Obama tells Ohio rally 'enough is enough', blasts Trump over cost of living

Former US president Barack Obama took his party's midterm campaign to Cleveland, Ohio, on Saturday, telling supporters that two years of the Trump administration had brought "chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence."

"You get a chance to say, 'Enough is enough,'" Obama said, according to reports from the rally. He told the crowd: "We are voting for change right here in Ohio."

The November 3 midterm elections will decide control of Congress, and Obama is being used by Democrats to energise their base. He remains popular with party supporters.

Cost of living and the war

Obama, 65, blamed President Donald Trump's administration for the rising cost of living, a top concern for voters as fuel prices climb.

"The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions," he said. "Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for."

Early voting is already open in Ohio, and Obama urged people not to wait. "Don't procrastinate, don't equivocate," he said.

The races to watch

In Ohio, former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown is trying to return to the Senate against the Republican incumbent, Jon Husted. The governor's race pits Democrat Amy Acton against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran for president in 2024.

Polls in Ohio give Democrats a slight lead in both races, but the results are expected to be close.

Nationally, surveys suggest Democrats could win back the House of Representatives, while the Senate looks harder to take.

After Cleveland, Obama was due in Detroit on Saturday evening to campaign with Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan. El-Sayed, from the party's left wing, is in a tight race with Republican Mike Rogers, even though Democrats currently hold both of Michigan's Senate seats.

What happens next

Voters go to the polls on November 3. The outcome will shape how much room Trump has to push his agenda through Congress over the next two years.