Donald Trump focused on feeding his ego, did not help anyone except himself: Obama
Pittsburg (US): US President Donald Trump is focused on feeding his ego and has not shown any interest in helping anyone except himself, whereas his Democratic rival Joe Biden cares about the coronavirus pandemic and keeping "your family safe", Barack Obama has said.
Making a last pitch on Saturday to get his former vice-president and Democratic presidential candidate Biden elected as the next occupant of the White House, Obama, during rallies in Michigan, blasted Trump for his policies and rhetoric.
He said Trump in the last four years had not shown any interest in helping any of his countrymen except himself.
"President Trump is focused on feeding his ego, while the Democratic presidential candidate Biden focused on decency and empathy," said Obama, who was the 44th US president.
He hasn't shown any interest in doing the work or helping anybody but himself or his friends or treating the presidency as anything more than a reality show to give him the attention that he craves. But unfortunately, the rest of us have to live with the consequences, he said.
Obama was joined by Biden at both the Flint and Detroit rallies in Michigan, a battleground state.
"I can tell you that the presidency doesn't change who you are. It shows who are you. It reveals who you are. And for eight years, Joe was the last one in the room when I made a big decision," he said.
Obama praised the 77-year-old Biden and said, "Biden is my brother. I love Joe Biden. And he will be a great president and he treats everyone with dignity and with respect".
"That sense of decency and empathy, the belief in hard work and family and faith, the belief that everyone counts, that is who Joe is and that is who he will be as president," he said, adding that Biden made him a "better president"
"He has got the character and the experience to make us a better country. And he and Kamala (Harris) are going to be in the fight, not for themselves, but for every single one of us. And we sure can't say that about the President we have got right now," he said.
Obama, 59, alleged that Trump,74, is doing a reality show in the White House.
"You know when a country is going through a pandemic that's not what you're supposed to be worrying about," he said.
"And that's the difference between Biden and Trump right there. Trump cares about feeding his ego. Joe cares about keeping you and your family safe. And he's less interested in feeding his ego with having big crowds than he is making sure he's not going around making more and more people sick. That's what you should expect from a president," he asserted.
What is his obsession, by the way, with crowd size? You notice that? This is the one measure he has of success. He's still worried about his inauguration crowd being smaller than mine. It really bugged him. He's still talking about that. Did nobody come to his birthday party when he was a kid? Is he traumatized? What's with crowds? he asked.
The lifeblood of a campaign isn't rallies, it is not TV ads, but people willing to take a clipboard, talk to their neighbours and talk to their friends and talk to their co-workers, he said.
"Let folks know what the stakes are. And this kind of grassroots work and organizing. Makes all the difference especially in an election, like this, where the stakes are so high, Obama said.
He said there was a need to revive the pandemic-hit economy again and it could be done well once Biden was elected.
"We know that change is possible, but it's not guaranteed. And if we care deeply about restoring a sense of decency to our federal government, a government that's going to look out for ordinary people, that is gonna take this pandemic seriously and get on top of it so we can not only save lives, but also make our economy healthy again," he said.
"If we want a nation that is living up to its values, and its ideals so that, we set an example for the world. If we care about climate change and making sure that our criminal justice system is free of racial bias. Then we're gonna have to work for it. And we've just got a few more days to make that happen," he added.
Obama said Biden understands his responsibilities.
"And the other person who makes me hopeful is somebody I served with for eight years. Was in the room before I made any big decision, a person of character, a person of decency, a person of kindness.
"A person who understands the solemn responsibilities you take on when you become president of the US, somebody who's going to put you first. My friend, I could not be prouder to support him, and I could not be prouder. I hope in a few days to be able to call him Mr. President," he said.
Obama officially endorsed Biden in April, marking the Democratic establishment's formal consolidation around the party's presidential nominee.
"Choosing Joe to be my vice president was one of the best decisions I ever made, and he became a close friend," Obama had said in a video released by the Biden campaign. "And I believe Joe has all the qualities we need in a president right now," he said.
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FIR registered against BJP MLA Janardhana Reddy after clash over installation of banner
Ballari (PTI): An FIR was registered on Friday against BJP MLA Janardhana Reddy and 10 others in connection with alleged violent clashes that erupted over installation of banners ahead of a Valmiki statue unveiling programme in the city, police said.
Security was beefed up in Ballari, even as the situation remained peaceful, a day after clashes allegedly broke out between supporters of BJP MLA Janardhana Reddy and Congress MLA Bharath Reddy over the installation of banners, they said.
One person was killed during the incident on Thursday, police said.
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"The situation was brought under control, and additional security has been deployed. At present, the situation remains peaceful, and all precautionary measures have been taken to ensure that no untoward incident occurs," a senior police officer said.
In his complaint, 47-year-old Chanala Shekhar stated that MLA Bharat Reddy is undertaking various development works in the city, including roads and public projects. As part of this, a grand programme was organised near SP Circle for the unveiling of a Valmiki statue.
"On January 1, between 6.30 pm and 7.30 pm, the accused, Janardhan Reddy, Somasekhar Reddy, and others, allegedly damaged the banners put up for the unveiling ceremony near Janardhan Reddy's house," he alleged.
When he and Sathish Reddy questioned them, the accused, along with their supporters, picked up a fight and attacked them with the intention of killing them, the FIR stated. The complainant further alleged that the police officer, Srinivas, who intervened, was also injured.
Based on the complaint filed at Brucepet police station, the FIR was registered against Janardhana Reddy, Somasekhar Reddy, and nine others under sections of 109 (attempt to murder), 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 191 (2) (rioting), 189 (2) (unlawful assembly), 118 (1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 190 (making every member of an unlawful assembly guilty of an offense committed), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 351 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police added.
Videos circulating on social media showed a private gunman allegedly firing shots into the air as tension gripped the area.
The confrontation occurred ahead of a Valmiki statue unveiling programme scheduled to be held in the city on January 3.
According to police, supporters of Bharath Reddy were attempting to install banners in front of Janardhana Reddy's residence in the Avambhavi area, which was opposed by the latter's supporters, leading to a heated exchange.
What began as a verbal altercation soon escalated into a physical clash, with supporters from both sides allegedly resorting to stone-pelting. Police sources said stones were also hurled at personnel who rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.
Several people were injured during the incident, and their number and identities were being verified, police said.
As the situation threatened to spiral out of control, police resorted to a lathi charge and had also fired bullets in the air to disperse the crowd and restore order.
Police said investigations are underway to ascertain the sequence of events and verify the allegations.
