Obama broke ‘unspoken presidential protocol’ criticising Trump

Sky News US contributor Michael Ware says Barack Obama “came out swinging” against Donald Trump breaking an “unspoken protocol” among presidents.

“There’s this unspoken protocol in the United States that former presidents don’t go around publicly criticizing their successors,” Mr Ware told Sky News.

“Often we will see former presidents gather at state funerals and other events, and you’ll see how collegial they all are.

“No one else on the planet can understand the pressure of that office except for the other guy that’s been there before.

“So yes Barack Obama broke the convention.”

Speaking live from the Philadelphia Museum of the American Revolution on the third night of the Democratic National Convention, President Obama said Mr Trump had unleashed America’s “worst instincts.”

“Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t. And the consequences of that failure are severe. 170,000 Americans dead. Millions of jobs gone. Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished, and our democratic institutions threatened like never before,” Mr Obama said.