White House

President Obama just gave a commencement speech for HBCU grads who couldn't walk in person this year -- and the topics he tackled were timely ... with a message full of hope.

44 was the headlining commencement speaker during Chase's 'Show Me Your Walk' virtual graduation for over 20k HBCU students nationwide. It was the first part of two speeches Obama is giving Saturday -- later, he'll address 2020 grads at large on prime time TV.

For the HBCU crowd, BO's remarks were much more pointed and somewhat sobering ... noting, as African-Americans and POC, these students specifically had many challenges ahead of them, but Barack told them clearly ... he knows they're up to the challenge.

He also touched on the death of Ahmaud Arbery, saying we're still living in a time when people feel they can take the law into their hands and kill black people in broad daylight. Barack went on to take a veiled shot at President Trump and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying some of our leaders aren't even pretending to be in charge.

BTW, Saturday's 'Show Me Your Walk' stream was a star-studded event beyond just Barry's appearance -- Kevin Hart hosted, and a TON of other people made cameos ... including Serena Williams, Chris Paul, Vivica A. Fox, Common, Steve Harvey, Wyclef Jean, Kamala Harris, Vince Carter, Omari Hardwick and several more who gave words of encouragement.

This week's celeb-packed grad addresses follow Oprah's own -- where she too tried lifting the spirits of students who couldn't attend their own ceremonies. Stay tuned for Obama's nationally televised address ... we're sure it'll be just as powerful as this one.

President Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci were images of stark contrast Friday, as the President went maskless while the nation's leading infectious disease doctor was covered up.

Trump was front and center at his daily coronavirus news briefing without a face covering -- something he clearly refuses to do, despite the fact several members of The White House staff have tested positive. Fauci and Dr. Birx weren't going to be intimidated by the Prez, and they were fully masked during the news conference.

It's telling, because Trump has now gone after Fauci, saying he's playing both ends against the middle -- Trump feels he's being overly cautious. For his part, Dr. Fauci is delivering data without judgment ... only to say if we act irresponsibly, we're going to have big problems.

Meanwhile, outside the W.H. ... Kellyanne Conway was talking PPE's, and offered up what she would wear around her boss and the Veep, to blunt the possibility of a President Pelosi.

Mike Pence can't mask the message he's sending by repeatedly defying mask guidelines -- facial coverings are for the weak ... at least that seems to be what he's telegraphing.

The Vice President was seen without a mask inside the White House Monday, despite new rules put in place on the heels of 2 aides testing positive for COVID-19 last week -- a valet for President Trump and Pence's own press secretary, Katie Miller.

This is absolutely crazy, especially when you consider the VP was in close contact with Miller recently, and Dr. Tony Fauci -- who had less direct contact with her -- is in a modified self-quarantine as a safety precaution.

Yet, it seems Pence is more about following Trump's lead and flouting CDC guidelines regularly in a show of defiance, or perhaps in an attempt to show strength. Trump, of course, didn't wear a mask Monday at the Rose Garden either.

Earlier Monday, a WH memo to staff pointed out that the CDC encourages the use of facial coverings when social distancing is not an option ... such as at The White House.

Therefore, it stated ... "As an additional layer of protection, we are requiring everyone who enters the West Wing to wear a mask or facial covering."

The gloves are officially off, because Barack Obama has made his feelings known about the way his successor has handled the coronavirus pandemic, and the former Prez did NOT mince words.

Obama was speaking with members of the Obama Alumni Ass'n, and during the 30-minute call, he was explaining to the group why there needed to be strong leadership to manage the crisis. He was trying to get the former staffers to get active in Joe Biden's bid to replace President Trump.

Obama then launched into his assessment of the way Trump has handled things, saying, "What we're fighting against is these long-term trends in which being selfish, being tribal, being divided, and seeing others as an enemy -- that has become a stronger impulse in American life."

And, then you hear the former Prez in the audio obtained by Yahoo! News ... calling Trump's response to COVID-19 "an absolute chaotic disaster." He said, "It would have been bad even with the best of governments. It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset -- of 'what's in it for me' and 'to heck with everybody else' -- when that mindset is operationalized in our government."

Vice President Mike Pence hatched a PR stunt while delivering PPE supplies during a medical crisis that has claimed more than 75,000 American lives ... he didn't carry it out, but just saying it out loud is bad.

The VP's latest fumble went down Thursday while he and a host of other White House officials delivered PPE equipment from FEMA to a nursing home in Alexandria, VA, where you can see Pence carry and wheel in several boxes.

After delivering 8 boxes, he went back to the delivery van for more. A hot mic picks up someone telling the Veep, "Those are empty, sir. We're good to go." The VP then shot back, "Well, can I carry the empty ones? Just for the camera?" He smiled before someone responded, "Absolutely."

For the record, he didn't. And, also for the record ... a terrible joke considering the PPE shortage across hospitals and the troubling images of nurses, doctors and other health professionals forced to re-use face masks.

It was just last week when Pence showed up to the Mayo Clinic without a mask. His excuse for not wearing a mask? He said he's tested regularly.

White House Gift Shop dot com -- which is privately run, and not related to the actual White House -- is hawking some odd memorabilia ... a coronavirus commemorative coin no one asked for.

The COVID-19 coin features the names of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence ... and it depicts an empty presidential podium on one side, and a graphic of the novel coronavirus above the world on the other side.

The coin also shouts out the rest of the COVID-19 task force ... with smaller printed names for Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, Dr. Deborah Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci.

The collector's item is emblazoned with tons of slogans ... including "Together We FOUGHT The UNSEEN Enemy," "Everday HEROES Suited Up," and "Everyday CITIZENS Did Their Part."

The White House Gift Shop is already taking pre-orders for the coin ... and the price is slashed from $125 down to $100. The store claims proceeds will be donated to hospitals.

The COVID-19 coin is the 11th in the gift shop's "Historic Moments" collection, which also commemorates Trump's meetings with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

So, at least the coronavirus coin is in ... good company.

Vice President Mike Pence thinks the rules don't apply to him -- he's brazenly ignoring Mayo Clinic policy by not wearing a face covering, even though everyone else is.

Here's the deal ... the VP toured the renowned Minnesota hospital with a large group Tuesday and decided he'd pass on wearing a mask. The medical facility says, as policy, everyone needs to cover their face to guard against transmission of COVID-19.

Everyone around Pence adhered to the policy, so he stood out like a sore thumb. Keep in mind, this is the guy President Trump pegged to run the coronavirus task force. So, it's bad optics, potentially dangerous ... and just rude to his hosts.

The Mayo Clinic even tweeted that it told Pence about the policy mandating all patients, visitors and staff wear face coverings or masks BEFORE the tour of the grounds. That tweet has since been deleted.

While Pence and POTUS have refused to wear masks ... both sides of Congress are following the CDC's guidelines to wear masks when entering essential businesses and health care facilities.

We reached out to Pence's office for comment, but this seems like a move even TV's bumbling "Veep" wouldn't pull.

President Trump's now-infamous press conference in which he "sarcastically" suggested people start downing bleach and other disinfectants to kill the coronavirus has gone viral in the best way ... and one TikTok user has the performance down to a tee.

A user who goes by @whatchugotforme on the video app posted her own version of Trump's presser, where she plays the part of Trump and the befuddled Dr. Birx, using DT's voice-over audio from earlier this week ... and well-edited intercut shots going back and forth.

Check it out ... the lady does a great job mouthing Trump's lines almost perfectly, mimicking his mannerisms and pattern of speech with exaggerated facial expressions. It's freaking hilarious ... and the crazy thing, of course, is that it happened in real life on national TV.

In case you missed it, the leader of the free world stood at the podium during one of his coronavirus task force press briefings, and discussed new studies that supposedly show the COVID-19 virus can be relatively decimated by heat, light and disinfectants ... on hard surfaces. Trump took that new finding and ran with it ... recklessly theorizing it could possibly be applied INSIDE the human body, through injection (or other vague methods). Insane.

The next day he was asked to explain his comments ... and snapped at the reporter asking the question, telling her he was being sarcastic while responding to another member of the media. It's a baldfaced lie ... he was talking DIRECTLY to Dr. Birx at the time.

It was probably one of the dumbest things the Prez has said since he came into office -- and trust us, there's been a lot of runner-ups along the way. Now, it lives on in TikTok forever.

President Trump has a few ideas about how to treat COVID-19 patients -- based on some promising lab findings -- but the scientists around him ain't so sure.

The Prez played amateur M.D. during Thursday's coronavirus task force briefing ... after Bill Bryan -- Science Director for Dept. Homeland Security -- revealed lab testing shows UV rays from sunlight dramatically cuts the half-life of the virus. He added that bleach and isopropyl alcohol also kill the virus either instantly or within minutes.

That set off a lightbulb for Dr. Trump. He said -- out loud, mind you -- what if we could put UV rays and bleach inside a patient's body? His suggestion was maybe that would be an easy cure.

Watch the verbal dance Bryan had to do, explaining to reporters and the President it just doesn't work that way -- at least as far as he knows. He did this while desperately trying NOT to embarrass POTUS. Ya gotta feel for him.

To be clear ... the scientists are NOT saying it's okay to gather with friends under the UV rays of the sun -- that won't stop spread of the virus.