Ohio : Former US President Barack Obama launched a sharp, satirical attack against Donald Trump’s ongoing renovation choices for White House, saying Trump has "got the White House looking like former Iraq President Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory".
Addressing an election campaign in Ohio for the midterms, Obama ridiculed Trump’s aesthetic additions and renovations to the executive mansion, quipping that he seemed better suited for home improvement television.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations. He should be on HGTV. The guy’s building a ballroom that’s bigger than the White House. Paved over the Rose Garden, put a helicopter pad on the South Lawn, and there’s gold everywhere! What’s up with the gold? Everything—more gold!” Obama said.
Taking the jibe further, he drew loud applause and laughter from the crowd, adding: “He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory. Just gold everywhere."
Following his address, the former president took to social media platform X to rally voters behind key Democratic contenders in the state, specifically endorsing candidates for the gubernatorial and senatorial races.
"Ohio, let's do what we can to elect @AmyActonOH as your next Governor and @SherrodBrown as your next U.S. Senator! They’ve dedicated their lives to fighting on behalf of all Ohioans," Obama wrote on X.
Emphasising the importance of grassroots mobilisation and high voter turnout, Obama stated that collective civic action could steer the nation toward positive change.
"If we’re willing to organise and mobilise, if we’re willing to turn out in big numbers in Ohio and across this country, if we’re willing to vote for change and vote for Democrats up and down the ballot, then this election might just mark the moment this country began moving in a better direction," he stated.
Encouraging voters to ensure their participation, he concluded his message by urging citizens to take timely action: "So make a plan to vote today at http://IWillVote.com/OH."
Obama also mocked US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. "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. Meanwhile, you’ve got the defense secretary who’s squarely focused on important matters like the jawlines and testosterone levels of our troops," he said.
United States midterm elections are nationwide votes held every four years at the exact midpoint of a president's term. Acting as a major political temperature check for the country, these elections determine control of the federal government by putting all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and about one-third of the Senate up for grabs.