White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro is firing back at former President Barack Obama’s criticism of President Donald Trump’s leadership and response to the pandemic.
On Sunday, Navarro appeared on ABC News’ “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos.
The White House official was asked about Obama’s recent remarks during his national commencement speeches on Saturday. Although he didn’t specifically name members of Trump’s administration, Stephanopoulos noted that the suggestion was clear.
“Well, I’m glad Mr. Obama has a new job as Joe Biden’s press secretary,” Navarro said.
“I note for the record that, in his speech that I read, there was no mention of manufacturing, no mention of China,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, his administration was a kumbaya of incompetence, in which we saw millions of manufacturing jobs go off to China.”
See Navarro’s remarks below:
Navarro’s remarks follow Obama’s criticism of the Trump administration. Over the course of the last week, Obama has made multiple statements about Trump’s leadership. His first remarks were made public after a private phone call leaked.
During a conversation with members of his former administration, Obama deemed the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus an “absolutely chaotic disaster,” as previously reported on IJR.
Earlier this month, Trump began tweeting about “Obamagate.”
OBAMAGATE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2020
On multiple occasions, Trump has been asked to explain the theory behind Obamagate but he has repeatedly failed to do so. During a recent press briefing, Trump was asked about his “Obamagate” tweet on Mother’s Day.
“What is the crime?” Philip Rucker followed up.
“You know what the crime is,” Trump replied. “The crime is very obvious to everybody.”
Although he claims “it’s been going on for a long time,” he did not offer any details about what he claims has been going on.
See Trump’s remarks below:
President Trump:
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 11, 2020
"Obamagate, it's been going on for a long time… It's a disgrace that it happened… Some terrible things happened and it should never be allowed to happen in our country again."
Reporter: "What is the crime?"
Trump: "The crime is very obvious to everybody.” pic.twitter.com/gt4CejO1Qe
However, Trump appears to be referring to the theory that his predecessor was behind the FBI counterintelligence investigation revolving around national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Trump believes the investigation was conducted to discredit his incoming administration shortly after he was elected.
Despite the allegations, there is reportedly no evidence suggesting Obama was involved in the investigation.