “selfish and divided”. Obama’s attack came in a leaked recording of a conference call […]
BARACK Obama blasted the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as “an absolute chaotic disaster” last night.
The former president blamed his successor for stoking “tribal” politics and suggested the Covid outbreak is worse because he’s made the US more “selfish and divided”.
Obama’s attack came in a leaked recording of a conference call with former administration staff as they discussed the 2020 election.
He said: “This election that’s coming up on every level is so important because what we’re going to be battling is not just a particular individual or a political party.
“What we’re fighting against is these long-term trends in which being selfish, being tribal, being divided, and seeing others as an enemy — that has become a stronger impulse in American life.
“And by the way, we’re seeing that internationally as well. It’s part of the reason why the response to this global crisis has been so anemic and spotty.
“It would have been bad even with the best of governments.
“It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset — of ‘what’s in it for me’ and ‘to heck with everybody else’ — when that mindset is operationalized in our government.”
He added this was why he will be “spending as much time as necessary and campaigning as hard as I can for Joe Biden”, according to the tape obtained by Yahoo News.
It is his clearest signal yet he will make significant contribution to the campaign after critics claimed he was slow to give his former VP his endorsement.
Mr Obama also slammed the DoJ decision to drop charges against Michael Flynn as putting “the rule of law at risk” in the same call.
It emerged as President Trump battles to stop the coronavirus pandemic from derailing his re-election hopes as the US plunges into its worst recession for at least nine decades.
Around 20million Americans lost their jobs in April, sending unemployment to a post-WWII record of 14.7 per cent.
Trump has praised armed protesters who marched on state capitols demanding an end to lockdown restrictions.
He is said to believe wearing a face mask would send the wrong message ahead of the election.
And he believes the official US death toll of more than 78,000 has been “exaggerated”, according to reports.
His aides fear the grim figures will alarm voters at a time when the president wants to focus on kickstarting the economy.
Mr Trump has previously claimed Obama’s response to the swine flu outbreak was “a full scale disaster” and claimed he made changes that made testing more complicated.
The current administration has been accused of being slow to ramp up testing and last week blocked virus expert Dr Anthony Fauci from testifying in Congress.
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Last night leaked White House emails showed officials “buried” a CDC report on lifting the lockdown.
Mr Trump went on the attack over the Flynn case, praising him as “a great gentleman” and “an even greater warrior”.
He called the FBI investigation a “hoax” and said “dirty cops and horrible people” are “going to pay a price”.
