Obama Campaigns in Ohio and Michigan, Blaming Trump for Iran War and Rising Prices

Former President Barack Obama took aim at the Trump administration on Saturday as he campaigned for Democratic candidates in Ohio and Michigan, accusing it of pulling the United States into "an unnecessary war" with Iran. The rallies came 10 days before the November 3 midterm elections, with Senate and governor's races on the ballot in both states.

In Cleveland, where he appeared with former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, Obama said the current president "chose to make a series of bad decisions," the most significant being "an unnecessary war that nobody asked for." He defended the 2015 nuclear agreement from his own term, which limited Tehran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief. "I didn't have to fire a missile to do it. I just had to engage in diplomacy," he said, adding that Trump "pulled out of it, starts this war."

Obama linked the conflict to higher fuel costs. He cited attacks on American bases, US casualties and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran now has "veto power" over the waterway. Before the war, a fifth of global oil and gas passed through the strait, which Iran has used as leverage. The disruption has pushed energy prices up worldwide, and most Americans hold Trump responsible for starting the war and for the price increases, a factor that could hurt Republicans at the polls.

On trade, Obama said tariffs raise costs for consumers, including on cars built in the US with imported parts. "When you impose tariffs, consumers pay the tab," he said. He mocked Trump's dispute with Canada, where Trump has threatened 50 percent tariffs on Canadian vehicles and auto parts from January 2027, calling it a fight with the "well-known evil empire Canada." He also pointed to the national debt, which has reached $40 trillion. That figure is the total federal debt built up under successive administrations, not the annual deficit.

Obama accused the administration of favouring the wealthy while households struggled. After "two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence," he said, voters can say "enough is enough." He criticised Trump's 2025 tax and spending law, which extended tax cuts and reduced spending on programmes such as Medicaid and food assistance, and joked about White House renovations, saying Trump "should be on HGTV." He also dismissed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon's plan to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, saying "These are not serious people."

On immigration, Obama said the country needs an orderly and secure border but objected to the tactics used by agents. "I don't recall anybody campaigning on sending masked agents running through our streets," he said, adding that he did not recall anyone proposing that law-abiding citizens be arrested, detained or shot.

In Ohio, he criticised Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over an advertisement featuring the estranged mother of Democratic nominee Amy Acton. The ad has her questioning Acton's honesty and her account of her childhood, without mentioning the sexual abuse allegations that led to their separation decades ago. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and other Republicans have criticised it, while Trump and Vice President JD Vance have defended it. "No office is worth stooping that low," Obama said.

In Detroit, Obama backed Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial contender Jocelyn Benson. He called El-Sayed "as Michigan as it gets," faulted Republican opponent Mike Rogers for supporting the US-Israel war on Iran and for calling the tariffs "masterful," and compared attacks on El-Sayed's Muslim identity with false claims made about his own religion and birthplace. He praised Benson for standing by Michigan's 2020 election results despite armed protesters outside her home.

Obama framed the midterms as a "circuit breaker" that could rein in the administration for the remaining two years of Trump's term. He warned that lying, cheating and bullying were becoming accepted in public life, saying what is missing from public discourse is "just basic decency."