CLEVELAND, Ohio (Diya TV) — Former President Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump’s record and Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy at campaign rallies in Cleveland and Detroit on Saturday, urging voters to support Democrats in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
In Cleveland, Obama campaigned for Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown and gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton. He accused Trump’s administration of “chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence,” and said voters should use the election to hold the government accountable.
Obama also tied his criticism to the economy. He faulted Trump for failing to lower costs, a central campaign promise, and pointed to the president’s White House renovation projects, including a planned ballroom and a helipad. Obama argued that the projects showed misplaced priorities as households faced rising expenses.
The Ohio rally followed a backlash over an advertisement from Ramaswamy’s campaign featuring Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur. In the ad, Arthur disputes Acton’s account of her childhood. Acton has said she experienced abuse and homelessness and was removed from her mother’s home at age 12, after her stepfather faced a rape charge.
Obama condemned the ad as a breach of basic standards for candidates. “There’s a decency we should expect out of our public officials,” he said, adding that “there is no line” Ramaswamy would not cross. Acton accused her opponent of using her family history for political gain. Ramaswamy’s campaign defended the ad, saying it challenged Acton’s credibility.
In Detroit, Obama campaigned for Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson. He defended El-Sayed against attacks questioning his patriotism and targeting his Muslim faith, comparing them with false claims about Obama’s birthplace during his own presidential campaigns.
Obama urged voters to look beyond disagreements with El-Sayed and support his candidacy. He described the midterms as a chance to “flip that circuit breaker” and bring accountability to the government. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who endorsed El-Sayed after a competitive Democratic primary, also appeared at the rally.
President Trump campaigned separately in Perry, Georgia, where he promoted his economic agenda and called the country’s current period a “golden age.” He also claimed Obama’s Detroit rally had drawn an empty venue, although thousands attended.
Obama’s stops came as Democrats seek to gain seats in Congress and win key state races. Ohio’s contests include Brown’s bid to return to the Senate and Acton’s race for governor; in Michigan, El-Sayed and Benson are the Democratic nominees for Senate and governor.
