Former President Barack Obama took aim at the Trump administration and Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during a Saturday rally in Ohio, urging voters to support Democratic Senate hopeful Sherrod Brown and gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton.
Obama directly addressed the controversy surrounding Ramaswamy's attack ad, which featured Acton's estranged mother, a move that drew bipartisan criticism. Trump and Vice President Vance had defended the commercial. Obama said, "There's a decency that we should expect out of our public officials. And I don't know what's happened where the standards of behavior have gotten so low that somebody could run an ad like that. No office is worth stooping that low."
The former president, known for his oratorical flair, delivered a series of quips targeting Trump's agenda and personnel. He mocked Trump's 2016 pledge to "drain the swamp," saying, "Remember that whole thing about drain the swamp? The only thing that got drained was the Reflecting Pool in the National Mall after some no-bid contract got it all messed up."
Obama also ridiculed Trump's focus on White House renovations, suggesting he should host a home improvement show instead of governing. "He seems very focused on home renovations. He should be on HGTV," Obama said. "What's with the gold? ... He's got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory."
Turning to national security, Obama criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has faced scrutiny over his handling of the Iran war and his controversial remarks about military personnel. Hegseth has described troops as "low-T" and mandated testosterone screenings for male service members under 30. Obama quipped, "You've got the defense secretary ... he's very focused on important matters like the jawlines and testosterone levels of our troops. How much time do you think this defense secretary spends looking at himself in the mirror in the morning?"
Obama also lampooned Trump's trade policies, particularly the tariff war with Canada. "The big trade war he's started now is with that well-known evil empire, Canada," he said. "I mean these are the people who gave us maple syrup and Martin Short."
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Obama's remarks. The rally underscored the Democratic Party's struggles in Ohio, a state Obama carried in 2008 and 2012 but has since trended Republican. No Democrat has won a Senate race there since 1992, and the last Democratic governor left office in 2006. However, a Bowling Green State University poll last week showed Obama remains the only public official with a positive favorability rating among Ohio voters.
Obama's appearance is part of a broader Democratic push ahead of the midterms, with him and former Vice President Kamala Harris leading efforts in key states. Meanwhile, Trump is rallying in Georgia, and the administration faces challenges on multiple fronts, including ongoing tensions with Ukraine over Starlink services and criticism over farm aid that falls short of covering rising diesel costs.
