WASHINGTON: Former US President Barack Obama joined his former Vice President and the incumbent Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden at a campaign rally for the latter in the state of Michigan, just three days ahead of Tuesday’s election.
The joint appearance at the drive-in rally in Flint, Michigan, on Saturday, was the first since Biden formally accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in August, reports The Hill news website.
In his address, Obama launched a scathing attack on his successor President Donald Trump’s response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has so far infected 9,116,186 people and killed 230,345 others in the US, which is currently the worst-hit country in the world.
“He hasn’t shown any interest in doing the work or helping anybody but himself or his friends or treating the presidency as anything more than a reality show to give him the attention that he craves.
“But unfortunately, the rest of us have to live with the consequences,” the former President was quoted as saying.
The former leader also mocked his successor’s obsession with the size of the crowds at his events.
“What is his obsession, by the way, with crowd size? You notice that? This is the one measure he has of success. He’s still worried about his inauguration crowd being smaller than mine. It really bugged him. He’s still talking about that.
“Did nobody come to his birthday party when he was a kid? Is he traumatized?” Obama queried.
The former President, who called Biden an “empathetic and hardworking public servant”, said: “I can tell you that the presidency doesn’t change who you are. It shows who are you. It reveals who you are.
“And for eight years, Joe was the last one in the room when I made a big decision.”
Obama has increased his campaigning for Biden in the last few days before the election, The Hill news website reported.
Earlier on Saturday, the Biden election campaign had announced that Obama would appear at events in Georgia and Florida on Monday.
With just two days left for Tuesday’s showdown for the White House, Biden was in the lead against Trump by eight points nationally, according to a Fox News poll released on Friday.
The poll revealed that 52 per cent of likely voters backed the former Vice President, while Trump had the backing of 44 per cent, The Hill news website reported.
Also, a poll released by The New York Times and Siena College released last week has placed the former Vice President eight points ahead of the President.
(with inputs from Agencies)
Comment