Trump Attacks Barack Obama: He ‘Complicated’ Response to Pandemics

President Donald Trump has lashed out at former President Barack Obama. Trump is under increasing pressure for his widely criticized response to the Covid-19 outbreak and took to Twitter on Friday to divert attention to his predecessor, who has also spoken about the crisis.

“For decades the CDC looked at, and studied, its testing system, but did nothing about it,” Trump said. “It would always be inadequate and slow for a large scale pandemic, but a pandemic would never happen, they hoped. President Obama made changes that only complicated things further.”

“Their response to H1N1 Swine Flu was a full scale disaster, with thousands dying, and nothing meaningful done to fix the testing problem, until now,” the President went on. “The changes have been made and testing will soon happen on a very large scale basis. All Red Tape has been cut, ready to go!”

…. Their response to H1N1 Swine Flu was a full scale disaster, with thousands dying, and nothing meaningful done to fix the testing problem, until now. The changes have been made and testing will soon happen on a very large scale basis. All Red Tape has been cut, ready to go!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2020

Trump has repeatedly asked that the Coronavirus pandemic not be politicized, while doing his best to score political points for himself. His administration’s response to the crisis has been panned by experts and his decision to ban flights from Europe’s Schengen area is not seen as an effective means to stop the virus spreading.

By contrast, former President Obama has sent tweets sharing information and advice about the disease.

If you’re wondering whether it’s an overreaction to cancel large gatherings and public events (and I love basketball), here’s a useful primer as to why these measures can slow the spread of the virus and save lives. We have to look out for each other. https://t.co/Ld7Uc8sPTQ

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 12, 2020

Trump’s strategy has been to divert blame from himself and onto the previous administration. He has said little about the major fall in the stock market over the past few days except to blithely claim that everything will be fine.