Former president Barack Obama has made a rare public attack on Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, warning the pandemic has shown that many high levels officials “aren’t even pretending to be in charge” as the US nears 90,000 virus deaths.
His criticism came just days after he referred to the Trump administration’s response to Covid-19 as “an absolute chaotic disaster” during a leaked conference call.
Meanwhile, Republican senator Mitt Romney has denounced Mr Trump’s firings of several inspector generals as a “threat to accountable democracy” after Democrats launched an investigation into the firing of the state department’s internal watchdog Steve Linick.
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Tougher rules for Chinese companies listed on US stock exchanges?
Speaking about China, the president also spoke about the possibility of ensuring stricter regulation of Chinese companies that list on US stock exchanges.
The move would be a punishment for the way Beijing failed to contain the coronavirus pandemic at its source.
At present, Chinese companies are not required to follow US accounting standards and practices, which has led to instances of fraud and caused investors to lose money.
Mr Trump says that the administration is looking closely at the idea, but it might not be so straightforward.
He said that Chinese companies could simply list in London or Hong Kong instead, but also noted those exchanges do not have the depth of liquidity that New York offers.
More than 150 Chinese companies are listed in the US with a pre-pandemic value of $1.2trn, according to figures from the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
Referring to the trade deal struck with China, the president said he would not renegotiate and that he was not happy about anything to do with the subject.
Trump doubles down on Obamagate accusation
This morning’s interview with Maria Bartiromo featured this exchange in which the president doubled down on the accusation that his predecessor was directly involved in what he alleges is “the greatest political scam in the history of our country”.
Trump: “It was impossible for it to happen without the man that sits right in that chair in the oval office. He knew everything.”
Bartiromo: “Do you believe President Obama directed the US intelligence agencies to spy on you?”
Trump: “Yes, he probably directed them, but if he didn’t direct them, he knew everything.”
Earlier, the president said: “This was all Obama. This was all Biden. The whole thing was corrupt. And we caught them.”
An ‘Obamagate’ refresher ahead of today’s Fox News interview
Ahead of this morning’s interview with Maria Bartiromo, here’s a quick breakdown of what Trump dubs ‘Obamagate’.
Trump takes aim at China again
The president took another shot at China on Twitter on Sunday morning, complaining about the “tiny fraction” of funds they contribute to international organisations when compared to the US given the size of China’s population.
He also vowed to bring back the economy that “Prior to the Plague floating in from China” had been “blowing everybody away”.
Trump to be interviewed on Fox News this morning
The president will be interviewed by Maria Bartiromo on Fox News this morning at 10am East Coast time. We’ll be following live.
Mr Trump is still at Camp David, but will depart for the White House at midday on Marine One.
No other events are scheduled.
Eric Trump says coronavirus will ‘magically go away’ after the election, suggesting disease is a Democrat ploy
In an appearance on Judge Jeanine Pirro’s Fox News show on Saturday night, the president’s son said that the Democrats were milking the coronavirus pandemic for everything they could to stop his father being reelected.
Arguing that this was part of a grand strategy that included stopping his father from holding rallies, he said that the coronavirus pandemic would magically disappear after the election, and everyone would then be in favour of reopening.
Bill Pullman hits back at Trump’s use of edited ‘Independence Day’ clip
Actor Bill Pullman has dismissed Mr Trump’s bizarre use of an edited clip from his 1996 film Independent Day on Twitter yesterday.
The president shared a video which showed his face superimposed on Mr Pullman’s character giving an impassioned speech as the US president.
Our culture reporter, Ellie Harrison, has the full story below:
Uncertainty over whether Biden will serve second term raises stakes for VP pick
Former vice president Joe Biden has not even won the presidency yet, but he’s already talking about when he might leave office.
In an effort to ease concerns about his age, the 77-year-old presumptive Democratic nominee has said he would not seek re-election in 2024 if his mental or physical health declined.
Mr Biden has also referred to himself as a “transition candidate”, creating intense speculation about who his running mate will be and who could lead the party after he retires.
A vice presidential candidate like Elizabeth Warren could broaden Mr Biden’s appeal with progressives, but analysts have warned the 70-year-old senator would not represent the next generation of the party.
If Mr Biden wants to go for a younger candidate, he could choose senator Kamala Harris (55 years old) or senator Amy Klobuchar (59) from the 2020 Democratic primary race.
Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, said the former VP’s choice of running mate will have to fill twin roles – they will need to continue to move the country away from the Trump era “if something were to happen while he’s still in office” or later “if Biden decides to retire and pass the baton.”
“I think the stakes are already really high, no matter how you look at it,” Mr Hinojosa said.
Romney warns of ‘threat to democracy’ from Trump firings
Republican senator Mitt Romney has denounced Donald Trump’s firings of multiple inspector generals as a “threat to accountable democracy”.
“The firings of multiple Inspectors General is unprecedented; doing so without good cause chills the independence essential to their purpose,” Mr Romney wrote on Twitter.
“It is a threat to accountable democracy and a fissure in the constitutional balance of power.”
His criticism came as Democrats launched an investigation on Saturday into the president’s dismissal of the State Department’s inspector general Steve Linick.
You can find more on that story below:
Obama says many Trump officials ‘aren’t even pretending to be in charge’
Barack Obama has made a public attack on the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus crisis in an address to graduating college students.
The former president said the pandemic had highlighted a lack of leadership in the White House and accused officials of “not even pretending to be in charge”.
“More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing,” Mr Obama said.
“A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.”
Our reporter, Andy Gregory, has the full story below:
Hello and welcome to The Independent‘s live coverage of the Trump administration and the US response to the coronavirus pandemic.
