Obama offered pointed criticism of the Trump administration’s approach to government on Friday.
Former President Barack Obama leveled stinging criticism against President Donald Trump in a private call to former members of his administration Friday, saying Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic is “an absolute chaotic disaster,” and that the Justice Department’s choice to drop charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn undermines the rule of law.
The remarks, first reported by Yahoo News, are a rarity from Obama, who — in public at least — has been reserved in his assessments of his successor since leaving office.
The call, with the Obama Alumni Association, was intended to urge former staffers to get involved with former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. And it reportedly featured Obama speaking about the importance of electing Biden as political divisions have deepened both nationally and internationally, while making the case for Biden as someone who could bridge those divides.
“It’s part of the reason why the response to this global crisis has been so anemic and spotty,” Obama reportedly said. “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.”
The former president also expressed concern over the Justice Department’s decision to drop charges against former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
“That’s the kind of stuff where you begin to get worried that basic — not just institutional norms — but our basic understanding of rule of law is at risk,” he said.
