Obama blasts US coronavirus response in rare public rebuke
- Obama did not name President Donald Trump or any other federal or state officials in his comments
- But remarks were the latest sign that Obama intends to play an increasingly active role in the coming US election
Former US president Barack Obama on Saturday took aim at officials dealing with the coronavirus pandemic in a rare public rebuke of the current administration.
“More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing,” the former Democratic president said in a pre-recorded commencement address to college graduates without naming his successor Donald Trump or specific US officials.
“A lot them aren’t even pretending to be in charge,” Obama said during the speech, which capped a two-hour event for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) broadcast on social media.
The White House’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has come under the spotlight amid sharp criticism by Democrats, who have bashed Trump’s fairly lax approach through February and lingering testing shortages.
Since leaving the White House in early 2017, Obama has largely refrained from criticising the Trump administration, following a convention among former US presidents.
In the call, Obama also reportedly said that “the rule of law was at risk” after criminal charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn were dropped.
In the commencement speech, the former president also addressed racism in the US and the case of a 25-year-old black man killed while jogging in February.
