President Barack Obama has made his first direct criticism of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in a taped interview with the National Public Radio before his winter vacation in Hawaii. Obama said that Trump is taking advantage of working-class Americans' fears when he proposed a ban on all Muslims entering the U.S.

"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," Obama said referring to the economic stresses Americans are going through like financial crisis because of new technologies, globalization, and stagnant wages and incomes.

"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 U.S. President added.

FOX News noted that Obama has acknowledged the fact that the country's economy is still not great for many working-class Americans that became the Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' main priority in his campaign.

The interviewer, Steve Inskeep asked the President to elaborate his criticism on Trump with Obama responding more vaguely, pointing out Republican resentment as one of the reasons why there are still many people who oppose an African-American leader. He expanded saying that "specific strains" of the GOP refers to him as different and disloyal, much like a typecast Muslim.

Obama also recognized in the interview that his administration mishandled their anti-terrorism and anti-ISIS communications strategy, per CNN Politics. However, he was adamant that their plans against terrorism and Islamic extremists are working, but also said that a lot of media coverage for ISIL and ISIS increase fears in the United States.

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

Republicans have criticised the President, calling his strategy against terrorist groups "weak and ineffective." Even some Democrat members are reportedly worried that on Obama responded to the Paris and San Bernardino attacks.

Obama defended his strategy against terrorism but added that about 9,000 strikes and raids have been made against ISIS to date. He also said that he wants the people to be informed about all the actions the United States is taking against terror threats.