Obama calls Clinton ‘tough,’ slams Trump for excluding minorities

Campaigning solo for the ailing Hillary Clinton, President Obama Tuesday repeatedly described the Democratic nominee as “tough” and accused her rival Donald Trump of embracing racist policies as a businessman.

At a scorching outdoor rally in Philadelphia, the president said Mrs. Clinton demonstrated her physical stamina constantly while serving as his secretary of state.

“She worked hard, tirelessly, flying around the world again and again,” Mr. Obama said of the candidate, who is home recuperating from pneumonia.

The president also blasted the Republican nominee in his harshest criticism yet of the campaign, virtually accusing Mr. Trump of segregationist habits and of recklessly cozying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Obama said Mr. Trump “spent 70 years on this Earth showing no concern for working people.”

“He’s spent most of his life trying to stay as far away from working people as he could,” the president told the audience that included many blacks. “I mean, he wasn’t going to let you on his golf course. He wasn’t going to let you buy in his condo. And now suddenly this guy’s going to be your champion?”

The president appeared to be referring, in part, to reports that Mr. Trump’s family real-estate business excluded black applicants in the 1960s. Mr. Trump has denied that he or his company engaged in any wrongful practices.

While Mr. Obama spoke, at least one person near the stage fainted in the heat, offering another reminder of Mrs. Clinton’s collapse Sunday at an outdoor event in New York.

“We got somebody who fainted,” Mr. Obama said to the crowd. “This is what happens. It’ll be OK. Drink some water.”

The president slammed Mr. Trump for praising Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “strong leader” in a television interview last week with host Larry King that was broadcast in Russia.

“Think about what’s happened to the Republican Party,” Mr. Obama said. “They used to be opposed to Russia and authoritarianism. And now their nominee is out their praising a guy [Mr. Putin], saying he’s a strong leader because he invades smaller countries, jails his opponents, controls the press and drives his economy into a long recession. Can you imagine Ronald Reagan idolizing somebody like that?”

He praised Mrs. Clinton’s experience and temperament, saying she will defeat enemies such as the Islamic State “without resorting to torture, without banning entire religions from our country.” Mr. Trump has proposed a temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S.

The president also vented frustration at the media, saying coverage of the candidates has been unfair. He said Mrs. Clinton is receiving tougher scrutiny than Mr. Trump on issues such as the family foundations each has established.

“You want to debate foundations and charities?” Mr. Obama asked. He said the Clintons’ foundation “has saved countless lives,” while Mr. Trump’s foundation took money from other people and used it to purchase “a six-foot-tall painting of himself.”

The president pleaded with younger voters to get involved in the campaign and pay attention to Mrs. Clinton’s proposals.

“The young people who are here … you maybe don’t remember all the work she has had to do, all the things she has had to overcome,” Mr. Obama said. “You need to understand this. If you’re serious about our democracy, then you’ve got to be with her. She’s in the arena, and you can’t leave her in there by herself. You can’t stay home because she’s been around for a long time. This is not reality TV. Democracy’s not a spectator sport. You don’t tweet in your vote.”