Obama urges voters to check Trump’s power at Cleveland and Detroit rallies

Barack Obama urged voters to use the November 3 midterm elections to check President Donald Trump’s power while campaigning for Democrats in Cleveland and Detroit, according to updated reporting by The Straits Times. The former president also argued that the war had strengthened Iran’s economic leverage through threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.²

Costs and presidential decisions

Obama blamed the Trump administration for increases in living costs and accused the president of making damaging decisions. AFP's October 25 account linked those remarks to rising fuel prices. The Hindu also reported his criticism of living costs, describing the issue as a leading concern for voters.¹²³⁵

His criticism included an accusation that Trump had chosen to begin a war without necessity or public demand. “Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for,” Obama said. He presented the election as an opportunity for voters to reject the administration's conduct.¹²³

According to The Straits Times, Obama contended that the war had given Iran greater economic leverage by alarming oil exporters with warnings of attacks on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. He characterized Iran as having veto power over the waterway through which oil reaches world markets.²

Obama also criticized Trump's renovation projects in Washington, according to AFP. Separately, the Associated Press reported that Trump responded from Georgia by mocking attendance at Obama's Michigan event.¹⁴

The Straits Times also cited a Reuters/Ipsos poll in which 63% of Americans thought Trump and his family had improperly profited from cryptocurrency since his return to the White House, while 69% believed his private business dealings influenced his policy decisions. Those findings describe respondents’ views, not proof of misconduct. According to the newspaper, a request for comment from the White House received no immediate reply.²

Two Ohio contests

Brown, a former Democratic senator, is seeking to return to the Senate by defeating incumbent Republican Jon Husted. Acton faces Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the governor's contest. Ramaswamy previously sought the presidency in 2024. Polls put Democrats narrowly ahead in both Ohio races, with close outcomes expected.¹²³

At the Cleveland rally, Obama also criticized a Ramaswamy campaign advertisement involving Acton's estranged mother, according to the Associated Press. His appeal to Ohio voters included a call to use early voting, which was already available, rather than delay casting their ballots.²³⁴

Michigan and control of Congress

Obama campaigned in Detroit for Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, according to The Straits Times. El-Sayed is competing with Republican Mike Rogers, a former US representative, in a close Senate race.²

Democrats currently hold both Michigan Senate seats. Incumbent Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin is not facing election this year, according to AFP. Obama remains popular with the Democratic base as he campaigns for the party's candidates in Ohio and Michigan.¹²³

The November 3 election gives Democrats a chance to recover one or both congressional chambers, which Republicans currently control, according to AFP. National polling suggests Democrats could take back the House of Representatives, while the contest for the Senate is more competitive.¹²³

Obama presented the November 3 vote as a way to interrupt the course of Trump’s presidency and impose accountability, using the analogy of flipping a circuit breaker, according to The Straits Times.²