Obama brands Trump’s actions ‘chaotic disaster’

FORMER US President Barack Obama has launched a scathing attack on his successor, describing the Trump administration’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic as an ‘absolute chaotic disaster’.

In a phone call on Friday with former members of his own team, Mr Obama lambasted the ‘selfish’ culture at the heart of Donald Trump’s White House.

In comments leaked to the press yesterday, he said: ‘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. 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 operationalised in our government.’

The remarks came on the day that cases of coronavirus in America rose to nearly

1.3 million and the death toll soared to 77,175.

Despite the latest figures, more than half of the 50 states are looking at various forms of reopening their economies at the behest of the White House.

Mr Trump has so far remained quiet on the latest criticism but White House spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany said the leader’s response to the crisis had been ‘unprecedented’ and saved American lives.

On Friday, Vice-President Mike Pence’s press secretary Katie Miller tested positive for Covid19, a day after Mr Trump’s valet.

The White House has begun daily testing for Mr Pence and Mr Trump, and has claimed to be taking ‘every single precaution to protect the President’.