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President Donald Trump blamed Barack Obama for the crisis in Syria in the aftermath of a chemical attack on civilians. USA TODAY

Donald Trump and Barack Obama arrive for Trump's inauguration ceremony at the Capitol on Jan. 20, 2017.(Photo: Scott Applewhite, Pool/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON President Trump seems to have a pretty clear idea who to blame for many of the problems that cross his desk in the Oval Office.

It's President Obama.

From the civil war in Syria and the nuclear showdown with North Korea to the loss of manufacturing jobs in the Rust Belt and problems with health care, the 45th president has blasted the 44th for misguided policies and weak leadership that have left him with a multitude of troubles to fix. He's even accused Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower during the campaign and his team of breaking the law in the Russia investigation.

"I have to just say that the world is a mess," Trump lamented at a Rose Garden news conference Wednesday with Jordan's King Abdullah II, words he repeatedly has used since taking office. "Whether it's the Middle East, whether it's North Korea, whether it's so many other things, whether it's in our country horrible trade deals I inherited a mess."

Just about every president is elected after campaigns that promise a change in direction, and many previouspresidents have criticized their predecessors. That includes Obama, who faulted George W. Bush's administration for what he saw as a misguided invasion of Iraq that undermined U.S. credibility around the globe, and for failing to take adequate steps to avert the financial meltdown that greeted Obama when he took office.

That said, Trump's critique of Obama has been more sweeping and more personal than other presidents in modern times, and he has been less inclined to temper his words after being inaugurated. Some presidents become less critical of their predecessors once they are in the Oval Office themselves and find themselves facing the same tough trade-offs and difficult issues.

It comes amid Trump's frustration about scoring record-low approval ratings and heading toward the end of his first 100 days without a major legislative achievement to tout.

"Trump is unusual in placing frequent blame on his predecessor so early in his term," said Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College and co-author of The Trump Presidency: Initial Assessments,being published this fall. "It's a big contrast to his extravagant promises of quick solutions to major problems."

President Trump boards Air Force One under heavy rain at Andrews Air Force Base on April 6, 2017.(Photo: Jim Watson, AFP/Getty Images)

During the 25-minute news conference, Trump volunteered criticism of Obama and his team on:

A few hours earlier, the president suggested in an interview withThe New York Times thatObamanational security adviserSusan Ricemay have broken the law with actions related to Russian surveillance, although he didn't say how or provide any evidence. "A massive, massive story," Trump said, while calling the controversy over Moscow's meddling in America's election and possible collusion by his associates "a total hoax."

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump isn't blaming Obama for his problems, he's blaming him for America's problems among them Syria, North Korea and overbearing government regulations. The president is "busy and focused on fixing a lot of things," she said, "challenges that are the result of Obama failures."

Several former senior officials in the Obama administration said Trump's litany of criticism, especially his allegations of criminal wrongdoing,has angered and energized them.

"We saw President Obama welcome President Trump into the White House after we were heartbroken about Hillary (Clinton) losing," said Alyssa Mastromonaco, a former deputy White House chief of staff. "For Donald Trump to sort of hit a tough spot and decide he's going to deflect by blaming the former president ... of wiretapping it was laughable but it was also devastating."

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Another former senior administration official said Obama himself has had a more measured reaction to Trump's jibes than many of those close to him. The former president generally has declined to respond publicly to Trump, although he has said he might do so down the road on issues he considers critical.

The two have what might charitably be described as a complicated relationship. Obama famously mocked Trump as he satin the audience, stone-faced,at the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2011. At the time, Trump was a leader in promoting the debunked allegation that Obama wasn't born in the United States. During last year's campaign, Barack and Michelle Obama stumped for Clinton in speeches that questioned Trump's character and qualifications for the White House.

Still, Obama and Trump held a cordial meeting at the White House two days after the election,then spoke by phone several times. Obama attended Trump's inauguration, but Sanders says they haven't spoken since then.

In this Nov. 10, 2016, file photo, President Obama and President-elect Donald Trump shake hands following their meeting in the Oval Office.(Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP)

Trump's attacks on Obama, including his denunciation of his signature Affordable Care Act as a catastrophic failure,have helped unite Democratsagainst him. Not a single congressional Democrat endorsed the White House-backedhealth care proposal. And Trump's jibes at Obama may well complicatehis efforts to reach across the aisle on a proposed tax overhaul and an infrastructure bill.

It's also an argument that is likely to work less well as more time passes. In relatively short order, voters tend to hold the current resident of the White House accountable for the state of the nation's economy and security. "The blame game becomes steadily less credible the longer he is in office," Schier says.

Even Trump seems to recognize that.

"I now have responsibility," Trump acknowledged in response to a question about the chemical-weapon attack on Syria. "I will have that responsibility and carry it very proudly. I will tell you that. It is now my responsibility."

Contributing: David Jackson

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Analysis: Trump gets his blame game on, targets Obama for just about everything - USA TODAY