Obama’s Ohio, Michigan speeches: Key takeaways on Trump, Iran war, midterms

As he campaigned for Democrats in Ohio and Michigan ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, former President Barack Obama has railed against the Trump administration on a range of problems, including dragging the United States into "an unnecessary war" against Iran.

Key points

• The two countries have been locked in a trade dispute, with Trump threatening 50 percent tariffs on Canadian vehicles and auto parts from January 2027.
• Although Trump and Vice President JD Vance have defended it, it has drawn criticism from Republicans, including Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.
• "The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions, " Obama remarked in Cleveland, Ohio, where he rallied in backing of former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown.
• "He's got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory, just gold everywhere." Obama condemns Trump's immigration crackdown.
• In Ohio, Obama criticised Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over a campaign featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton.

As he pressed voters to reject Republicans, speaking at rallies on Saturday, Obama accused President Donald Trump of "chaos and corruption".

In practice, the speeches came just 10 days before the elections, with Senate and gubernatorial races taking place in both states. Here are the key takeaways. Obama blames Trump's Iran war for rising fuel rates.

"Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for, " Obama remarked.

In practice, the former president defended the 2015 nuclear agreement reached under his administration. It restricted Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

"Iran didn't have nuclear weapons since I had put a agreement in place that everybody acknowledged kept them from getting nukes, and I didn't have to fire a missile to do it. I just had to engage in diplomacy, " Obama remarked. "He pulled out of it, starts this war."

Obama blamed the conflict for rising oil and diesel rates, citing attacks on US military bases, American casualties and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

"Our allies and our bases have been attacked. Americans have been killed, hundreds of Americans have been wounded. We have run down our stock of missiles, and Iran now has veto power over the Strait of Hormuz where oil goes through to the world market, " he remarked.

In practice, the disruptions in oil flow through the strait, located between Iran and Oman, have pushed up energy rates worldwide. Before the war, a fifth of global oil and gas passed through the strait. It iran has applied as leverage in the war.

"This is the reason why the cost of oil is up. This is the reason the cost of diesel is up."

As most of Americans hold Trump responsible for starting the war and the subsequent growth in costs, the spike in diesel and petrol rates will probable cost the Republican Party.

Obama additionally mocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his focus on military culture and the Pentagon's aims to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, convicted of killing 13 individuals at Fort Hood in 2009. "These are not serious people, " Obama remarked. Tariffs are making life more expensive for Americans.

Obama criticised Trump's tariffs, saying Americans were paying more for goods, including products created in the US using imported parts. "When you impose tariffs, consumers pay the tab, " he remarked.

"It's not just the goods that you employ directly that have been imported. It's additionally the car you build here in America. They might need a part from somewhere else, and now suddenly there's a tariff on it."

He questioned Trump's trade dispute with Canada, a major US trading partner.

Meanwhile, the two countries have been locked in a trade dispute, with Trump threatening 50 percent tariffs on Canadian vehicles and auto parts from January 2027.

"And the big trade war he's starting now is with that well-known evil empire Canada, " Obama remarked sarcastically.

"Canadians are the nicest people. They're like our friendly neighbours to the north, and he's like picking a fight with them."

Obama additionally pointed to the growing US national debt. It has reached $40 trillion.

"Instead of bringing down deficits like he said with these tariffs, we're now running a debt to the tune of $40 trillion."

Meanwhile, the figure refers to the total federal debt. It has accumulated over successive administrations, rather than the annual budget deficit. Charges of corruption and enriching the wealthy.

Obama accused the Trump administration of favouring wealthy Americans while common households struggled with rising costs.

"After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence, the likes of which we have not seen in the modern era, you get a chance to say, 'Enough is enough, '" Obama declared. "We are voting for change right here in Ohio."

He pointed to Trump's 2025 tax and spending legislation. It extended tax cuts while reducing federal spending on programmes including Medicaid and food assistance.

"The only bill they passed of any significance in the last two years was a trillion-dollar tax break that mostly benefitted the richest Americans, " he remarked.

Obama additionally took aim at Trump's White House renovations, including aims for a ballroom, changes to the Rose Garden and the addition of gold decorations.

"He seems particularly focused on home renovations. He should be on HGTV, " Obama joked.

Notably, the former president remarked the US needed secure borders but criticised the methods employed by immigration agents under the Trump administration.

"I believe that we do need to make sure that our border is orderly and secure and that people who want to come here do so lawfully, " he remarked.

"But I don't recall anybody campaigning on sending masked agents running through our streets. I don't recall anybody talking regarding law-abiding citizens being arrested, detained, or shot."

"That's not what we have to do to get our borders under control, " he continued. Obama attacks Ramaswamy over controversial Amy Acton.

For context, the features Acton's mother questioning her honesty and her account of her childhood, without mentioning the allegations of sexual abuse that led to their separation decades ago.

Obama condemned Ramaswamy's decision to employ Acton's family history in the campaign.

"There's got to be something inside you where you just say, you know, no office is worth stooping that low, " he remarked.

He additionally praised Acton's career in public service and called on Ohio voters to backing her on November 3. Obama urges Michigan voters to back El-Sayed and Benson.

In Detroit, Obama campaigned for Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial contender Jocelyn Benson.

For now, obama's Ohio, Michigan speeches: Key takeaways on Trump, Iran war, midterms remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.