Obama says Trump exploits working-class fears to boost his campaign

President Barack Obama hit out against Donald Trump saying that the Republican frontrunner exploits working-class fears to build his campaign platform. (Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press)

President Barack Obama had strong words for Donald Trump's campaign platform before he left on vacation for Hawaii.

While speaking to NPR, President Obama accused the Republican frontrunner of exploiting working-class fears to boost his profile for the 2016 election.

“Particularly blue-collar men have had a lot of trouble in this new economy, where they are no longer getting the same bargain that they got when they were going to a factory and able to support their families on a single paycheck,” he said.

“You combine those things, and it means that there is going to be potential anger, frustration, fear — some of it justified, but just misdirected."

“I think somebody like Mr Trump is taking advantage of that. That’s what he’s exploiting during the course of his campaign,” the president said, referring to Mr Trump's call to ban all Muslims from entering the US.

President Obama also hit out against the media, saying that the horrible attack in Paris that left 130 people dead, led to a saturation of coverage for Isis.

“If you've been watching television for the last month, all you have been seeing, all you have been hearing about is these guys with masks or black flags who are potentially coming to get you,” he explained. “So I understand why people are concerned about it.”

“Look, the media is pursuing ratings. This is a legitimate news story," he said. "I think that, you know, it's up to the media to make a determination about how they want to cover things."

Still, the president defended his administration's efforts against the terror group by saying that the organisation is not great industrial power that can pose a significant threat to the US.

"The most damage they can do, though, is if they start changing how we live and what our values are, and part of my message over the next 14 months or 13 months that I remain in office is to just make sure that we remember who we are and make sure that our resilience, our values, our unity are maintained," he added.

"If we do that then Isil will be defeated."