Former US President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump traded barbs on Saturday, taking aim at each other during separate appearances in Ohio and Florida.
Obama mocked Trump’s White House renovations and blamed his policies for rising prices, while Trump fired back, calling Obama a “lousy president."
Obama calls Trump an agent of ‘chaos and cruelty’
Obama called Trump an agent of “chaos and cruelty” and a man of broken promises. He spoke in front of a near-full crowd at the Public Auditorium, which holds more than 10,000 people.
Deep Dive
What did Barack Obama criticize about Donald Trump during his Ohio speech?
Why did Obama travel to Ohio to criticize Trump?
How did Trump respond to Obama’s attacks?
“After two years,” he said, “of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence, the likes of which we have not seen in modern times,” Obama said. “you get the chance to say, ‘Enough is enough, we are going to change right here in Ohio.’”
According to NBC News, Obama made fun of Trump’s ballroom construction and the gold accents he has added across the White House. “Does anybody really think this guy in the White House right now is spending all our time thinking about these issues?” Obama wondered. “I mean, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations. He should be on HGTV.”
A moment later, Obama added: “He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
{{/usCountry}}A moment later, Obama added: “He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
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Obama blames Trump for rising prices
According to NBC News, Obama said that two years ago, many people did not like Trump’s character but were upset about post-Covid inflation. “They were seeing prices go up, and they heard him make a bunch of promises to get costs under control,” Obama said.
Obama said voters should check whether Trump kept his 2024 promises. He criticized Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran, both the things that pushed prices up.
“In this case, this administration’s actions are directly responsible for rising costs,” Obama said. “The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions. Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for, nobody voted for.”
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Trump says: ‘Obama was a lousy president’
Trump, meanwhile, spoke to reporters in Palm Beach County, Florida. He was with his wife, Melania Trump. He said: “Obama was a lousy president. Clinton wasn’t bad, but he got caught in lot of scandals. Outside of the scandals, he would’ve been a good president.”
Saturday was the first day of early voting in Florida, which runs through October 31. Trump is registered to vote in Palm Beach County.
Why Obama was in Ohio
According to NBC News, Obama went to Ohio to help two Democrats: Amy Acton, who is running for governor, and former Senator Sherrod Brown, who wants his old Senate seat back. Polls show both races are toss-ups.