Former President Barack Obama described President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as “chaotic” in a conference call with former members of his administration, a source said on Saturday.
Obama has largely kept out of the fray even as Trump has blamed him and his Democratic administration for a variety of problems related to having sufficient supplies to battle the pandemic that has killed more than 75,000 Americans.
But in his call on Friday with 3,000 members of the Obama Alumni Association, people who served in his administration, Obama urged his supporters to get behind Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, who is trying to unseat Trump in the Nov. 3 election.
The contents of the call were first reported by Yahoo News. A source familiar with the call confirmed them to Reuters.
Obama said the election “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,” he said.
He said this is one 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,” Obama said.
“That’s why, I, by the way, am going to be spending as much time as necessary and campaigning as hard as I can for Joe Biden,” he said.
Obama’s office declined to comment.
White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said Trump’s response to the coronavirus “has been unprecedented” and has saved American lives.
She harked back to the Ukraine inquiry launched by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives last year that led to House passage of articles of impeachment against Trump. The Republican-led Senate acquitted Trump early this year.
Latest Stories
-
Ghana ranked among the best in Africa for quality of elections – EC touts
5 mins -
Telecom sector contributes over GH₵9.8bn in taxes in 2023
7 mins -
I hope the majority decision is reversed soon, it is ‘an aberration’ – Justice Amadu Tanko
9 mins -
Bawumia aims to equip 5k Kwadaso youth with digital skills
14 mins -
Embrace home gardening for sustainable food security
21 mins -
KAIPTC trains 25 election observers for Northern Region
23 mins -
National Commission on Culture, NCCE launch ‘Theatre for Peaceful Election’ project
26 mins -
NDC Mining Committee urges miners to support efforts to unseat NPP
30 mins -
From tee-off to royal dinner: Telecel Ghana 67th Asantehene Open
2 hours -
Training and Equipping Teachers: Nexus for success of new SHS, SHTS and STEM curriculum
2 hours -
Business leaders urged to uphold ethics for sustainable growth
2 hours -
One student per tablet policy: More tablets for Ashanti Region Schools
3 hours -
BOSAG officially unveiled; positioning Ghana as Africa’s premier BPO destination
3 hours -
Gold Fields may sell smaller mines in Ghana after Osisko acquisition
4 hours -
Nigeria plans $28bn spending for 2025 budget, minister says
4 hours