Obama: Ramaswamy Thirsty For Attention; Trump Should Be On HGTV
WASHINGTON, DC – Former President Barack Obama mocked Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over a campaign advertisement targeting his Democratic rival Amy Acton’s estranged mother, calling the ad an example of how political standards have deteriorated.
“I don’t know what’s happened where the standards of behavior have gotten so low that somebody can run an ad like that,” Obama said October 24 at a campaign rally at Cleveland Public Auditorium. He also called Ramaswamy “thirsty” for attention.
Obama was campaigning for Acton and former Senator Sherrod Brown, who is seeking to regain his U.S. Senate seat, ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. The rally also became a platform for Obama to mock President Donald Trump over White House renovations and criticize his administration’s policies on Iran, tariffs and immigration.
The Ramaswamy advertisement, which features Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, has divided Republicans. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who endorsed Ramaswamy, called the ad “deeply, deeply troubling,” while Vice President JD Vance told Republicans to “stop whining.” Trump described the advertisement as “very powerful” and attacked DeWine.
The controversy has helped draw financial support for Acton, including a $500,000 donation from MK Pritzker, the wife of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. Cook Political Report subsequently shifted the Ohio governor’s race from a toss-up to Lean Democratic. Sabato’s Crystal Ball also rated the contest Lean Democratic.
Obama broadened his criticism to Trump’s presidency, mocking the president’s extensive renovations to the White House and its gold-heavy decor.
Trump “should be on HGTV,” Obama suggested, rather than focusing on renovations at the presidential residence. He also joked that Trump had “got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
Turning to the administration’s war with Iran, Obama said its actions were contributing to rising costs for Americans.
“This administration’s actions are directly responsible for rising costs,” he said, accusing Trump of starting “an unnecessary war that nobody asked for and nobody voted for.”
Obama contrasted the conflict with the Iran nuclear agreement reached during his presidency, arguing that diplomacy had prevented Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons without military action.
Seven months into the conflict, Obama said, U.S. allies and bases had been attacked, Americans had been killed and hundreds wounded, and U.S. missile stocks had been depleted. He also said Iran had gained leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments, contributing to higher oil and diesel prices.
Obama also blamed Trump’s tariffs for increasing consumer costs and criticized the administration’s immigration enforcement practices.
He said the U.S. border should be “orderly and secure” and that people should enter the country lawfully. However, he argued that voters had not supported the use of masked agents on American streets or the arrest, detention or shooting of law-abiding citizens.
The former president further accused Trump of using the presidency for personal financial gain, citing meme coins and taxpayer-funded contracts involving companies associated with his children. He called Trump a “grifter” operating “on your dime.”
Obama also faulted congressional Republicans, including Ohio Senator Jon Husted, for failing to check the president’s actions. He urged voters to use the midterm elections to limit the administration’s power.
“This election is our last best chance to at least rein in some of the foolishness of this administration. It’s the circuit breaker in the system. We need to flip that circuit breaker,” he said. (IANS)
