Obama attacks Trump allies over indecent Ohio campaign advertisement

Former US President Barack Obama attacked what he called the cruelty and indecency of President Donald Trump and his Republican allies on Saturday as he campaigned for Democratic candidates in the battleground state of Ohio, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

Obama focused his criticism on Republican governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over an advertisement featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic rival, Dr Amy Acton. The campaign comes ahead of the November 3 vote in the 2026 midterm elections, which will help determine the balance of power in American politics.

Ramaswamy has continued to defend the advertisement despite calls for its withdrawal from Republican leaders across Ohio, including Governor Mike DeWine. Trump and Vice-President J D Vance have also defended it.

“In recent days, we have seen there is no line he will not cross, no low he will not sink to,” Obama said of Ramaswamy. He noted that Acton had “spoken movingly about her painful childhood and all she has experienced: abuse, neglect and homelessness”.

“There is a decency we should expect out of our public officials,” Obama said. “And I do not know what has happened where the standards of behaviour are so low that somebody could run an ad like that.”

Obama, 65, shared the stage with Acton and former three-term Ohio senator Sherrod Brown, who is seeking to unseat Republican Senator Jon Husted. Although Ohio has become more reliably Republican, it has been closely contested this year. Trump and Vance have visited the state in recent weeks to campaign for Husted and Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy has said his decision to continue running the advertisement is fair. Speaking before Obama, Acton addressed her opponent directly. “My opponent has chosen to exploit, intentionally, my childhood to save his stumbling campaign, but it is not going to work,” she said. “Decency still matters.”

She added: “Mr Ramaswamy, you are not just out of touch, you are out for yourself and you are a danger to my state. Apparently there is no low to which you will not stoop.”

Obama also criticised Trump over his failure to lower costs, a key campaign promise, saying the president had instead focused on building a new White House ballroom and a helipad on the South Lawn.

“I do not know if you have noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovation,” Obama said. “He should be on HGTV.” He added: “There is gold everywhere. He has got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”

The former Democratic president acknowledged that Trump would remain in office for another two years, but said voters were not obliged to support his allies. “We are not stuck with a spineless Congress and Republican governors who are handling lawlessness and carelessness and cruelty and indifference for working people,” Obama said. “After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence ... you get a chance to say enough is enough.”

Obama was due to travel later on Saturday to Detroit to campaign for Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official and the Democratic candidate in Michigan. El-Sayed won a divisive primary by less than one percentage point and is running against Republican former Representative Mike Rogers.

Obama's appearance in Detroit, a city that is three-quarters Black, could strengthen El-Sayed's support among Black voters. El-Sayed's primary opponent, Haley Stevens, won Wayne County, which includes Detroit, by about six percentage points. Former Vice-President Kamala Harris, the first Black and South Asian vice-president, campaigned for El-Sayed in September.

El-Sayed had criticised Obama after his 2012 re-election for not fulfilling all his progressive campaign promises, writing that Obama “was not the right choice — he just wasn't the wrong one”. Earlier this month, El-Sayed told reporters that he appreciated the former president and considered him “foundational” to his own ability to run for office, although he continued to disagree with some aspects of Obama's presidency, according to PTI.

Michigan also has open contests for governor, attorney general and secretary of state. Democratic governor candidate Jocelyn Benson is expected to appear at the rally with other candidates. She is running against Republican Representative John James.

Obama is also scheduled to headline a rally in Georgia next week with Senator Jon Ossoff and governor candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms. Trump was due to speak in Georgia on Saturday.

Obama's appearances in Ohio and Michigan form part of the Democratic campaign to mobilise voters in closely fought states, with contests for governor and the US Senate among the races at stake in the November 3 midterm elections.

With PTI Inputs

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