Former US President Barack Obama condemned a controversial Republican advert in Ohio and accused Donald Trump's allies of 'cruelty' as he urged voters in two key battleground states to back Democrats in the 3 November midterm elections.
Speaking at rallies in Cleveland, Ohio, and Detroit, Michigan, on Saturday, 24 October 2026, Obama said voters could use the midterms to curb the Trump administration's power and respond to mounting financial pressures on American households.