"It's our last chance to stop him": Obama attacks Trump while campaigning for the Democrats

Image source, Getty ImagesCaption, Obama campaigned in Cleveland, Ohio, in support of the Democrats. Author, Max MatzaPublication date 44 minutes agoReading time: 3 minFormer US President Barack Obama harshly criticized President Donald Trump, over policies ranging from the war against Iran to rising prices in the country, during his campaign in support of the Democrats this Saturday. The former president (2009-2017) attended a campaign rally in the state of Ohio to support candidates Amy Acton and Sherrod Brown, where he lashed out at Trump and his cabinet. He criticized the president for failing to lower prices for American consumers while waging a war against Iran. "These elections are our last and best chance to, at least, slow down some of the nonsense of this administration," Obama said. "This is a switch in the system. We need to flip that switch. We need to start holding this administration accountable," he added. Obama will also appear in Michigan to support Senate candidate Abdul El Sayed. For his part, Trump cast his early vote in Florida and later this Saturday will head to Georgia to hold a rally in support of the Republican candidates. In the US, mail-in and early voting has already begun ahead of the November 3 elections, which will decide which party controls Congress for the rest of Trump's presidency. Skip Most read and continue readingMost readEnd of Most readImage source, Getty ImagesCaption, Obama's appearances are highly anticipated at Democratic campaign events. The "Saddam Hussein" White HouseIn his speech, Obama said he understood voters who stopped backing the Democrats in 2024 over economic concerns and post-covid-19 pandemic inflation. But he asserted that Trump alone is responsible for the current state of the economy: "If you thought everything was too expensive before 'you know who'," he said, referring to Trump, "now everything is even more expensive." He also said that the war has only handed Iran "veto power" over control of the Strait of Hormuz, which was open to maritime traffic before hostilities began in February. At his evening rally, Obama also criticized Trump's efforts to make renovations to the White House. "What is all this gold? He has the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory!" Obama joked, in reference to the American restaurant chain adorned with golden colors. Obama's trip to Ohio was aimed at showing his support for former senator Sherrod Brown, who is running to unseat current Republican Senator John Husted, and Amy Acton, who is running for governor of the state against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Image source, ReutersCaption, Trump cast his vote in West Palm Beach, Florida, alongside his wife this Saturday. On the war with Iran, Trump told the press this same Saturday: "I have waged it very effectively and I may have to finish it, or maybe they'll come to a deal, but I'm not sure. Either way, we win." The president has faced considerable pressure to bring down oil prices, which have soared due to the wars in Iran and Ukraine. Recently, he reached an agreement with Russia to export that country's diesel to the United States, despite opposition from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. This article was originally written in English and we used an artificial intelligence tool to translate it. A BBC journalist reviewed the text before publication. More information about how we use AI. Download the new BBC World Service app. Choose BBC News Mundo and receive news alerts, documentaries and analysis, all in one place. Important: the new app is not available in the UK or the United States. You can also follow us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X and on our WhatsApp channel. And don't forget to subscribe here to our newsletter to receive a special selection of our best content every Friday. Discover moreSkip Video and continueVideoEnd of Video