Trump & Obama Criss-Cross Rallies

GRAND RAPIDS, MI. - Former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump engaged in a political counter-programming effort across Ohio and Michigan over the weekend of October 24-25, 2026. Obama campaigned for Democratic candidates, including Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton in Ohio, and El-Sayed and Jocelyn Benson in Michigan. Trump held rallies in Georgia and Michigan, targeting Republicans.

Obama criticized the Trump administration, citing rising living costs and an "unnecessary war" in Iran that he stated sent oil prices soaring. He also commented on Trump's White House renovations, remarking, "He's got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory." Obama also addressed attacks on El-Sayed, comparing them to his own experiences with false claims about his birth.

President Trump responded on Truth Social, dismissing Obama's efforts and calling El-Sayed a "Muslim Brotherhood Jihadist, who hates Jews and Blacks and AMERICANS and TRUMP." Trump also labeled Obama a "grossly incompetent President." Trump's rally in Port Huron, Michigan, focused on the US-Canada tariff standoff impacting the auto industry. Early in-person voting in Michigan began on October 24, with over 20 million early ballots cast nationwide by October 23, 2026.