White House Calls Obama 'Classless Moron' with Trump Derangement Syndrome After Presidential Power Criticism

The White House called former President Barack Obama "a classless moron" suffering from "a severe and debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome." The harsh words followed Obama's criticism of President Donald Trump, in which Obama said a president should not direct the attorney general to prosecute individuals.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said of Obama, "He is a total disgrace for all the division he has sowed upon this country, and history will not judge him well." Ingle added, "The only special interest guiding the Trump Administration’s decision-making is the best interest of the American people. Only pathetic trainwrecks like Stephen Colbert would waste their time interviewing one of the worst presidents in history on his failing show."

Obama made the remark during a Tuesday interview with "The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert, who asked about restrictions on presidential power. The appearance came during the show's final weeks.

"The White House shouldn’t be able to direct the Attorney General to go around prosecuting whoever the president wants prosecuted," Obama said. "The idea is that the attorney general is the people’s lawyer, it’s not the president’s consiglieri."

"You can’t have a situation in which whoever’s in charge of the government starts using that to go after the political enemies and reward their friends, right?" Obama continued.

Obama discussed his relationship with Attorney General Eric Holder, who served in his administration for six years. He said he consulted Holder regularly but only on "broader policy issues."

"That's different than who do you charge, what case do you bring," Obama said.

Trump supporters on social media criticized Obama's comments and pointed to Holder's past remarks about their close relationship. In a 2013 radio interview with Tom Joyner, Holder called himself Obama's "wing-man." Holder said, "I’m still enjoying what I’m doing, there’s still work to be done. I’m still the President’s wing-man, so I’m there with my boy. So we’ll see."

During Holder's tenure, the House held him in contempt for failing to produce documents related to an investigation into Operation Fast and Furious. That Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives operation allowed Mexican drug cartels to gain access to illegal guns. Holder faced scrutiny for not seeking criminal prosecution but was never accused of pursuing charges on Obama's behalf.

Obama's remarks come as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche indicted former FBI Director James Comey for allegedly threatening the president's life. The charge stemmed from an Instagram post showing a seashell formation spelling "86-47," a reference to removing Trump from office. The latest charges followed the dismissal of previous charges against Comey last year.

Several of Trump's other political foes have also faced indictments, including former national security adviser John Bolton and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The Justice Department opened criminal investigations into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.

Trump posted a message on Truth Social in September addressed to former Attorney General Pam Bondi. He requested that she prosecute several political foes, writing, "Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, ‘same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done."