Trade adviser Peter Navarro attacks Obama for criticizing Trump's coronavirus response - calling the former president a 'press secretary' for Biden and their administration a 'kumbaya of incompetence'

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro launched an attack on Barack Obama after the former president criticized the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. 

During a televised commencement speech to high school seniors on Saturday, Obama charged that the 'folks in charge' of the coronavirus response don't know what they're doing - and 'a lot of them aren't even pretending to be in charge'. 

Navarro hit back in an interview with Fox News' Judge Janine Pirro that night. 

'Was that a speech or was that a political ad?' he quipped when asked about Obama's scathing remarks. 

'I want to congratulate the former president on his new job as press secretary for the candidate locked in the basement. Good job.' 

He went on to call the Obama-Biden administration 'a kumbaya of incompetence'. 

'This was the guy, on his watch, that we saw over 50,000 factories disappear to China - didn't mention that in his speech,' he said. 'And to the American workers, it was always "let them eat arugula" - you'd have to wave a magic wand to get manufacturing back.    

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro launched an attack on Barack Obama after the former president criticized the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic

'Donald J Trump got half a million manufacturing jobs back. So I'm a little surprised at the former president coming out like that, but again, as Biden's press secretary he's going to do that.' 

'Here is the challenge. I have two challenges,' Navarro continued. 'The dog that didn't bark in that speech - there was absolutely no mention of the role of China in this pandemic.

'I'll start counting the days that we don't hear from Joe Biden and Barack Obama on the fact that that China caused this pandemic and basically unleashed trillions of dollars of damage on this world and, to date, 80,000 Americans' lives. 

'And here's another challenge: Do you any the Obama-Biden administration could have put up ventilator factory in 17 days? Do you think the Obama-Biden administration could have built two factories making N95 masks in five weeks instead of the usual nine months? I don't think so.'

Navarro then shifted to praise his boss's handling of the pandemic. 

'If you move forward to what this president is going to do, this week I did see a turnaround. History will mark this week was the turn around. We got the economy back open in 48 of the 50 states. President Donald J Trump announced a strategic stockpile in his image: stronger, smarter, more resilient,' he said.

'We have a vaccine Manhattan project that is going to basically get us to a vaccine in what I call Trump time, which is as soon as possible, with a goal in December. 

'These are the things along with building the best economy in the last 50 years that Barack Obama and Joe Biden couldn't have done and Joe Biden never will do in his lifetime.'

+4

Navarro sarcastically congratulated Obama on becoming a 'press secretary' for his former vice president Joe Biden (pictured together in 2008)

+4

Navarro is seen speaking during a White House briefing on coronavirus on March 22 as President Trump, CDC Director Robert Redfield and Vice President Mike Pence look on

Navarro continued railing against Obama and Biden's 'kumbaya of incompetence' during an interview with ABC News' This Week on Sunday morning.   

He said that Trump had built the 'most beautiful economy in modern history' - noting that China 'did take that down in about 30 days'.  

That statement served as a segue into Navarro's next target - the Chinese government. 

Navarro continued railing against Obama and Biden's 'kumbaya of incompetence' during an interview with ABC News' This Week on Sunday morning (pictured)

He said that the 'China virus' could have been isolated in Wuhan, if Beijing hadn't intentionally hidden information and sent its citizens to other countries to 'seed' the virus. 

Navarro said he did not believe China deliberately released COVID-19, but pointed to FBI warnings that Beijing has been hacking intellectual property in an apparent effort to steal vaccines.  

'And what would they do with it? It wouldn't be a benign experience. They'd use that vaccine to profiteer and hold the world hostage,' he said.

'So yes, I do blame the Chinese.'

Navarro asserted that Trump is the only one to 'stand up to China', while Biden has '40 years of sucking up' to that government. 

He also pushed the false claim that Biden's son, Hunter Biden, took a billion dollars from the Chinese.  

When host George Stephanapoulos interrupted to say the claim was 'just not factual', Navarro replied: 'Be that as it may, I do think this election is going to be a referendum in many ways on China.'