Former United States President, Barack Obama, has criticised President Donald Trump’s administration over what he described as “cruelty and corruption”, urging voters to support Democratic candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Obama made the remarks on Saturday while campaigning for Democratic candidates in Ohio and Michigan, where he attacked Trump’s domestic and foreign policies, particularly the US-Israel war on Iran.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Cleveland, Ohio, Obama accused Trump of making poor decisions, including launching the war against Iran.
“The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions,” the 65-year-old Democrat said. “Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for,” he added.
He urged Ohio voters to reject the Republican administration, citing what he described as widespread disorder and poor governance under Trump’s second term.
“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’,” Obama said.
The former president later travelled to Detroit, Michigan, where he campaigned alongside Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson.
At the rally, Obama described the November 3 elections as a “circuit breaker” that could help limit what he characterised as excesses by the Trump administration.
“We have never seen a president excel in straight-up grifting, on your dime, like this,” he said.
“Never seen a president so intent on selling favours like this,” he added, accusing the Republican Party of promoting corrupt and ineffective governance.
Obama also challenged the administration’s claims of success in the war against Iran, arguing that the conflict had strengthened Tehran’s economic leverage through its threats against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil supplies.
“Iran now has veto power over the Strait of Hormuz, where oil goes through to get to the world,” he said.
Obama criticises Ramaswamy’s campaign advert
The former president also condemned an attack advertisement by Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy targeting his Democratic rival, Amy Acton.
The advert features Donna Arthur, Acton’s mother, disputing her daughter’s account of a childhood marked by homelessness and sexual abuse by her stepfather. Arthur urged voters not to support Acton.
Acton has said she has not seen her mother since 1978, while her brother has backed her account of being sexually abused as a child.
Her stepfather, who died in 2004, had been charged with rape.
Reacting to the advertisement, Obama criticised Ramaswamy’s campaign tactics.
“In recent days, we’ve seen there is no line he will not cross, no low he will not sink to,” Obama said. “I don’t know what’s happened where the standards of behaviour are so low that somebody could run an ad like that.”
Obama expressed support for Acton, praising her willingness to speak about her childhood experiences.
He said she had “spoken movingly about her painful childhood and all she’s experienced: abuse, neglect and homelessness”.
Trump defended the controversial advertisement on Saturday after casting his early ballot in Florida.
Obama defends Muslim candidate
In Michigan, Obama also pushed back against criticism of El-Sayed, suggesting that opponents were using the candidate’s name and Muslim faith to undermine his campaign.
Drawing a parallel with the controversies surrounding his own political career, Obama told the Detroit rally, “We have seen this movie before. I starred in it,” before adding, “I’ve got a long-form birth certificate to prove it.”
He also defended El-Sayed’s connection to the state, declaring, “Abdul is as Michigan as it gets.”
Rejecting descriptions of the 41-year-old candidate as a radical, Obama said, “Abdul shares my values”.
Obama remains a prominent campaign figure for Democrats and has stepped up his appearances as the party seeks to make gains in the midterm elections.
The November 3 vote is expected to play a significant role in determining the balance of power in the US Congress, with Republicans seeking to retain control of both chambers.
Obama is scheduled to headline another Democratic rally in Georgia next week alongside Senator Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Trump also campaigned in Georgia on Saturday as both parties intensified their efforts to win over voters ahead of the elections.
