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Headline Roundup May 17th, 2020

Obama Suggests US Lacks Leadership on Coronavirus in Commencement Address

Summary from the AllSides News Team

In a two-hour video address to the graduating class of 74 historically black colleges across the country on Saturday, former President Barack Obama critiqued the current administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying many officials "aren’t even pretending to be in charge.” It's the second time in a month that the Democrat has weighed in on the country's handling of the crisis, after a private conference call leaked in which he called it "an absolute chaotic disaster." Outlets on the left and right tended to focus on Obama's implicit criticism in their coverage, with many using loaded words like "rips" and "attacks" to describe his comments. Those in the center reported more generally on the contents of the speech.

Featured Coverage of this Story

In Virtual Speech To Black Graduates, Obama Says U.S. Lacks Leadership On Coronavirus
In Virtual Speech To Black Graduates, Obama Says U.S. Lacks Leadership On Coronavirus

NPR (Online News)

News

Former President Barack Obama delivered a virtual commencement address on Saturday, urging the tens of thousands of graduates from historically black colleges and universities to "seize the initiative" amid what he described as a lack of leadership from leaders in the United States to the coronavirus pandemic.

"More than anything, 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," Obama said in remarks that were streamed online. "A lot of them aren't even pretending to...

Open on NPR (Online News)
Barack Obama attacks Trump administration's response to coronavirus pandemic
News

Barack Obama attacked the Trump administration’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic during a speech on Saturday.

The comments are a rare rebuke of a sitting president from one of his predecessors, and come in the midst of a pandemic that has had devastating and disproportionate effects on communities of color in the United States.

Open on The Guardian
Barack Obama to 2020 Graduates: Current Leaders ‘Aren’t Even Pretending to Be in Charge’
News

Former President Barack Obama said in a commencement speech on Saturday that current leaders during the coronavirus crisis were failing 2020 graduates.

“More than anything 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,” he said. “A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.”

Open on Breitbart News

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