Barack Obama hits midterm campaign trail to rally Democrats against Trump

Former US president Barack Obama has stepped onto the campaign trail in the closing days of the midterm elections, delivering sharp speeches in key battleground states to energise Democratic voters and challenge President Donald Trump.

With congressional control at stake during the second half of Trump's term, Democrats have turned to their former commander-in-chief to help lift candidates in tight contests. Over the past week, Obama has headlined major events, including appearances in Detroit alongside Michigan Senate contender Abdul El-Sayed, in Atlanta for Senator Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, and at a rally in Cleveland, Ohio.

At his stops, Obama has urged voters to view the vote as a crucial check on the current administration. Speaking in suburban Atlanta, he described the midterm vote as the public's best chance to rein in what he termed administration foolishness, comparing the election to flipping a vital circuit breaker in the political system.

The campaign strategy relied on holding Obama back until the final phase of the race. Democratic strategists noted that delaying his appearances allowed newer candidates to build independent profiles before benefiting from his ability to drive turnout, particularly among younger and Black voters.

Obama has used his appearances to take direct aim at Trump, mocking both his foreign policy actions in the Middle East and his domestic conduct. In Cleveland, Obama quipped that Trump's gilded renovations left the executive mansion resembling a Cheesecake Factory opened by Saddam Hussein.

The line sparked days of Republican backlash. Trump publicly defended the decor, asserted that Obama had allowed the White House to deteriorate, and accused his predecessor of culinary snobbery. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent even staged a photo appearance at a Cheesecake Factory location in Washington to push back against the remark.

Addressing the controversy during his Atlanta speech, Obama argued that Republicans had marshalled an extensive response to a joke instead of focusing on pressing issues such as inflation, asserting that the opposition would rather discuss a restaurant chain than address practical problems.

Other high-profile Democrats have also joined the campaign trail, including former vice president Kamala Harris and former president Bill Clinton, who recently stumped for Florida gubernatorial candidate David Jolly.

Despite Obama's drawing power, his record remains a point of debate among some on the Democratic Party's progressive flank. Critics have pointed to his past foreign policy actions and economic compromises while in office. Nevertheless, Democratic strategists maintain that his late campaign push provides a critical boost as voters head to the ballot box.