Former US president Barack Obama has criticised the Trump administration’s response to a remark involving the Cheesecake Factory, using the incident to question the government’s priorities as the country approaches the midterm elections.
“The White House even called the Secretary of Treasury,” Obama said while campaigning ahead of the congressional elections. He joked that the official responsible for managing the economy and addressing the rising cost of living had been instructed to hold a press conference outside the Cheesecake Factory.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump defended the condition and appearance of the White House, accusing the previous administration of leaving the property in a deteriorated state.
“The White House, I think, is the number one symbol of our country, and we can’t have a White House with broken windows, with broken stone that hasn’t been painted in 30 years,” Trump said during an appearance in Ohio.
Although neither Trump nor Obama is contesting a seat, both have emerged as prominent figures in the final days of campaigning ahead of next Tuesday’s congressional elections. The results could reshape the balance of power in Washington.
Trump has spent several weeks campaigning across the country, reflecting Republican concerns about potentially losing control of Congress during the final two years of his presidency. Obama, who had maintained a relatively limited public presence, has stepped up his appearances over the past week, delivering strong criticism of Trump and his administration.
The upcoming elections will determine 35 of the 100 Senate seats and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Nonpartisan analysts generally consider Democrats well-positioned to win control of the House, while the Senate contest remains closely contested.
On Wednesday, Obama campaigned in Morrow, Georgia, near Atlanta, urging voters to support Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who is facing Republican challenger Mike Collins, a member of the House of Representatives.
Alongside criticising Trump’s tariffs and decision to wage war against Iran, Obama argued that the elections would also determine the country’s commitment to democratic and moral values. He invoked the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who is buried in Atlanta.
“There is a moral component to the choices we face right now,” Obama said.
He argued that economic and political reforms would remain difficult as long as dishonesty, intimidation and the excessive influence of money continued to shape public life.
“We are not going to fix the system that’s broken, we’re not going to unrig our economy, so long as we’ve got a culture where anything goes, where people in the highest offices of the land think it’s OK to lie and cheat and bully, if we continue to have a culture where money is deemed the only measure of our worth,” Obama said.
Trump’s public approval ratings have fallen close to historic lows as concerns about living costs and the war in Iran weigh on public sentiment. Nevertheless, he remains an influential figure within the Republican Party and has continued campaigning to encourage supporters to vote.
According to the University of Florida’s Election Lab, approximately 40 million ballots had already been cast ahead of election day. During the 2022 midterm elections, 45.9 million Americans voted early.
Trump addressed supporters at a rally held in a college gymnasium in Chillicothe, Ohio, alongside Republican Senator Jon Husted, who is facing a challenge from former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown.
During his speech, Trump criticised Brown over his support for immigration policies that the president claimed had overwhelmed Springfield, Ohio, with Haitian migrants. Trump described the town as having deteriorated significantly.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly promoted false claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating cats and dogs. Local officials repeatedly rejected those allegations.
Despite enthusiastic support at his rallies, Trump also encountered opposition in Chillicothe, where hundreds of demonstrators gathered along the route taken by his motorcade. Protesters displayed banners criticising Trump and the Republican Party.
Several demonstrators interrupted his speech, including one who raised the issue of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019.
In response, Trump said he had expelled Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Trump and Epstein socialised during the 1990s and early 2000s. Trump has said their relationship later deteriorated and that he barred Epstein from his private club in Palm Beach.
Documents released by the US Justice Department concerning Epstein have mentioned Trump and numerous other prominent individuals. The department has cautioned that some material contains allegations that have not been independently verified or corroborated.
Protesters have disrupted several of Trump’s recent campaign appearances. The president has frequently accused demonstrators of being paid, while security personnel have escorted them away.
Democrats face the challenge of gaining seats in traditionally Republican-leaning states, including Ohio, Iowa and Alaska, to overcome the Republicans’ existing 53–47 majority in the Senate.
In Alaska, The New York Times reported that aides to Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola had worked with campaign lawyers and senior officials from the Senate Democrats’ campaign organisation to recruit two additional candidates. The candidates could potentially divide the vote and affect the prospects of Republican incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan.
Peltola’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump criticised Peltola before leaving for Ohio, calling on her to withdraw from the contest and alleging that she should face criminal prosecution over the reported actions.
In Michigan, Republican candidate Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed are competing for the Senate seat being vacated by Democratic Senator Gary Peters. Both campaigns are seeking support from prominent political figures to strengthen their campaigns and encourage voter participation.
Rogers campaigned alongside Texas Senator Ted Cruz during a four-stop bus tour that concluded in Imlay City, northeast of Detroit.
El-Sayed, meanwhile, was scheduled to participate in an evening canvassing rally in Downriver, southwest of Detroit, alongside Peters and Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin.
