Former President Barack Obama claimed responsibility for the booming economy and launched a scathing attack on Donald Trump as a threat to democracy.

The 44th US president also branded his successor a ‘demagogue’ who was part of the culture of ‘celebrating bullies’.

Speaking to a crowd of thousands in a school auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio, yesterday, Obama lashed out at Trump’s tax cuts for ‘the most wealthy and powerful’ and said the policy would damage the economy in the long run.

While backing Ohio’s Democratic governor nominee Richard Cordray, the former commander-in-chief claimed responsibility for the current state of the US economy and said the upturn in growth started on his watch.

Trump has repeatedly made record low unemployment and the strong American economy the centerpiece of his administration.

On Monday he tweeted: ‘The Economy is soooo good, perhaps the best in our country’s history.’

But to a cheering crowd last night, Obama slammed Trump’s economic policy and said the boom began under his presidency saying ‘just remember when it started’.

He also criticized Trump for his subsidy for ‘corporate polluters’ with a hand out of ‘1.5 trillion dollars in tax credits’, that would have to be fixed by ‘a Democrat like me coming back in’.

Obama also declared that Americans are ‘supposed to stand up to bullies, not follow them’ and railed against the ‘post-truth’ era.

He said: ‘Some things are complicated, when I was president I was confident the American people wanted the truth.

‘When there’s a vacuum in our democracy, when we don’t vote, when we take our basic rights for granted – other voices fill the void and demagogues who promise simple fixes to complicated problems.’

The former president said Republican control of Washington would threaten Medicaid, affordable health care and even democracy.

Obama also slammed ‘opportunists’ who undermine democratic institutions by exploiting divisions in society for political gain.

He also said the current administration makes it harder for ‘minorities, young people and poor folks’ to vote.

Although he didn’t blast President Donald Trump by name, he slammed the current administration saying: ‘This is not normal what we’re seeing. It is radical.’

He said: ‘Even the folks who won don’t seem happy. Have you noticed that?

‘The Republicans won the House, they won the Senate. They’re still mad, which is interesting. So just remember when you hear about these folks bragging about this economic period, just remember when it started, he added.

Obama said Republicans, ‘appeal to our tribal instincts. They appeal to fear. They try to pit one against another.

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Source: Daily Mail