A fired-up Barack Obama gave a blistering takedown of Senator Ron Johnson during a midterm election campaign event in Wisconsin.
Video of the former president’s remarks at a rally in Milwaukee on Saturday night went viral, garnering almost 14 million views by Monday morning.
Mr Obama was campaigning on behalf of Democratic candidate for the US Senate Mandela Barnes, who is running against incumbent Republican Senator Johnson.
“Some of you here are on Social Security. Some of your parents are on Social Security. Some of your grandparents are on Social Security. You know why they have Social Security?” Mr Obama asked the crowd.
“Because they worked for it. They worked hard jobs for it. They have chapped hands for it. They had long hours and sore backs and bad knees to get that Social Security.”
In ever-more passionate tones, the former president continued: “And if Ron Johnson does not understand that – if he understands giving tax breaks for private planes more than he understands making sure that seniors who’ve worked all their lives are able to retire with dignity and respect – he’s not the person who’s thinking about you and knows you and sees you, and he should not be your senator from Wisconsin.”
Mr Johnson, seeking a third term representing Wisconsin in the upper chamber of Congress, has been critical of the Social Security programme, saying in August that it is not being properly managed. Democrats argue that his using this as an excuse to gut Social Security to the detriment of older Americans.
Mr Obama’s remarks were praised for injecting some fire into the midterm campaigns.
Journalist Mehdi Hasan tweeted: “This is the passion, aggression, and righteous anger towards the GOP and its agenda that every Democrat on the campaign trail should be showing. Listen to Obama, Dems.”
Former Obama staffer and podcaster Tommy Vietor described the former president’s fiery speech as “absolutely shredding” Senator Johnson.
The View’s Ana Navarro responded to the clip on Twitter simply with flame emojis.
Bill Kristol, editor-at-large of The Bulwark, tweeted: “FWIW, as a former Republican who has some sense of what Democratic attacks work near the end of election campaigns: Every Democratic candidate should watch this clip — and the speech of which it was a part—and make that message his or her own.”
At other points in the speech Mr Obama called out Senator Johnson for spreading conspiracy theories about the 2020 election; noted his adult children had bought three private planes while their father campaigned to push the retirement age to 70; and said that the Republican agenda consists of two things: “own the libs” and getting Donald Trump’s approval.
Robert Wolf, CEO of 32Advisers and member of the Obama Foundation executive board, praised Mr Obama’s remarks calling out Mr Johnson for proliferating conspiracy theories as “just perfect”, imploring his followers to vote for Mr Barnes.
The Democrat’s challenge to Senator Johnson is one of the closest-watched races in the midterms. Polls show the Republican has between a five-point and one-point lead over Mr Barnes.
