Donald Trump must be scrutinized: Obama
US President Barack Obama has called for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his past record to be scrutinized.
Obama, speaking Friday during his first public comments about Trump since his rivals ended their presidential campaigns, censured the billionaire businessman, saying that the US presidency was not a "reality show."
“He has a long record that needs to be examined and I think it’s important for us to take seriously the statements he’s made in the past,” Obama emphasized.
"I think I just want to emphasize the degree to which we are in serious times and this is a really serious job. This is not entertainment. This is not a reality show. This is a contest for the presidency of the United States," Obama told reporters on Friday.
“Every candidate, every nominee, needs to be subject to exacting standards and genuine scrutiny,” the president added.
After Trump's commanding victory in Indiana's primary on Tuesday, his remaining challengers, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, both suspended their presidential bids, leaving him on an uncontested path to the nomination.
Trump won more than 60 percent of the votes and won all of the 57 available delegates, raising his total delegates to 1,047, according to an AP count.
Obama also called on the media to play a role in vetting the candidates' policies and avoid focusing on the "circus."
"If they take a position on international issues that could threaten war, or has the potential of upending our critical relationships with other countries, or would potentially break the financial system, that needs to be reported on," he said.
Obama, a Democrat himself, has appeared as a vocal critic of Trump in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election along with many others even from the Republican Party.
Last time, the president targeted Trump during his Saturday speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
“Is this dinner too tacky for the Donald? What could he possibly be doing instead? Is he at home eating a Trump steak? Tweeting out insults to Angela Merkel? What’s he doing?" Obama asked.
Despite all the attacks on Trump for his hate speech, the front runner has been marching towards nomination of the GOP, which will be finalized in the 2016 Republican National Convention, set to be held in Cleveland, Ohio at the Quicken Loans Arena from July 18 to 21.
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