Donald Trump blames Barack Obama for leaks and protests ahead of major speech to Congress

Donald Trump blames Barack Obama for leaks and protests ahead of major speech to Congress – President Donald Trump says Barack Obama is behind the recent protests against him. In an interview with Fox and Friends, which will air on Tuesday morning in the US, Trump also accuses Obama and his allies of involvement in the leaks of information from the White House. There is no evidence to support Trump’s claims.

Donald Trump has blamed Barack Obama and ‘his people’ for a series of leaks of classified information from the White House and protests against the administration.

In a clip from an interview with Fox and Friends to be aired on Tuesday, President Trump responded to a question as to whether Obama was behind protests that have taken place across the country since Mr Trump’s inauguration.

“I think he is behind it. I also think it’s politics, that’s the way it is,” he said in the clip released on Monday night.

He added: “I think that President Obama’s behind it because his people are certainly behind it. And some of the leaks possibly come from that group. Some of the leaks, which are really very serious leaks because they’re really bad in terms of national security.”

There is no evidence that Mr Obama has had any direct hand in the protests, or the series of leaks, which have included revelations that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had lied about conversations with Russians about sanctions, details of private phone calls Mr Trump had with leaders of Australia and Mexico and draft memos of policy plans for actions like rounding up undocumented aliens.

With his first address to Congress, which he will give at 9pm EST (2am GMT), Mr Trump gets an opportunity to refocus his young administration on the economic issues that helped him get elected. His allies hope it will help him move beyond the distractions and self-inflicted wounds that he’s dealt with so far.

Mr Trump’s advisers say he will use his speech to declare early progress on his campaign promises, including withdrawing the US from a sweeping Pacific Rim trade pact, and to map a path ahead on thorny legislative priorities, including health care and infrastructure spending.