Criticizing United States President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in the country, former US President Barack Obama said that the administration's actions as "an absolute chaotic disorder."
The former president reportedly said relayed those comments through a private call with people who worked for him in the White House during his presidency. CNN was then able to confirm the searing comments from three former officials in the Obama administration.
Obama's comment was the starkest he has ever given about the way Trump and his team handled the deadly pandemic which has already infected millions of Americans and has killed almost 80,000.
Obama also noted that the administration's shortcomings regarding the Covid-19 response are the reason why he believes that Joe Biden should defeat Trump in November's election and that Democrats must rally behind him to do so.
In addition, during a 30-minute conversation with members of the Obama Alumni Association, Obama said that what is happening in the country is a reminder that in order to fight a global health crisis, strong government leadership is essential. The said call was intended to persuade the former staff of Obama to be more engaged in the presidential campaign of Biden.
Obama's comments were first reported by Yahoo News after they were able to obtain an audio recording of the call.
Meanwhile, Kayleigh McEnany, the press secretary dismissed Obama's criticism and said that Trump's response, however, unprecedented has saved the lives of Americans.
On the Dropping of Charges Against Michael Flynn
On the other hand, the White House refused to respond on Obama's comments on the decision of the Department of Justice to drop charges against Michael Flynn.
According to Obama, the decision of Attorney General William Barr to drop Flynn's criminal case puts the US justice system at the edge. He further added that the rule of law in the US is now at risk. It can be recalled that before Trump took office, Obama warned him about Flynn and even raised questions about his relationship with Russia.
Obama's harshest criticism on Trump
However, Obama's strongest words were reserved on the way the administration handled the current health crisis.
In his statement, Obama said that failure in leadership is part of the reason why the response to the crisis has been, in his words, "anemic and spotty." He also said that even with the best governments, the response would have been bad, yet in the US it has become chaotic due to the administration's, " 'what's in it for me' and 'to heck with everybody else" mindset.
After officially endorsing Biden and being engaged in his campaign last month, Obama said that he would deeply involve himself in Biden's bid to the presidency. His latest criticisms on the Trump administration also show that he has lost trust in the current administration.
