According to former President Barack Obama, President Donald Trump has failed to take his job seriously the past four years and, more recently, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I did hope for the sake of the country that he might show some interest in taking the job seriously, but it hasn’t happened. He hasn’t shown any interest in doing the work or helping anybody but himself and his friends, or treating the presidency like a reality show that he can use to get attention,” Obama said while stumping for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
He added, “By the way even then his TV ratings are down. So you know that upsets him. But the thing is, this is not a reality show. This is reality.”
Obama noted at least 220,000 Americans have lost their lives to COVID-19.
He emphasized the effects of the pandemic on businesses and employment.
Check out his remarks below:
President Trump has treated the presidency "like a reality show that he can use to get attention," former President Obama says while stumping for Joe Biden in Philadelphia.
— CNN (@CNN) October 21, 2020
"But the thing is, this is not a reality show. This is reality." https://t.co/OxMqVe0Pun pic.twitter.com/WTDVU9sHuE
Obama argued the only group of Americans who are better off than they were four years ago are the billionaires who benefited from Trump’s tax cuts.
He reiterated Trump has failed to lead the country through this health crisis.
“Right now, as we speak, Trump won’t even extend relief to the millions of families who are having trouble paying the rent or putting food on the table because of this pandemic,” Obama said.
According to polling data, voters are becoming more focused on the president’s pandemic response with just weeks away from the presidential election, as IJR previously reported.
Reuters/Ipsos polling, conducted from Oct. 9-13, showed 50% of likely voters across the nation believe Biden would be better at handling the pandemic while 37% are convinced Trump is the right man for the job.
The coronavirus has taken at least 221,500 American lives and has infected more than 8,345,700.