It's abundantly clear that President Donald Trump is none too pleased with the leaks regarding his administration's problems. However, who he believes is the culprit behind the leaks is jarring, even by his standards. In an interview with Fox & Friends on Tuesday, Trump claimed that his predecessor, Barack Obama, was responsible for the recent leaks and protests against him and fellow Republicans.
"I think President Obama’s behind it, because his people are certainly behind it,” Trump said when asked about the town hall protests against various Republican legislators throughout the country. "And some of the leaks possibly come from that group. You know, some of the leaks, which are really very serious leaks, because they’re very bad in terms of national security, but I also understand that’s politics. And in terms of him being behind things, that’s politics, and it will probably continue.”
In recent weeks, several protests that have taken place around the country, addressing concerns about the Trump administration and what it will mean for reproductive rights, transgender rights, and immigration policy. In the town hall protests in particular, anger over the potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, has been a main focus.
It is not clear what evidence the president has for blaming Obama for the protests against him. According to the Guardian, this is not the first time Trump or Republicans have accused Obama of orchestrating protests against them. The news publication reported that "Republicans and right wing media outlets" have accused Obama of organizing protests through a group called Organizing for Action, a nonprofit which grew out of Obama's presidential campaign but with which Obama has no known personal ties.
It remains to be seen how heavily Trump will accuse Obama and his cohorts of masterminding the protests and the leaks. Throughout his campaign and election, Trump has made various — often controversial — claims, only to back away from them. Perhaps the most infamous was his claim that he would jail his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, if he were elected — a boast he largely backed away from after Nov. 9.
During the rest of the interview with Fox & Friends, the president graded his own presidency. He gave himself an A+ for effort, an A- for achievement, and a "C or C+" on messaging. It remains to be seen whether this latest allegation will help improve that grade.
