President Barack Obama knocked Donald Trump hours before Trump takes the stage here to debate Hillary Clinton, calling the Republican presidential nominee an "insecure" person who builds himself up by knocking others down.
"I know it’s a cliché to say every four years ‘This is the most important election of our lives.’ " Obama said at a Chicago fundraiser. "This is the most important election of our lives.’"
Obama denounced Trump’s remarks on an audio tape released Friday in which Trump bragged – in lewd terms -- about sexually violating women.
"I don’t need to repeat it," Obama said. "There’s children in the room."
But he went on, accusing Trump of “demeaning, degrading women, but also minorities, immigrants, people of other faiths, mocking the disabled."
Trump’s attacks, he said, "tell you a couple things. It tells you that he is insecure enough that he pumps himself up by putting other people down. Not a character trait that I would advise for somebody in the Oval Office."
And Obama added, "it tells you he doesn’t care much about the basic values we try to impart to kids."
The remarks came as Obama spoke at a Senate fundraiser for Rep. Tammy Duckworth, who is looking to unseat Sen. Mark Kirk – who Saturday joined a flood of Republicans in calling for Trump to drop out of the race in the wake of the audiotape.