Obama Issues Searing Attacks on Trump and Ramaswamy in Return to Campaign Trail
Former President Barack Obama launched a scathing critique of President Trump and Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy on Saturday, marking his first campaign rally of the midterm elections. Speaking in Cleveland, Ohio, and Detroit, Michigan, Obama targeted Trump's administration, calling it "defined by incompetence the likes of which we have not seen in modern times." He also criticized Ramaswamy's campaign ad, which featured the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor, Dr. Amy Acton, and her mother, saying it exemplified a coarsening of American politics.
Obama's remarks were a departure from his typically measured tone, with the former president delivering a forceful attack on Trump's stewardship of the country. He described Trump's second term as "two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption" and argued that top administration officials were not "serious people." Obama also mocked Trump's focus on renovating the White House, saying he should be on HGTV instead of leading the country.
Trump responded to Obama's comments, calling him a "lousy president" and suggesting that his remarks were a sign of Republican strength. Trump also claimed that Obama's birth certificate was "empty" when he spoke in Michigan, a reference to the long-discredited conspiracy theory that Obama was not born in the United States.
Obama's criticism of Ramaswamy's campaign ad was also sharp, with the former president saying there appeared to be "no line" Ramaswamy would not cross. Ramaswamy's campaign responded by accusing Obama of leaving America "more divided than ever" and suggesting that Dr. Acton was not qualified to be governor.
The appearances by Obama and Trump on Saturday highlighted the starkly different pitches being presented by the two parties in the final days before the midterms. While Trump has been pressing a message that Democrats are dangerous extremists, Obama has argued that Democrats would bring accountability to an off-the-rails and out-of-touch administration.
