Former President Barack Obama trashed President Trump in his speech Thursday at the funeral for Democratic Georgia Rep. John Lewis, criticizing his successor’s handling of the George Floyd protests.
Obama highlighted the President’s decision to send federal agents to Portland, saying they used “tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators,” as well as Trump’s opposition to increased funding for the postal service given how necessary it may be on November 3rd.
“Even as we sit here there are those in power who are doing their darnedest to discourage people from voting by closing polling locations, and targeting minorities and students with restrictive I.D. laws, and attacking our voting rights with surgical precision, even undermining the postal service in the run-up to an election that’s gonna be dependent on mail-in ballots so people don’t get sick,” Obama said.
Obama’s speech came shortly after President Trump suggested the possibility of delaying the election in a tweet on Thursday morning. However, even Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill quickly shot down the idea.
Republican Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell said the November 3rd election date is set in stone.
“Never in the history of this country, through wars, depressions and the Civil War, have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time,” he said Thursday.
“We will find a way to do that again this November 3rd. We will cope with whatever the situation is and have the election on November 3rd as already scheduled.”
