Obama attacks Trump’s record at Cleveland rally for Ohio Democrats
The former president blamed Trump administration decisions for rising costs as he campaigned for Amy Acton and Sherrod Brown ahead of the November 3 midterms.
Barack Obama campaigned for Ohio Democrats in Cleveland on October 24, attacking President Donald Trump’s record and blaming his administration’s decisions for rising living costs. The former president’s rally backed candidates in two closely contested races ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections.
Obama described the preceding two years as ‘chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence’ and told voters they had a chance to demand change, according to an AFP report published by The Straits Times. He urged Ohioans to vote early, with early voting already open in the state: ‘Don’t procrastinate, don’t equivocate.’
Which Ohio candidates Obama backed
The rally was intended to help Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for governor, and former senator Sherrod Brown, who is trying to regain his Senate seat. Acton faces Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential candidate; Brown faces incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted. AFP reported slight Democratic polling leads in both contests while describing the expected results as close.
NBC News described Cleveland as Obama’s first campaign rally of this fall’s midterm season. Its report said Ohio has become more reliably Republican since Trump’s rise in politics, making the two competitive races a significant test for Democrats. Obama’s office told NBC he had helped raise more than $15 million for midterm races through events, emails and mailings coordinated by Democratic committees.
Obama’s criticism of tariffs and the Iran war
Obama singled out Trump’s tariffs and the war with Iran while arguing that administration choices had raised prices, NBC News reported. ‘In this case, this administration’s actions are directly responsible for rising costs,’ he said. He also called the war unnecessary, according to AFP. The claimed connection between those decisions and household costs was Obama’s campaign argument.
NBC reported that Obama also mocked Trump’s White House ballroom construction and gold accents. Asking whether Trump was focused on voters’ concerns, he said the president seemed preoccupied with ‘home renovations.’
Obama was scheduled to campaign later on October 24 in Michigan for Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, according to AFP and NBC. NBC also reported a planned visit to Atlanta the following week alongside Senator Jon Ossoff and Georgia Democratic governor candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms.
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Sources and context
- Obama blasts Trump’s ‘chaos and cruelty’ while campaigning for DemocratsThe Straits Times (AFP report; AFP is the reporting origin)
- Obama describes Trump as an agent of ‘chaos and cruelty’ in midterm elections pitchNBC News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.