Former US President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump held rival campaign rallies in Georgia and Ohio on Wednesday, trading criticism over the war in Iran, tariffs and the economy just five days before midterm elections.
Here are some of the key takeaways from their rallies:
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Obama said the Iran war has made Americans less safe
“The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions, the most important of which was to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for and nobody voted for,” Obama said during a campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia.
The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, targeting Tehran as well as the country’s nuclear and military facilities, and killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several high-ranking officials. Tehran responded with attacks on US military assets across the region and closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
Although a ceasefire was reached in April – and a memorandum of understanding was signed in June – both fell apart, while efforts to secure lasting peace have stalled over Iran’s nuclear programme, US sanctions and the reopening of the strait.
The US media has also reported that the US is low on weapons – particularly its Patriot missile interceptors.
“We have run down our stock of missiles, making us more vulnerable. And Iran now has veto power over the Strait of Hormuz where much of the world’s oil goes through to get to consumers,” Obama told supporters.
“This is the reason why the price of oil is up. This is the reason why the price of diesel is up. The price of just about everything is up,” he added.
“Contrary to the promises and statements and declarations that were made seven months ago, this war is not over.”
Obama took aim at Trump’s tariffs
Obama again criticised Trump’s trade tariffs, which he launched against global trading partners shortly after taking office in early 2025. Obama argued these have increased the cost of goods for American consumers rather than delivering the economic benefits promised by the administration.
“Economists said when you impose tariffs, consumers pay the tab,” Obama said. “And that’s exactly what happened.”
“Rather than having the tariffs bring down deficits like he said he would, we’re now running a debt to the tune of $40 trillion.”
In particular, he singled out Trump’s ongoing dispute with Canada, one of the US’s largest trading partners.
The two countries have been locked in a trade war, with Trump announcing 50 percent tariffs on Canadian vehicles and auto parts from January 2027. Canada retaliated with its own matching tariffs as talks fell apart in August.
“And the big trade war he’s waging now is that well-known evil empire, that historical adversary of the United States, Canada,” Obama said.
He also criticised Trump’s approach to US allies and Russia.
“While we’re alienating key allies like Canada, the White House is bending the knee to Vladimir Putin of Russia and selling out Ukrainians who are fighting for their freedom and democracy.”
Obama revisited his Cheesecake Factory joke
Obama again made fun of Trump’s White House renovations, saying the president appeared more concerned about a joke he made over the weekend than rising prices.
At an earlier rally, Obama had criticised Trump’s plans for a new ballroom, changes to the Rose Garden and the addition of gold decorations.
“He seems very focused on home renovations. He should be on HGTV,” Obama joked. “He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory, just gold everywhere.”
In Georgia, Obama returned to the joke. “The president wasn’t even mad about the Saddam Hussein comparison. That part didn’t bother him,” Obama said.
“But he was very upset about the Cheesecake Factory comments.”
Obama joked that the White House had gone to great lengths to respond. “They mobilised a whole-of-government response to that joke. Not to inflation, but to that joke.”
He also talked about his own fondness for the restaurant chain.
“I lived at Chuck-E-Cheese and California Pizza Kitchen and the Cheesecake Factory. That was my jam for about a decade.”
Returning to Trump’s renovations, Obama added: “He is literally doing arts and crafts while we are fighting a war and trying to deal with out-of-control prices.”
Obama invoked Martin Luther King Jr
Obama closed his speech reflecting on American political culture, saying the country’s problems go beyond inflation, economic inequality and government policy.
“It’s not just about economics. It’s not just about prices. It’s about values,” he said. “There is a moral component to the choices we face right now.”
Obama warned that dishonesty and intimidation were undermining public life.
“We are not going to fix the system that’s broken. We’re not going to unrig our economy so long as we’ve got a culture where anything goes, where people in the highest offices of the land think it’s OK to lie and cheat and bully.”
He referenced a 1954 sermon by civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, who called on Americans to rediscover values society had abandoned.
“If we are to go forward today, we’ve got to go back and rediscover some mighty precious values that we’ve left behind,” Obama quoted King as saying.
Trump attacked Obama’s Iran nuclear deal
Trump defended his military campaign against Iran and criticised the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran reached under Barack Obama.
The deal limited how much uranium Iran could enrich and stockpile, and allowed international inspectors to monitor its nuclear facilities. Trump pulled the US out in 2018, saying the deal did not go far enough and failed to address Iran’s missile programme and activities in the region.
“I terminated Barack Hussein Obama’s JCPOA or the Iran nuclear deal, which was a road to a nuclear weapon for Iran and one of the dumbest deals I’ve ever seen in my life,” Trump said.
Trump claimed US military operations had since destroyed Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and much of its military, including 159 naval vessels.
“We obliterated Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity with Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Epic Fury,” he said.
Turning to the Strait of Hormuz, Trump claimed oil shipments had increased and suggested renaming the waterway after himself. “We’re going to call it the Trump Strait,” he said.
The strait, between Iran and Oman, connects the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Before the war, about a fifth of the world’s oil consumption passed through it.
Trump made rare reference to Epstein
Early in his remarks in Chillicothe, Ohio, Trump was interrupted by a protester shouting about Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump rarely brings up Epstein, his former friend, but on Wednesday he repeated claims he made last year that he threw Epstein out of his Florida club about two decades ago.
“That was a great thing I did, I must tell you,” Trump said. He added: “I threw Jeffrey Epstein the hell out of Mar-a-Lago.”
Trump then accused Democrats of having ties to Epstein and using the controversy against him. “He was a Democrat,” Trump said.
Trump also claimed the protesters were being paid to disrupt his rallies, without providing evidence.
“These guys are paid protesters. Think of a guy, that guy’s probably 45, 50 years old. They give him $250.”
After he was interrupted by two more protesters, Trump returned to his remarks.
Trump said Venezuela delivered one million barrels of oil
Trump said Venezuela had delivered one million barrels of oil to the US for free following the US military operation that removed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from power.
“Venezuela, they don’t like talking about, we just got a million barrels of oil delivered to us free of charge,” Trump said during his rally in Ohio.
The shipment arrived in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Tuesday, nearly 10 months after US forces abducted Maduro during a military operation on January 3 and transferred him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
Since Maduro’s removal, Washington has been working with Venezuela’s interim government, led by Delcy Rodriguez, to gain greater access to the country’s oil reserves.
Trump described the military operation as a victory and said Washington was now working with Venezuela to expand oil production. “We had a little war with Venezuela. We finished it in one day,” he said.
“And we’re now working with them to produce millions and millions of barrels of oil a week.”
Trump defended Ramaswamy ad
The president in his speech once again defended Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for a campaign advertisement featuring the estranged mother of Amy Acton, his Democratic opponent for Ohio governor, which has drawn backlash because of the abuse Acton experienced as a child.
“Vivek was treated very unfairly,” Trump said during his Ohio rally. “He had the mother of his opponent say that her daughter was a liar.”
Trump accused the media of treating Ramaswamy differently because he is a Republican.
“The mother said that Amy Acton, the daughter, is a liar. That she’s no good. That she lied about the opponent. How the hell is that his problem?”
Trump defended his White House renovations
After Obama mocked his plans for the White House, Trump said: “President Obama, who doesn’t understand cleanliness. Who doesn’t understand broken cracked stone and sidewalk?”
He said the White House had been in poor condition and that he had personally paid for repairs. “I fixed it very inexpensively. I paid for it myself. I fixed it.”
Because the White House, I think, is the number one symbol of our country. And we can’t have a White House with broken windows, with broken stone that hasn’t been painted in 30 years.”
“It’s never looked more beautiful,” he said.
He also mocked Obama’s record of campaigning for Democratic presidential candidates.
“He got involved with Hillary Clinton … and he lost. He then got involved with Kamala and he lost.”
“They said Obama’s coming. I said that’s good.”
