Former President Barack Obama has some thoughts on how Donald Trump's administration has responded to the coronavirus pandemic. As CNN reports, Obama called the administration's response "an absolute chaotic disaster," echoing the sentiments many of us have been feeling these past few months.
His comments were made during a private call on Friday, and they have been confirmed by three former officials that were a part of Obama's administration. This is one of Obama's most direct comments in regards to Trump's handling of the country since he took office in 2016. The 30-minute call saw Obama and his former staffers discuss how they needed to rally behind former Vice President Joe Biden in order to defeat Trump this November. Obama added that the current president's lackluster response served to further remind Democrats why defeating Trump is the top priority come November.
"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," Obama reportedly told members of the Obama Alumni Association on Friday. "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 added, "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." In response to the comments, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Saturday, "President Trump's coronavirus response has been unprecedented and saved American lives."
Elsewhere in the call, Obama said that the decision to drop the criminal case against former Trump aide Michael Flynn indicated "the rule of law was at risk."
