Former President Barack Obama (D) appears to have formed his own opinion of President Donald Trump’s (R) plan to combat the coronavirus.
He tweeted that some states are acting on their own because, as he says, there is no “coherent” national approach. He does not directly name Trump in his tweet.
“While we continue to wait for a coherent national plan to navigate this pandemic, states like Massachusetts are beginning to adopt their own public health plans to combat this virus––before it’s too late,” Obama tweeted.
While we continue to wait for a coherent national plan to navigate this pandemic, states like Massachusetts are beginning to adopt their own public health plans to combat this virus––before it's too late. https://t.co/Eb2Hz8H8vU
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 22, 2020
Obama previously criticized the administration for failing to act sooner in a tweet last month.
“We’ve seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic,” Obama tweeted in late March.
We've seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic. We can't afford any more consequences of climate denial. All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall. https://t.co/K8Ucu7iVDK
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 31, 2020
Obama has also weighed in on social distancing guidelines as he urged the nation to continue to follow them, as IJR previously reported.
There has been criticism on both sides.
Trump appeared to blame issues with testing for the coronavirus on the Obama administration last month, as IJR previously reported.
During a press briefing, a reporter asked Trump what rule from the former administration he was talking about. Vice President Mike Pence stepped in to give an answer.
“The last administration asserted FDA jurisdiction over testing, and the development of tests like this,” Pence said.
He added, “The president changed that on Saturday … the states now have the ability to actually conduct the coronavirus test in state labs, university laboratories and that’s because of the change the president authorized.”
The Obama administration did allow for regulation of how state and private companies could implement testing the FDA has not approved.
There has been widespread criticism of Trump’s reported lack of distribution of testing.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) called Trump a “total failure” in terms of testing.
The House is expected to pass a nearly $500 billion coronavirus relief bill, which includes roughly $25 billion for a national testing plan.
As of Thursday morning, there are more than 842,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and over 46,000 deaths in the United States alone.