Headline Roundup • May 17th, 2020
Obama Suggests US Lacks Leadership on Coronavirus in Commencement Address
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Featured Coverage of this Story

NPR (Online 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...
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.
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.”
AllSides Picks
Blog
Politicians *Occasionally* Acknowledge Their Flaws, But At What Cost?
Malayna J. Bizier
July 8th, 2026
Red Blue Translator
Charter Schools
Red Blue Translator