President wades into domestic US politics while in Ethiopia over comments from Trump and Huckabee ‘that would be considered ridiculous if it weren’t so sad’

The increasingly shrill tone of the Republican presidential campaign has provoked a rare overseas rebuke from Barack Obama, who criticised candidates like Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz for lacking “seriousness, decorum and honesty”.



During an official visit to Ethiopia, the president broke with diplomatic protocol to wade into domestic US politics instead and respond to those on the American political right who have recently compared his administration’s policies to Nazi death camps and the crucifixion of Christ.



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“Part of what historically has made America great is, particularly when it comes to foreign policy, there’s been a recognition that these issues are too serious, that issues of war and peace of such grave concern and consequence, that we don’t play fast and loose that way,” Obama told reporters.

“We have robust debates, we look at the facts, there are going to be disagreements. But we just don’t fling out ad hominem attacks like that because it doesn’t help inform the American people.”

The outburst was prompted by a question about Mike Huckabee’s claim that the Iran nuclear deal would “take the Israelis and march them to the door of the oven”.

But Obama argued the problem was more than just a disagreement over this current deal and singled out similar comments by Arkansas senator Tom Cotton and Ted Cruz, the Texas senator and 2016 candidate.

“The particular comments of Mr Huckabee are I think part of just a general pattern we’ve seen that would be considered ridiculous if it weren’t so sad,” he said.

“We’ve had a sitting senator call John Kerry Pontius Pilate. We’ve had a sitting senator who also happens to be running for president suggest that I’m the leading state sponsor of terrorism. These are leaders in the Republican party.”

Obama also broke his relative silence on Donald Trump, whose outspoken attacks on both the president and more moderate Republicans have dominated the 2016 campaign agenda in recent week.



“When you get rhetoric like this maybe it gets attention, maybe this is just an attempt to push Mr Trump out of the headlines, but it’s not the kind of leadership that’s needed for America right now,” said the president. “I don’t think that’s what anybody – Democrat or Republican or independent – is looking for out of their political leaders.”



Trump has embarrassed many on the right too, with his attack on the war record of Vietnam prisoner and former Republican nominee John McCain prompting even conservatives like former Texas governor Rick Perry to dismiss him as a “barking carnival act”.



But Obama is now accusing others in the 2016 race of chasing after Trump, and questioned why they remained silent when similar personal attacks were made about Democrats.



“It’s been interesting when you look at what’s been happening with Mr Trump, when he’s made some of the remarks that for example challenged the heroism of Mr McCain – somebody who endured torture and conducted himself with exemplary patriotism – the Republican party is shocked and yet that arises out of a culture where those outrageous kind of attacks have become far too commonplace and yet circulate non-stop through the internet and talk radio and news outlets,” said the president at the press conference in Addis Ababa.

“When outrageous statements like that are made about me that a lot of the same people who were outraged when they were made about Mr McCain were pretty quiet,” he added.



Obama also implied he regarded several of those candidates who have been most outspoken in their attacks as not fit to lead the Republican party, let alone take over from him in the White House.

“The point is we’re making a culture that is not conducive to good policy or good politics. The American people deserve better. Certainly presidential debates deserve better,” said the president.

“In 18 months I’m turning over the keys; I want to make sure I’m turning over the keys to somebody who is serious about the serious problems the country faces and the world faces, and that requires on both sides, Democrat and Republican, a sense of seriousness and decorum and honesty. I think that’s what the voters expect as well.”



Nonetheless, the sight of the commander-in-chief using an official overseas trip to make political attacks on his party’s opponents at home is likely to only inflame the increasing rancorous debate over foreign policy.



Huckabee was quick to respond to the presidential swipe, by doubling down on his comparison of the Iranian deal to Nazi appeasement.

“What’s ridiculous and sad is that President Obama does not take the Iran threats seriously. For decades, Iranian leaders have pledged to ‘destroy’, ‘annihilate’ and ‘wipe Israel off the map’ with a ‘big Holocaust’,” he said in a statement. “ ‘Never again’ will be the policy of my administration and I will stand with our ally Israel to prevent the terrorists in Tehran from achieving their own stated goal of another Holocaust.”