Trump hits Biden and Obama in defense of his golfing

President Trump on Monday resumed his attacks aimed at former Vice President Joe Biden and former President Obama, a day after Biden slammed him on Twitter for golfing as the coronavirus pandemic rages across America.

Trump tweeted Monday morning that the mainstream news media covered his Virginia golf club trip this weekend like it was a "mortal sin" while ignoring what he said were his opponent's shortcomings: "Sleepy Joe’s poor work ethic, or all of the time Obama spent on the golf course."

"They are sick with hatred and dishonesty. They are truly deranged! They don’t mention Sleepy Joe’s poor work ethic, or all of the time Obama spent on the golf course, often flying to Hawaii in a big, fully loaded 747, to play. What did that do to the so-called Carbon Footprint?" Trump said in a series of tweets.

"He also played moments after the brutal killing by ISIS of a wonderful young man. Totally inappropriate - and it was me who shattered 100% of the ISIS Caliphate. I was left a MESS!" he added, pivoting to a frequent line of attack against the Obama administration's strategy against the Islamic State.

Trump's tweets come a day after Biden directly attacked him for tweeting through the crisis from his Virginia golf course, an escalation of the criticism Biden has leveled against the president for weeks over his handling of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Biden's criticism Saturday came as Trump himself went on the attack against a range of targets via Twitter, including former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and "Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough.

"The presidency is about a lot more than tweeting from your golf cart. It requires taking on the ultimate responsibility for the biggest decisions in the world. Donald Trump simply wasn’t prepared for that. I promise you I will be," he wrote.

Trump had previously responded to the attack Sunday evening, writing that it was the first time he had hit the golf course in months.

The Trump campaign also attacked Biden over the tweets in a statement claiming that Trump was following advice from Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, who urged Americans to spend Memorial Day weekend outdoors last week.

"Dr. Fauci expressly said that Americans should get outdoors this weekend and specifically mentioned golf as a good activity. Biden should take that advice and get out of his basement," spokesman Tim Murtaugh said.