Obama Warns Ohioans That Unneeded Iran War Blew $2 Trillion

Former President Barack Obama told Ohio voters on Saturday that President Donald Trump’s administration has spent $2 trillion on an unnecessary war with Iran. He delivered the remarks during a midterm election rally to support Democratic candidates running for governor and Senate.

Obama stated that the current president made a series of poor decisions, most notably starting a conflict that the public did not request. He described the two years of the current administration as a period of chaos, cruelty, corruption, and incompetence. The former president urged the crowd to use the upcoming election to signal that enough is enough.

The speech also addressed a controversial attack advertisement in the Ohio gubernatorial race. Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy aired a spot featuring Amy Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, who disputes Acton’s account of a childhood involving homelessness and sexual abuse by her stepfather. Arthur urged voters to reject Acton. Acton said she has not seen her mother since 1978, and her brother has supported her account of the abuse. The stepfather was charged with rape and died in 2004.

Obama called out Ramaswamy for crossing lines and sinking to low standards of behavior. He described Acton as someone who spoke movingly about her painful childhood, including abuse, neglect, and homelessness. The former president stood on stage with Acton and former Senator Sherrod Brown. Brown is seeking a comeback against incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted.

Current polls show Democrats holding a slight lead in both the gubernatorial and Senate races. However, the margins are small, and results are expected to be close in this heated contest.