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Former President Barack Obama didn’t hold back during a virtual meeting for Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Facing a group of mayors, Obama made his thoughts known about how the current administration is handling the coronavirus pandemic.
During the virtual meeting, Barack Obama said that “the biggest mistake any (of) us can make in these situations is to misinform.”
He continued, “Speak the truth. Speak it clearly…with compassion. Speak it with empathy for what folks are going through.”
Obama also spoke about the importance of surrounding yourself with intelligent people, especially during a crisis. “The more smart people you have around you, and the less embarrassed you are to ask questions, the better your response is going to be.”
Bloomberg’s group has held four virtual meetings so far with mayors. Two of the previous meetings including speeches held by former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
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Obama has been weighing in on the coronavirus outbreak, often offering a more cautious approach than President Trump. The former president has more strongly advocated for protecting public health instead of restarting economic activity.
He recently tweeted about relaxing current measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Social distancing bends the curve and relieves some pressure on our heroic medical professionals. But in order to shift off current policies, the key will be a robust system of testing and monitoring – something we have yet to put in place nationwide. https://t.co/evkTSrzReB
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 8, 2020
This contrasts with recent tweets from President Trump, who urged that the economy must reopen “sooner rather than later.”
Once we OPEN UP OUR GREAT COUNTRY, and it will be sooner rather than later, the horror of the Invisible Enemy, except for those that sadly lost a family member or friend, must be quickly forgotten. Our Economy will BOOM, perhaps like never before!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2020
Obama also stepped up to help Americans fight the ongoing pandemic. He did this by asking them to continue social distancing late last month.
This was also in contrast to Trump’s position at the time. He suggested that the country should open in two weeks in an effort to boost the economy.
Trump has since backed down from those comments. Instead, he opted for social distancing guidelines to remain in place until the end of the month.
Hopefully social distancing guidelines remain effective. Then, Americans who are most at risk, including those who could experience a stroke triggered by afib or other health issues, can remain protected.
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