Former United States President Barack Obama has criticised President Donald Trump over the war involving Iran and the rising cost of living, urging voters to support Democratic candidates in the November 3 midterm elections.
Obama made the remarks on Saturday during campaign rallies in Ohio and Michigan, where he rallied support for Democratic candidates seeking to challenge Republicans for key positions in Congress.
The Democrats are hoping to regain control of one or both chambers of the US Congress, currently dominated by Trump’s Republican Party.
Obama, who remains popular among Democratic supporters, accused the Trump administration of making poor decisions that have worsened economic conditions and heightened uncertainty across the country.
Speaking in Cleveland, Ohio, where he campaigned for former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, Obama described the war involving Iran as unnecessary.
“The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions,” he said. “Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for.”
The conflict has contributed to a surge in oil prices, with Iran effectively blocking the strategically important Strait of Hormuz following attacks against the country.
Obama also criticised what he described as two years of chaos, cruelty, corruption and incompetence under the Trump administration, urging voters to use the midterm elections to demand a change in direction.
“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.
“We are voting for change right here in Ohio.”
In Michigan, Obama campaigned for Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic Senate candidate from the party’s progressive wing, who is facing a competitive contest against Republican Mike Rogers.
He also highlighted the prospect of El-Sayed working alongside Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin, who is not seeking re-election this year.
“You got a Muslim man, you got a Jewish woman fighting for you in the United States Senate. That’s something, Michigan, you can be proud of,” Obama said.
Trump subsequently attacked Obama in a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, describing the former president as “grossly incompetent” and urging Michigan voters to support Rogers.
Trump also criticised the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated under Obama’s administration, which provided Iran with sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear programme.
The Republican president withdrew the United States from the agreement during his first term and reimposed sweeping sanctions on Tehran.
Western countries have accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, an allegation Tehran denies, insisting that its nuclear programme is intended for civilian purposes.
With early voting already underway in Ohio and Michigan, Obama encouraged voters to cast their ballots without delay.
“Don’t procrastinate, don’t equivocate,” he told supporters.
In Ohio, Brown is seeking a political comeback against incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted, while the governorship is being contested by Democrat Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential candidate.
Polling cited in the report suggests Democrats have a slight advantage in the state’s major contests, although the races remain competitive.
Obama also mocked Trump’s renovation projects in Washington, including work on the National Mall’s Reflecting Pool, plans for a White House ballroom and the gold-coloured decorations installed in the Oval Office during his second administration.
“He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” Obama said.
The November 3 midterm elections are expected to be consequential for both parties, with polling suggesting Democrats have a stronger opportunity to regain control of the House of Representatives than the Senate.
