Barack Obama launches scathing attack on Donald Trump and urges voters to stop his ‘abuses of power’
Barack Obama has launched a scathing attack on his successor Donald Trump and urged Democrats to vote in November's elections to stop his “abuses of power”.
The former US President said Americans were living in dangerous times and said Republicans were dividing the country and threatening democracy.
His speech last night at the University of Illinois was a rare political outburst from Obama since he left the Oval Office in January 2017.
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He said: “In two months we have the chance, not the certainty, but the chance to restore some semblance of sanity to our politics.
“There is actually only one check on bad policy and abuses of power, and that's you and your vote.”
Obama accused Republicans of failing to check Trump's policies and worst instincts, ahead of the midterm elections on 6 November.
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The Democrats need just 23 seats in the House of Representatives and two seats in the Senate to gain majorities.
Trump responded: “I'm sorry, I watched it but I fell asleep," he said during a fundraiser in North Dakota. "I found that he's very, very good for sleeping.”