Obama to argue Trump fails 'commander-in-chief' test

Image
AFP Philadelphia
Last Updated : Jul 28 2016 | 4:02 AM IST
US President Barack Obama will spearhead a Democratic effort to paint Donald Trump as unfit to be commander-in-chief today, hoping to capitalise on the mogul's missteps in an escalating scandal about alleged Russian spying.
Trump courted outrage as Democrats gathered in Philadelphia for day three of their national convention by encouraging Moscow to hack the email of his election rival Hillary Clinton.
Obama will be one of a string of Democratic national security heavyweights -- from former CIA director Leon Panetta to Vice President Joe Biden -- who will appear before the convention to explicitly and implicitly question Trump's temperament.
In an interview, Obama warned that "anything is possible" when it came to November's election.
"What I think is scary is a president who doesn't know their stuff and doesn't seem to have an interest in learning what they don't know," he said, referring to Trump.
Obama, acting as a character reference for his former primary foe and secretary of state, will also make the case that Clinton is uniquely qualified to be president.
"I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as President of the United States of America," Obama will say, according to released excerpts of his speech.
"You know, nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office. Until you've sat at that desk, you don't know what it's like to manage a global crisis or send young people to war," he will say.
"But Hillary's been in the room; she's been part of those decisions."
In an incendiary press conference, Trump launched a pre-emptive attack against Obama, calling him "the most ignorant president in our history."
The Republican nominee also caused howls of outrage from Democrats, with a reference to thousands of Clinton emails held on a private server that were deleted.
"Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing." Trump said.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jul 28 2016 | 4:02 AM IST

Next Story