Barack Obama says Trump used Presidency 'to help himself and friends'

19 August 2020, 23:11

Barack Obama has said Donald Trump had "no interest" in using the Presidency to help "anyone but himself and his friends" in a blistering review of his time in the Oval Office.

The former US President made his remarks as Joe Biden - who served as his Vice President - was officially nominated as the Democratic pick to fight the next election.

But Obama offered his thoughts on his successor, saying he "never" came to "discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care."

In remarks made to virtual Democratic National Convention, he said: "I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president.

"I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care.

"But he never did. He's shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves.

"Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t. And the consequences of that failure are severe. 170,000 Americans dead.

"Millions of jobs gone. Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished, and our democratic institutions threatened like never before."

It also comes as the former First Lady Michelle Obama offered her thoughts on Trump's performance, saying he is"in over his head" and the "wrong president for our country".

In a blunt and emotional appeal that capped the first night of the Democrats' convention, Mrs Obama told her party: "If you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me they can; and they will, if we don't make a change in this election."

Joe Biden has also officially confirmed his running mate will be Kamala Harris, who will make history as the first black woman to accept a spot on a major party's presidential ticket when she accepts the nomination on Wednesday night.