Former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump stepped up their campaign appearances, making their final pitches to voters less than a week before the midterm elections. Although neither man is on the ballot, both have become prominent figures in races that could reshape the balance of power in Congress, according to Reuters.
Obama had largely stayed out of the public spotlight until the past week, when he began delivering sharp criticisms of Trump. He traveled to Morrow, Georgia, near Atlanta, to rally support for Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who is facing Republican Representative Mike Collins. Obama criticized Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran, but also argued that the election was about the country’s values.
“There is a moral component to the choices we face right now,” Obama said, invoking the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who is buried in Atlanta. He accused people in the country’s highest offices of lying, cheating and bullying, arguing that the political system and economy could not be fixed without addressing those issues.
It’s a tight contest
Trump, meanwhile, continued his campaign push in Ohio, where he appeared alongside Senator Jon Husted as the Republican faces a challenge from former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. Trump attacked Brown over immigration, claiming that policies he supported had overwhelmed Springfield, Ohio, with Haitian immigrants. “The town went to hell,” he said.
Trump’s rally in Chillicothe was met by hundreds of protesters along his motorcade route, with signs criticizing the president and his party. Inside the event, demonstrators interrupted him several times, including one who shouted about Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased convicted sex offender who socialized with Trump in the 1990s and early 2000s.
“I threw Jeffrey Epstein the hell out of Mar-a-Lago,” Trump responded. Trump has said the two later fell out and that he banned Epstein from his private club in Palm Beach, Florida. Documents released by the Justice Department concerning Epstein have included references to Trump and other prominent figures, though the department has cautioned that some materials contain unverified or uncorroborated allegations.
The rallies come as Democrats look to gain ground in congressional races, with nonpartisan analysts generally viewing the party as having a stronger chance of winning control of the House than the Senate. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are being contested, and more than 40 million Americans had already cast ballots, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab.
In Alaska, a New York Times report alleged that aides to Democratic nominee Mary Peltola had worked with campaign lawyers and senior staff at the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm to recruit two candidates who could draw votes away from Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Trump criticized Peltola over the report and called for her to resign from the race and face criminal prosecution.
In Michigan, Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed were campaigning with prominent allies as they compete for the Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Gary Peters. Rogers joined Texas Senator Ted Cruz on a bus tour, while El-Sayed was scheduled to attend a canvassing rally with Peters and Senator Elissa Slotkin. With Trump working to boost Republican turnout and Obama urging voters to back Democrats, both parties are using their most recognizable figures to make a final push before Election Day.
Published: Oct 29, 2026 05:45 pm