Former President Barack Obama delivered sharp criticisms of President Donald Trump during campaign events in Ohio and Michigan ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. Speaking at rallies in Cleveland and Detroit, Obama accused the Trump administration of fostering “chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence” throughout its second term.

Addressing voters in Ohio, Obama linked the rising cost of living—particularly soaring fuel prices—to decisions made by the current administration. He singled out what he described as “a series of bad decisions,” including the initiation of “an unnecessary war,” which he claimed lacked public support. Obama urged Ohioans to vote for change in congressional elections, rallying behind former Senator Sherrod Brown, who is vying to reclaim a seat in the US Senate for the Democratic Party.

Later in Detroit, Obama continued his campaign efforts by endorsing Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat in a competitive Senate race against Republican Mike Rogers. Obama’s involvement highlighted the party’s broader push to regain control of one or both chambers of Congress by capitalizing on voter dissatisfaction with Trump’s leadership.

Throughout his remarks, Obama emphasized the need to hold the administration accountable for the current political and economic challenges facing the country, framing the midterm elections as an opportunity for voters to reject the incumbent president’s policies and rhetoric.

The former president’s appearances in these key Midwestern states, which have recently been politically competitive, reflect the Democratic Party’s strategic focus on winning back battleground districts and Senate seats that could determine control of Congress in the coming legislative sessions.