Karl Rove, a former adviser for President George W. Bush, lambasted former President Barack Obama for criticizing the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in virtual commencement speeches.
Rove appeared on “Fox & Friends” Monday and compared Obama’s remarks to a “drive-by shooting.”
“It is so unseemly for a former president to take the virtual commencement ceremony for a series of historically Black colleges and universities and turn it into a political drive-by shooting,” said Rove on the show.
“This is a moment where these young graduates can be inspired to a life of service, to recognize life is going to bring challenges. ... There are lots of positive messages that the former president could have delivered.”
Obama’s remarks, which did not reference the Trump administration by name, went viral over the weekend.
“This pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing,” the former president said during his first of his two commencement speeches. “A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.”
Obama denounced the “so-called grown-ups” with “fancy titles” who have “screwed up” the country with their actions in his second address.
“Doing what feels good, what’s convenient, what’s easy — that’s how little kids think,” he said. “Unfortunately, a lot of so-called grown-ups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs, still think that way — which is why things are so screwed up. I hope that instead, you decide to ground yourself in values that last, like honesty, hard work, responsibility, fairness, generosity, respect for others.”
Obama’s speeches did not go unnoticed by President Donald Trump.
Trump told reporters on the White House lawn Sunday that while he hadn’t heard the speeches, he believed his predecessor to be “grossly incompetent.”
“Look, he was an incompetent president,” Trump said. “That’s all I can say. Grossly incompetent.”