USAupdated 59m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 6 December 2012Barack Obama Attacks Donald Trump’s Chaos And Cruelty At Ohio Rally
3 Western Mainstream2 Asian1 Local Western1 OtherPhoto: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
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Obama called Trump an agent of chaos and cruelty at Cleveland rally. He mocked Trump’s White House renovations, ballrooms, and gold accents.
Ohio rally, personal jabs
Former President Barack Obama appeared at a campaign rally in Ohio on Saturday, characterizing President Donald Trump as an agent of “chaos and cruelty” and a man of broken promises.
Obama mocked Trump’s ballroom construction and the gold accents added across the White House, asking, “He should be on HGTV.”
Obama also said, “He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” and the crowd inside a near-capacity Public Auditorium, which holds more than 10,000 people, erupted with laughter.
Obama’s visit aimed to boost two Democrats, Amy Acton, the party’s nominee for governor, and former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who sought his old Senate seat back.
Trump, meanwhile, called Obama a “lousy president,” as the two traded barbs during separate appearances in Ohio and Florida.
Ramaswamy ad sparks backlash
Obama seized on what he described as cruelty and indecency from Trump and his Republican allies, stepping into a midterm fight in battleground Ohio.
Obama took specific aim at Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, saying, “There’s a decency we should expect out of our public officials,” and adding, “I don’t know what’s happened where the standards of behavior are so low that somebody could run an ad like that.”
Ramaswamy defended the advertising campaign featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Dr. Amy Acton, and Trump defended the ad as well after voting in West Palm Beach on Saturday.
Acton told the rally, “My opponent has chosen to exploit, intentionally, my childhood to save his stumbling campaign, but it’s not going to work,” and she added, “Decency still matters.”
The NBC News account said Ramaswamy’s campaign planned a $4 million push to air the ad, and it described Donna Arthur calling Acton a “liar” in the video.
Midterms, Ohio and beyond
Obama’s Ohio appearance came as the midterm elections approached, with the NBC News account saying polls show both races are toss-ups and that the governor race has emerged as a battleground.
NBC News said Ohio has become more reliably Republican since Trump’s rise, and it described the state as an intense battleground this year as Trump rallied twice in recent weeks focused on Sen. Jon Husted.
The rally also tied into a broader campaign schedule, with PIX11 saying Obama was heading to a rally in Detroit for Abdul El-Sayed after wrapping up in Ohio.
Vanguardia.mx said Obama questioned the deployment of masked federal agents during a rally alongside Democratic candidates in Cleveland, and it described the event as part of the Democratic Party’s campaign ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
Hindustan Times said Obama went to Ohio to help two Democrats, Amy Acton and former Senator Sherrod Brown, and it said polls show both races are toss-ups.