Obama calls Trump’s response to Coronavirus pandemic a 'absolute chaotic disaster'

Former US President Barack Obama described Donald Trump's approach to dealing with the Coronavirus crisis as 'absolute chaotic disaster'.

This came on Friday evening during a private call that lasted half an hour between him and former members of his administration. Yahoo News obtained registration for the call.

Obama has said he wants to play a bigger role to support Joe Biden in the November presidential election.

Obama's comments came in a call aimed at encouraging former employees to work on the Biden campaign, according to CNN.

Obama said Trump's approach was a major reason why the United States has responded to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Obama told his former employees "what we are fighting against are these long-term trends in which you are selfish and tribal divided and you see others as an enemy and I am afraid that this approach will be constantly followed in American life".

"This is part of the reason for the weak response to this global crisis" Obama said.

"It would have been bad even with the best government. It was utter disaster and chaos when a mentality took hold. What would I benefit from and enter into a struggle with everyone? This is the mentality that governs government decisions now" .Obama said in the phone call.

Obama also strongly criticized the decision to drop criminal charges against Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn after investigating contacts with Russia.

In the leaked comments, Obama also said the decision to drop the charges against Flynn, who admitted lying to the FBI in a case of alleged Russian interference in the previous presidential election, jeopardized the rule of law.

The Covid-19 crisis in the United States

The United States leads the world in the number of infections with the Coronavirus (Covid-19) by about 1 million cases, and the number of deaths exceeds 77 thousand.

Trump is accused by his critics of reducing the threat of the pandemic and then issuing conflicting and confusing directives that ranged from calling for caution and hastening to resume economic activity.

And with a view to his re-election, Trump has also been criticized for putting his political interests before human life by pushing states aggressively to reopen their economies without a clear blueprint of how to do so safely.

Several states implemented closures last March but have now lifted restrictions to allow people to return to work.