Former President Barack Obama captivated the crowd at a rally for Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton on Saturday, October 24.
“Our stories, Ohio’s stories, is one of resilience, of grit, of grace, and yes, of hope,” Acton said to a packed crowd in Cleveland. “I think our guest today knows a little something about hope.”
Obama did not hold back as he skewered current President Donald Trump and his Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Obama on Trump
Obama took to the stage to uncontrolled cheers before begging the crowd to calm down and encourage the energized group to vote.
He went on to deconstruct President Trump’s campaign promises that many argue went unfulfilled.
“I want to be fair. As a former president, I can tell you sometimes sometimes factors beyond a president’s control end up foiling the best laid plans. That that happens. A president doesn’t have control over the entire economy,” Obama said. “But that is not the case here. In this case, this administration’s actions are directly responsible for rising costs.”
He pointed out that Trump promised to bring down the cost of living for Americans who were suffering from post-COVID inflation.
“If you thought everything cost too much before you know who, everything is more expensive now,” Obama said. “Your mortgage costs more, your healthcare costs more, your utility bills cost more. Interest rates are up. And and then there’s gas. $4 a gallon, $5 a gallon. Diesel is over six and climbing.”
Obama then joked that Trump belongs on HGTV for his ongoing renovations of the White House over focusing on the issues affecting the American people.
“Let’s be honest, does anybody really think this guy in the White House right now is spending all that time thinking about these issues?” Obama said. “I mean, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations,” he added, calling out the 90,000-square-foot ballroom that replaced the East Wing, the elimination of the Rose Garden, and the addition of gold appliques in the Oval Office.
“What’s up with the gold? Everything, more gold. He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” he joked.
Obama on Hegseth
Obama then turned his attention to former Fox News host and current Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for the ongoing war in Iran.
“The original rationale was we’re going to go in there and get them to give up their nuclear program, their nuclear weapons,” Obama began. “Now, the thing was Iran didn’t have nuclear weapons because I had put a deal in place that everybody acknowledged kept them from getting nukes and I didn’t have to fire a missile to do it. I just had to engage in diplomacy.”
The Trump administration first launched an attack on Iran in February, though they continue to deny the conflict is a war. The former president blames the war for driving up the price of “just about everything” as Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz.
“Meanwhile, you got the defense secretary who’s squarely focused on important matters like the jawlines and testosterone levels of our troops and live-streaming executions because that’s how he thinks you cultivate that manly warrior spirit,” Obama continued, referring to Hegseth’s recent speech about ridding the U.S. military of “fatties,” “trannies,” “beardos,” and “weirdos.”
The former pres added, “How much time do you think this defense secretary spends looking at himself in the mirror in the morning?…They’re not serious people.”
Former President Obama Skewers Trump, Hegseth During Surprise Appearance at Ohio Rally