US President Barack Obama is tired of hearing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump described as a populist.
The Democratic leader, who has made no secret of his dislike for the wealthy businessman's rhetoric, closed a news conference in
Trump did not meet the criteria, Obama said, without mentioning the Republican by name.
“Somebody ... who has never shown any regard for workers, has never fought on behalf of social justice issues or making sure that poor kids are getting a decent shot at life or have health care," does not meet the definition, Obama said.
"They don't suddenly become a populist because they say something controversial in order to win votes. That's not the measure of populism. That's nativism, or xenophobia. Or worse. Or it's just cynicism," he said.
Trump won enough grassroots support among Republicans to make him the party's presumptive presidential nominee with a pledge to ban Muslims temporarily from entering the United States and to build a wall on the US border with Mexico, and a series of other inflammatory remarks.
Obama has sharply criticized Trump for such rhetoric. He plans to campaign with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, next week. The president's latest criticism of Trump could foreshadow Obama's strategy to help
He made a point of saying US Senator Bernie Sanders of
Sanders describes himself as a democratic socialist and generated huge support from young people across the
Obama, who leaves office in January, made his comments on Wednesday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto looking on.
"Sorry," Obama said after his more-than-six-minute monologue. "It's the prerogative of an outgoing president to go on an occasional rant, he said.
