Obama Attacks Trump Administration at Rally Ahead of Midterm Elections
Former US President Barack Obama sharply criticized Donald Trump at a rally in Ohio, and Trump responded with an attack on Obama. The exchange came ten days before the US congressional midterm elections.
Former US President Barack Obama and current President Donald Trump traded sharp criticism ten days before the US congressional midterm elections. Midterms are held halfway through a presidential term, when Americans elect members of Congress, so the result can affect how far Trump can pursue his agenda. Foreign media reported on the exchange.
Obama's attack
Obama, who has begun actively supporting Democratic Party candidates, spoke at a party rally in Cleveland, Ohio, on 24 October. It was his first major in-person campaign event ahead of the midterms. He described Trump's second term as "two years of chaos, cruelty, corruption and incompetence" and said voters now have a chance to say: "Enough."
Obama claimed Trump has failed to lower prices as promised and pulled the country into an unwanted war with Iran. He also criticized the tariff policy, saying the president is more focused on personal interests than on easing citizens' financial burden.
Mocking the gold-themed renovation of the White House, Obama mentioned a new ballroom, a paved Rose Garden and a helicopter landing pad on the South Lawn. He compared the décor to the taste of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and to The Cheesecake Factory, a US restaurant chain known for lavish interiors.
He also claimed Trump and his family are enriching themselves, citing cryptocurrency businesses, government contracts for family companies and financial dealings linked to pardons. Obama called the Republican-controlled Congress spineless and urged people to vote for Democrats.
Trump's response
Trump spoke the same day at a rally in Perry, Georgia. He called Obama a "terrible president", pointed to his 2016 and 2024 election victories and claimed he has strengthened the Republican Party. He praised his tax cuts, economic growth and the fall in crime, and urged Republican voters to vote as if he were on the ballot. According to the source, Trump falsely claimed that Obama's rally in Michigan had low attendance.
