VIDEO: OBAMA CRITICISES TRUMP AT DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN RALLY AHEAD OF MIDTERM ELECTIONS

By: Muftau Fatimo

Former United States President Barack Obama has launched a fresh attack on President Donald Trump over the Iran war, rising consumer prices and his administration’s record as he hit the campaign trail to rally support for Democratic candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

Speaking at campaign rallies in Ohio and Michigan on Saturday, Obama urged Americans to use the elections as an opportunity to challenge the Trump administration, accusing it of presiding over what he described as chaos, cruelty, corruption and incompetence.

“This election is our last best chance to at least rein in some of the foolishness of this administration,” Obama told supporters in Ohio.

The former president, who has become a prominent campaign voice for the Democrats, said the midterm elections offered voters an opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with the Republican administration.

“After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence, the likes of which we have not seen in the modern era, you get a chance to say, ‘Enough is enough,’” he said in Cleveland.

Obama also addressed the economic concerns that contributed to the Democrats’ defeat in the 2024 presidential election, acknowledging that inflation and the rising cost of living had frustrated many voters.

However, he argued that Trump had failed to address those concerns, insisting that the cost of living had continued to rise under his administration.

“If you thought everything was too expensive before ‘you know who,’ everything is more expensive now,” Obama said, referring to Trump without mentioning his name.

While Obama challenged the president’s economic record, Trump defended his policies during a campaign rally in Perry, Georgia, declaring that the United States was experiencing what he described as a period of renewed prosperity.

“We’re in the golden age of America,” Trump told his supporters.

The president highlighted his administration’s immigration and tariff policies, claiming that tariffs were generating substantial revenue for the country. He also accused Democrats of threatening Americans’ wealth and national security.

“We’re taking in massive amounts of money through tariffs,” Trump said, arguing that Democrats would “loot your wealth” and “annihilate your borders”.

Trump, who was campaigning for Republican Senate candidate Mike Collins, expressed confidence that his party would defeat Democrats across the country in the midterm elections.

“We’re going to crush them across the country,” he said, adding that “people are going to be very, very surprised”.

He also repeated his pledge to give every adult American $5,000 if Republicans win control of both chambers of Congress.

The economy and the war involving Iran have emerged as major points of contention between the two political camps, with rising oil prices putting additional pressure on the Trump administration.

Obama criticised the president’s handling of the conflict, arguing that the war had given Tehran significant leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments.

He said the situation had effectively given Iran “veto power” over the strategic waterway.

Trump, however, defended his handling of the conflict when journalists questioned him about the war as he voted in Florida on Saturday alongside First Lady Melania Trump.

“I’ve done it very effectively and I may have to finish it off, or maybe they’ll make a deal, but I’m not sure. Either way, we win,” the president said.

Trump acknowledged that oil prices were temporarily high but expressed confidence that they would eventually fall.

“Our country is getting stronger and stronger all the time, and those pump prices are going to come down,” he said.

In another swipe at the president, Obama mocked Trump’s efforts to renovate the White House, taking aim at the extensive use of gold in the building’s redecorating projects.

“What’s with all the gold? He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened up a Cheesecake Factory,” Obama joked.

Obama’s Ohio rally marked his first campaign appearance for the 2026 midterm elections. He was in the state to support former senator Sherrod Brown, who is seeking to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted, and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, who is challenging Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.

The former president also criticised a campaign advertisement released by Ramaswamy’s team featuring Acton’s estranged mother accusing her of being a liar.

Obama condemned the advertisement, accusing Ramaswamy of crossing political boundaries in an attempt to gain attention.

“In recent days, we’ve seen there is no line he will not cross. No low he will not sink to try to get in the limelight,” Obama said. “I mean, think about this latest ad he ran.”

The advertisement did not mention that the woman’s husband had been charged with raping Acton when she was a child, according to the report.

Acton, who addressed the rally before Obama, accused Ramaswamy of exploiting her childhood experiences to strengthen his campaign.

She said her Republican opponent “has chosen to exploit my childhood” to “save his struggling campaign”.

Meanwhile, Trump was asked whether Melania would visit Ukraine following a White House statement that she had secured a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky.

The president responded, “We will see,” without providing further details.

The November 3 midterm elections will determine which party controls Congress for the remainder of Trump’s presidency. With early voting already underway in parts of the country, Democrats and Republicans are intensifying their campaigns in a contest that could shape the president’s ability to advance his legislative agenda.

Obama’s decision to campaign for Democratic candidates underscores the party’s efforts to mobilise voters around concerns about the economy, the Iran war and the administration’s broader record, while Trump is urging Americans to support Republicans and defend his policies.

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