The New York Times reported that the 44th US president appeared in Ohio on Saturday, launching his campaign across two states while fiercely criticizing Donald Trump and Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican gubernatorial candidate.

The report continued: Former US president Barack Obama delivered a sharp and sarcastic critique of Donald Trump’s administration on Saturday, stating that it is run with 'a level of incompetence we have never seen in modern times.'

At his first campaign rally for the midterm elections, held in Cleveland, Ohio, Obama delivered his most scathing attack on Trump in recent months. He also criticized a campaign advertisement by Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for Ohio governor, calling it an example of the degradation of American politics.

Obama, who has typically been cautious in publicly criticizing Trump, launched a personal and direct attack on the performance of his Republican successor in the White House. He stated that Trump’s second presidential term has devolved into 'two years of chaos, cruelty, and corruption,' labeled senior administration officials as 'unserious' people, and said Trump dragged the US into a war with Iran that has been economically costly and which 'no one wanted.'

Obama said: 'As a former president, I can tell you that sometimes factors outside a president's control mean that even the best-laid plans do not succeed.'

However, he added: 'That is not what happened here. In this case, the actions of this administration are directly responsible for rising costs.'

Referring to Trump with phrases such as 'you-know-who' or 'this guy in the White House,' Obama said the US has never had a president who 'is so skilled at blatant fraud.'

He also described Trump as someone detached from the realities of life and the needs of the American people, who, instead of addressing their problems, is preoccupied with White House renovation projects.

Mocking Trump’s focus on gold-plated decor in the White House, Obama said: 'He should be hosting a show on HGTV.'

HGTV is a television network that broadcasts programs about homes, interior design, and building renovation.

Obama continued: 'He has made the White House look like Saddam Hussein opened a franchise of the Cheesecake Factory; everything is gold.'

Obama’s appearance, with another speech expected later in the day at a rally in Detroit, sets the stage for a rare and simultaneous showdown between him and Trump. Trump is also scheduled to speak at a campaign rally in Georgia on Saturday evening and recently called Obama 'a corrupt and bad president' in one of his speeches.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Obama’s speech.

In Ohio, Obama appeared alongside Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate for the state, and Sherrod Brown, former senator and the Democratic nominee for the US Senate seat from Ohio.

Dr. Amy Acton, Barack Obama, and Sherrod Brown holding hands at a campaign event.

Acton’s election race has become a major talking point in American national politics in recent days, following the release of an advertisement by her Republican rival, Ramaswamy, featuring Acton’s mother.

Acton says she has not spoken to her mother since she was 12 years old, after her stepfather was accused of sexually abusing her. The release of the ad has sparked disagreement among Republicans.

Obama strongly criticized Ramaswamy over the ad, stating that there appeared to be no 'red line' that Ramaswamy is not willing to cross.

The former US president said: 'We must expect our elected officials to possess a baseline of decency. I do not know what has happened for behavioral standards to sink so low that someone can now release such a campaign ad.'

Acton also responded to the advertisement, stating that Ramaswamy targeted her family background to 'save his failing campaign.'

She added: 'That will not work, because empathy and decency still matter.'

In the final days leading up to the midterms, Obama and Trump are delivering starkly contrasting messages to voters as both parties engage in an intense battle for control of Congress and state legislatures.

Trump, scheduled to speak Saturday night in Perry, Georgia, has emphasized the message that Democrats are dangerous extremists. He has urged voters to imagine that he is himself on the ballot—a move aimed at mobilizing the Republican base.

However, polls indicate that Trump’s approval ratings have dropped sharply, and Republicans are on the defensive due to rising prices.

At a rally in Florida on Friday, Trump falsely labeled Democrats as communists and said voting for Republicans means having 'more money in your pockets, higher wages for your families, lower taxes,' and less crime.

The former and current US presidents have recently exchanged public criticisms, though Trump’s remarks are typically more frequent, harsher, and more direct.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Obama.

Obama described the US president in a sharp and sarcastic tone.

Trump, who succeeded Obama in the White House in 2017, spent years promoting a baseless and racist conspiracy theory claiming that Obama was not born in the US.

Obama has generally been cautious in publicly criticizing Trump and naming him directly, though he has recently voiced opposition to Trump's approach on issues such as artificial intelligence.

Obama has been heavily involved in the midterm elections, recording dozens of ads for Democratic candidates. However, until Saturday, his on-the-ground campaign appearances had been limited, restricted to lighter campaign activities this spring alongside James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the Texas state senate.

Over the weekend, Obama also endorsed two Democratic candidates in Florida: David Jolly, the Democratic candidate for governor, and Angie Nixon, the progressive Democratic candidate for the state senate who, if victorious, would become Florida’s first Black senator.

Obama is the last Democratic presidential candidate to win Ohio’s electoral votes. Once a bellwether swing state, Ohio has steadily leaned toward Republicans in recent years.

Nevertheless, Democrats have grown more optimistic about their chances in Ohio’s midterms, as the state's agriculture-heavy economy has suffered under the fallout of the Iran war and Trump’s tariff policies.

Obama was scheduled to travel next to Detroit to join a campaign rally for Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive Democratic candidate in Michigan’s crucial Senate race.

El-Sayed is working to broaden his support among Black voters. Republicans view his matchup against former Republican congressman Mike Rogers as their best opportunity to flip a Senate seat.

Trump is scheduled to speak in Georgia on Saturday evening—a state Obama plans to visit later in the week—and will travel to Michigan on Sunday.

In recent remarks, Trump directly referenced Obama’s trip to Michigan, reminding his audience that he won the state in both the 2016 and 2024 elections.

Obama has also criticized Trump’s policies in recent weeks, though his tone was not as sharp as Saturday’s remarks.

Last month, Obama publicly criticized Trump’s approach to artificial intelligence for the first time, warning that the technology could 'have a profound impact on our health and security.'

Speaking at an event in upstate New York, Obama said: 'There is no substitute for effective government regulatory oversight.'

He added: 'Our challenge is that, as you know, the current president has said that sort of thing is for losers.'

Source: Donya-e-Eqtesad