Obama blasts Trump’s ‘chaos and cruelty’ while campaigning for Democrats

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Former United States (US) president Barack Obama delivered a scathing critique of his successor, Donald Trump, at a rally Saturday in Ohio to support Democratic candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

"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 in Cleveland. "We are voting for change right here in Ohio."

The 65-year-old Democrat blamed the Trump administration for the rising cost of living, a top voter concern amid soaring fuel prices.

"The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions," Obama said. "Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for."

Obama also urged voters to cast their ballots as soon as possible since early voting is already open in this northern industrial state.

"Don't procrastinate, don't equivocate," Obama said.

The former president retains considerable popularity among the Democratic base, which he is keen to leverage to support his party's candidates in the upcoming crucial elections that will decide control of Congress.

In Ohio, former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown will attempt a comeback against incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted, while the race for governor will be contested between Democrat Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential candidate in 2024.

Polls for Ohio give Democrats a slight lead in both those races, but the results are expected to be close.

Nationally, polls also suggest that Democrats could regain control of the House of Representatives but face a much more competitive contest for the Senate.

After Cleveland, Obama will head north to Michigan this evening for a rally in Detroit alongside Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate candidate.

While both of Michigan's Senate seats are currently held by Democrats, El-Sayed, from the party's left wing, is in a close race with Republican Mike Rogers.