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Former United States President Barack Obama has strongly criticized his successor, Donald Trump, for his response to the coronavirus crisis.
In a private call, he called the US handling of the pandemic “an absolute chaotic mess.”
Obama has said he wants to play a bigger role by supporting Joe Biden in the November presidential election.
His new comments were made in a call meant to encourage former staff to work for the Biden campaign, reports CNN.
Trump’s approach to government is partly to blame for the United States’ response to the coronavirus, Obama said.
“It would have been bad even with the best government,” he said on the call. “It has been an absolutely chaotic mess when that mindset – of ‘what’s in it for me’ and ‘bugging everyone else’ – when that mindset is operational in our government.”
Obama also strongly criticized the decision to drop criminal charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn during the Trump-Russia investigation.
What is the situation of the coronavirus in the United States?
More than 77,000 people have died and the United States has 1.2 million confirmed cases, both of which are by far the highest in the world.
Many states introduced blocking measures in March, but have now lifted the restrictions, allowing people to return to work.
But health officials warn that this can cause the virus to spread further.
Trump’s focus on the pandemic has fluctuated. In February, he dismissed the threat and said it would disappear, but in mid-March he acknowledged its seriousness.
In April, he suggested that ingesting disinfectant could be preventive, something that experts immediately rejected.
Last week he announced that he would shut down his government’s coronavirus workforce, but then said he is refocusing on opening up the economy.