Last week President Obama kept his cool on Republican nominee Donald Trump during his Democratic National Convention speech, offering some thoughts on Trump but primarily shading him by laughing whenever he mentioned his name.
Now the POTUS has finally expressed his feelings on the GOP nominee, declaring him unfit to serve as president and calling out Republicans for sticking by him. The strong remarks were delivered in the White House East Room earlier today, after Trump criticized the family of a slain Muslim U.S. soldier, as well as made comments that displayed an apparent misunderstanding related to the Russian incursion into Ukraine.
"The notion that he would attack a Gold Star family that made such extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our country, the fact that he doesn't appear to have basic knowledge of critical issues in Europe, the Middle East, in Asia, means that he's woefully unprepared to do this job," Obama said.
He also placed blame on Trump's Republican supporters, many of whom denounced his statements on the slain soldier's family but didn't withdraw their support. "What does this say about your party that this is your standard bearer," Obama asked of GOP leaders. "This isn't a situation where you have an episodic gaffe. This is daily and weekly where they are distancing themselves from statements he's making. There has to be a point at which you say, 'This is not somebody I can support for president of the United States, even if he purports to be a member of my party.'"
The Trump campaign has responded to Obama by going after both him and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. "Hillary Clinton has proven herself unfit to serve in any government office" a Trump statement said, listing a number of policy concerns. "Obama-Clinton have single-handedly destabilized the Middle East, handed Iraq, Libya and Syria to ISIS, and allowed our personnel to be slaughtered at Benghazi."
Check out video of Obama's statement below.
