Advertisement
US election: Trump v Clinton
World

Huckabee’s Holocaust swipe at Obama prompts president to hit out at Republican candidates

The US president said the controversial comments from the Republican White House contenders was unworthy of American voters

2-MIN READ2-MIN
US President Barack Obama, during a visit to Ethiopia, made the rare move of addressing domestic controversies while on a foreign trip. Photo: Reuters
Agence France-Presse

US President Barack Obama delivered a withering critique of the vitriolic 2016 US presidential debate on Monday, branding it unworthy of American voters.

It is rare for a president to address domestic controversy while on a foreign trip, but Obama was asked about the increasingly hysterical tone of the debate while on a visit to Ethiopia.

With at least 16 Republicans vying for their party’s candidacy to replace Obama in 18 months time, his opponents have dramatically upped their rhetoric in a bid to get noticed.

He will take the Israelis and basically march them to the door of the oven
Billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump has captured the news agenda with hardline anti-immigration language and insulting attacks on his Republican rivals.
Advertisement

Now former Arkansas governor turned talk show host Mike Huckabee has launched an assault on Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, saying Obama had agreed to an agreement that would “take the Israelis and basically march them to the door of the oven,” a reference to crematoria in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust.

Addressing reporters in Addis Ababa, Obama hit out at the “outrageous” attacks, which he said “have become all too commonplace” in America’s highly polarised politics.

Advertisement

“We are creating a culture that is not conducive to good policy or good politics,” Obama said. “The American people deserve better,” Obama said.

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee attacked Obama's nuclear deal with Iran by referencing the concentration camps in the Holocaust. Photo: AP
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee attacked Obama's nuclear deal with Iran by referencing the concentration camps in the Holocaust. Photo: AP
Advertisement
Select Voice
Select Speed
1.00x