Obama Campaigns in Michigan and Ohio, Attacks Trump in Cleveland and Seeks Votes in Detroit

Former President Barack Obama made his first campaign appearance of this election cycle on Saturday, October 24, 2026. In the afternoon, in Cleveland, Ohio, he accused the Donald Trump administration of «chaos,» «cruelty,» «corruption,» and «incompetence.» In the evening, in Detroit, he sought the African American vote for Democrat Abdul El-Sayed. Obama in Michigan was the second stop on a day when Democrats attempted to mobilize their base ten days before the November 3 elections.

• In Cleveland, alongside Amy Acton and Sherrod Brown, Obama criticized the increase in costs, a war he deemed unnecessary, and the renovations at the White House.
• In Detroit, with El-Sayed and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson, he defended the Senate hopeful against unfounded accusations, according to EFE, of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
• Republicans responded to both events, and Trump will campaign on Sunday, October 25, in Port Huron, Michigan.

Why it matters: the races in Ohio and Michigan are highly competitive, according to NBC News, and the Senate race in Michigan may decide which party controls the chamber. On November 3, the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate will be renewed. Additionally, the states that will decide Congress are precisely the ones that party leaders are visiting now.

Ohio: Criticisms of Costs, War, and a Controversial Ad

According to NBC News, the event took place at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, which has a capacity for over 10,000 people and was almost full. Obama shared the stage with Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for governor, and Sherrod Brown, a former senator seeking to regain his seat against Republican Jon Husted.

Regarding the economy, Obama said, according to EFE: «The actions of this government are directly responsible for the increase in costs. The current president decided to make a series of bad decisions and started an unnecessary war that nobody asked for and nobody voted for.» About the renovations at the White House, he joked: «It should be on HGTV» and «He has the White House like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory. There’s gold everywhere.»

He also criticized Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for an ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother calling her a liar. «We’ve seen that there’s no line he won’t cross,» he said, according to AP. Acton has spoken about suffering sexual abuse as a child at the hands of her mother’s then-husband, who was accused of rape, and claims she hasn’t seen her mother since 1978. She responded: «My opponent has decided to exploit, on purpose, my childhood to save his campaign, but it won’t work» and «Decency still matters.» According to NBC, Ramaswamy’s campaign plans to spend $4 million on the ad. Republican Governor Mike DeWine called for its withdrawal, while Trump defended it on Saturday while voting in Florida.

Michigan: The African American Vote in Detroit, Key for El-Sayed

In the evening, Obama spoke at the Cass Technical High School gym in Detroit. Saturday was the first day of in-person early voting in Michigan, according to EFE. El-Sayed, 41, the son of Egyptian immigrants and a Muslim, is competing against former Republican Representative Mike Rogers for an open seat.

Obama came to the candidate’s defense: «I’ve seen this movie before! I started like this!» according to EFE. According to AP, he joked that he has «a complete birth certificate to prove it» and stated: «Abdul is as much from Michigan as anyone.» El-Sayed, who in the past criticized Obama for not fulfilling his more progressive promises, listened to Obama’s response with humor, noting that even Michelle doesn’t agree with everything he does. The candidate, for his part, said, according to EFE: «Trump got us into a war that didn’t concern us. President Obama contained a nuclear threat without war.»

The African American vote carries significant weight: Detroit is 75% African American, according to NBC. In the primary, El-Sayed lost Wayne County to Haley Stevens by about 6 points, according to AP. A YouGov poll gives him 84% of that vote, compared to 11% for Rogers, while a late September Fox News poll gave Rogers 22% of the African American vote.

The Races Obama Came to Boost

The Marist poll in Ohio is from October 20, among likely voters. In Michigan, Marist (October 21) gives El-Sayed 50% compared to 48% for Rogers, and the InsiderAdvantage poll is from October 21-22.

What Republicans Are Saying

According to NBC, Connie Luck, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy, responded: «Ohio can’t afford a liberal governor who shows up for Obama but not for the people of Ohio.» Amy Natoce, a spokesperson for Husted, stated: «Seeing Sherrod Brown and Barack Obama together again should give Ohioans chills. The Brown-Obama duo gave us more taxes, fewer jobs, and open borders.»

Trump, for his part, said on Saturday in Perry, Georgia, that the venue for Obama’s event was «empty,» according to AP. AP, however, described the Detroit gym as full.

What’s Next

Trump will be in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday, October 25, about 100 km from Detroit, according to EFE. You can read more about how Trump is also seeking votes in Michigan. Obama will head to Atlanta next week with Senator Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms, according to AP. His office informed NBC that he has helped raise over $15 million for these elections. If you live in Michigan, you can already vote early in person; if you live in Ohio, check the dates and voting locations at your county election office.

Sources: EFE; AP, via ClickOnDetroit; NBC News (Ohio); NBC News (Michigan); Marist Poll (Ohio); 270toWin (Michigan polls). Data consulted on October 25, 2026.

Main photo: EFE/EPA/Ari Saperstein