Obama focused much of his criticism on Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Former US President Barack Obama has criticised President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, accusing them of abandoning basic standards of decency as he campaigned for Democratic candidates in Ohio ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. El-Sayed has previously criticised Obama’s record, arguing in 2012 that the former president had failed to fulfil all his progressive campaign promises. El-Sayed won a divisive Democratic primary by less than one percentage point. During the primary, his rival Haley Stevens won Wayne County, which includes Detroit, by about six percentage points.
“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 has “spoken movingly about her painful childhood and all she has experienced: abuse, neglect and homelessness”. “My opponent has chosen to exploit, intentionally, my childhood to save his stumbling campaign, but it is not going to work,” she said. He wrote that Obama “was not the right choice — he just wasn’t the wrong one”. “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.
Obama focused much of his criticism on Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy , who has continued to defend an advertisement featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic rival, Dr Amy Acton. Trump and vice president JD Vance have also defended the campaign, despite calls from prominent Ohio Republicans, including governor Mike DeWine, to withdraw it. “Decency still matters. Obama also criticised Trump over the cost of living, saying the president had failed to deliver on a key campaign promise to make life more affordable. Instead, he pointed to Trump’s focus on renovating the White House, including plans for a new ballroom and helipad on the South Lawn. Obama’s appearance in Detroit, a city with a predominantly Black population, could help El-Sayed strengthen his support among Black voters. Former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned for El-Sayed in September.