Former President Barack Obama joined Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed at a campaign event in Detroit, Michigan, where he spoke about President Donald Trump’s work on the White House. Obama told the crowd that the current president remains very focused on home renovation.
He said Trump should be on HGTV. Obama also ridiculed the construction projects, including a ballroom he described as bigger than the White House. He then turned to the president’s preference for gold finishes.
“What’s up with the gold?” Obama asked, according to The Daily Mail. “I mean, he’s got the one that’s looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” he joked.
Obama discusses family business deals and criticizes an Ohio campaign ad
Obama went on to say that the one thing the current president is focused on, other than home improvements, is enriching himself, his family, and his cronies. He pointed to cryptocurrency ventures and government contracts involving his children’s businesses.
“We have lost count of all the deals he and his family have done. You can’t keep up. Meme coins, taxpayer-funded contracts for his kids’ companies,” Obama said. His wife, Michelle, has also weighed in on Trump’s White House demolition.
He described the pattern as a culture that’s set at the top. Obama also mocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, saying he is focused on important matters like the jawline and the testosterone levels of our troops. He criticized the live-streaming of executions as a way to build what he called a manly warrior spirit, then asked how much time Hegseth spends in front of the mirror every day.
El-Sayed, a former public health official, won a close primary by less than a percentage point and faces former Rep. Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race. Hours earlier the same day, Obama was in Ohio, where he spoke about what he called cruelty and indecency from Trump and his Republican allies.
He specifically addressed Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who has continued running an ad that features the estranged mother of Democratic rival Dr. Amy Acton. Trump and Vice President JD Vance have defended the ad, while some Ohio Republicans, including Gov. Mike DeWine, have called for it to be taken down.
“In recent days, we’ve seen there is no line he will not cross, no low he will not sink to,” Obama said of Ramaswamy. He noted that Acton has spoken movingly about her painful childhood and all she’s experienced: abuse, neglect and homelessness. “There’s a decency we should expect out of our public officials,” Obama continued. “And I don’t know what’s happened where the standards of behavior are so low that somebody could run an ad like that.”
Obama, who is 65, campaigned with Acton and former three-term Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, who is challenging Republican Senator Jon Husted. Ohio has grown more reliably Republican but remains competitive this year. Trump and Vance have both visited the state recently to support Husted and Ramaswamy.
Ramaswamy has said the ad is fair game. Trump called the controversy a disgrace while voting in West Palm Beach. “The mother said that Amy Acton is a liar and she’s no good. And you know what? I don’t think you can get a better reference on that,” Trump said. He added that if his own mother had said anything bad about him, it would be front and center.
The ad features Acton’s birth mother, Donna Arthur, who calls her a liar and suggests mental health issues. Acton has openly discussed facing homelessness and abuse as a child. Arthur lost custody after her husband was indicted on a rape charge involving Acton. The alleged abuse occurred from December 1976 to April 1978. Cledith Arthur became a fugitive after missing a court date, and Donna Arthur stayed married to him until he died in 2004.
Speaking before Obama took the stage, Acton addressed the ad directly. “My opponent has chosen to exploit, intentionally, my childhood to save his stumbling campaign, but it’s not going to work,” she said. “Decency still matters.” She added that Ramaswamy is not just out of touch, he is out for himself and is a danger to the state, and that there is no low to which he won’t stoop.
Published: Oct 25, 2026 07:00 am