Obama Calls Trump an Agent of Chaos and Cruelty as Midterm Blitz Begins

Obama Calls Trump an Agent of Chaos and Cruelty as Midterm Blitz Begins

Cleveland rally opens Obama's fall campaign push

Former President Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail on October 24 with a sharp-edged appeal for Democrats, telling a packed crowd at the Cleveland Public Auditorium in Ohio that President Donald Trump has delivered disorder, cruelty and broken promises. He campaigned for Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor, and former Senator Sherrod Brown, who is trying to reclaim his Senate seat. Brown introduced him. The races are among the most closely watched in the country ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, with control of the Senate potentially at stake.

Midterms framed as an inflection point

Obama described the election as a potential "inflection point" and "course correction." "After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence, the likes of which we have not seen in modern times," he said, "you get the chance to say, 'Enough's enough. We are going to change right here in Ohio.'" He urged voters not to wait, noting that early voting is already open across Ohio.

Iran war and rising costs take center stage

Obama argued that the administration's actions are "directly responsible for rising costs" and accused the president of starting "an unnecessary war that nobody asked for and nobody voted for." Contrasting his own record, he said: "Iran didn't have nuclear weapons because I put a deal in place that everybody acknowledged kept them from getting nukes, and I didn't have to fire a missile to do it. I just had to engage in diplomacy." Seven months on, he said, allies and American bases have been attacked, Americans have been killed and hundreds of Americans wounded, while Iran now holds veto-like leverage over oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Grifter jibes, from meme coins to the Reflecting Pool

Obama accused Trump of using the office for personal gain, saying the country has never seen a president engaged in such open "grifting on your dime," from meme coins to taxpayer-funded contracts for his children's companies, and pointed to a pardon granted to a Venezuelan billionaire. Mocking the old "drain the swamp" slogan, he said: "The only thing that got drained was the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall after some no-bid contract got it all messed up." He also ridiculed the president's focus on renovating the executive mansion and blasted a "spineless Congress" for failing to act, naming Brown's Republican opponent, Senator Jon Husted.

Ohio governor's race ad draws Obama's rebuke

Obama waded into the controversy over an attack advertisement by Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy targeting Acton through remarks by her mother. "In recent days, we've seen there is no line he will not cross, no low he will not sink to," Obama said, noting that Acton has "spoken movingly about her painful childhood and all she's experienced: abuse, neglect and homelessness." Republican leaders across Ohio, including Governor Mike DeWine, have called for the ad's removal. Trump, who cast his own ballot on Saturday in Florida, defended the ad, saying: "The mother said that Amy Acton is a liar, and she's no good."

Republicans hit back over taxes and the border

Husted's campaign responded swiftly. Spokesperson Amy Natoce said policies backed by Obama and Brown raised taxes and enabled chaos at the southern border, adding: "The sight of Sherrod Brown and Barack Obama together again should send shivers down Ohioans' spines." She said voters are ready to retire Brown for good by electing Husted on November 3.

Same-day stop in Detroit on early voting's first day

After Ohio, Obama headed to Detroit on Saturday evening for a rally at Cass Technical High School with Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson. The rally fell on the first day of Michigan's early voting period, with the general election on November 3. It was Obama's first weekend of in-person campaigning in the midterms. El-Sayed, a former public health official, is working to unite the Democratic base after winning a divisive primary by less than a percentage point, and faces Republican former Representative Mike Rogers. Addressing attacks on El-Sayed's name and Muslim faith, Obama said: "We have seen this movie before. I starred in it. I've got a long-form birth certificate to prove it." He added: "Abdul is as Michigan as it gets." The Detroit audience matters: the city is three-quarters Black, and Obama's appearance could bolster El-Sayed's support among Black voters.

Ten days of turnout to decide Ohio's fate

Obama carried Ohio in 2008 and 2012, but the state has trended Republican since, and his last Ohio campaign trip was in 2018. With about 10 days to go, he framed the stakes bluntly in Detroit: "This election, these next 10 days, will determine that future for generations to come. So, my question to you tonight is this. What are you willing to do for that future?"