Former President Barack Obama is back on the campaign trail, and he isn’t holding back. At rallies in Ohio and Michigan on Saturday, October 24, Obama delivered some of his sharpest criticism yet of President Donald Trump as Democrats make their final push ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

Speaking at Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Obama told the crowd that some elections simply feel different, and that this is one of them.

“An election where people are so ready for something new, so hungry for something better,” he said. “So sick and tired of being sick and tired that everywhere you go, it feels like change is in the air. And Michigan, that’s what I’m feeling right now.”

President Obama in Detroit: "People are so ready for something new, so hungry for something better, so sick and tired of being sick and tired." After 10 years of: "Chaos. Cruelty. Corruption. Incompetence." TIRED OF BEING TIRED! 🔥 https://t.co/FvYKcFkA2Y

— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) October 25, 2026

He then laid out his case against the past decade under Trump. “That’s what you get a chance to do in 10 days,” Obama said. “After 10 years of chaos and cruelty and corruption. And incompetence. Tomfoolery. Nonsense. The likes of which this country has not seen in modern times at least. You get to say enough is enough. We’re voting for change right here in Michigan.”

In Detroit, Obama campaigned for Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee in a close U.S. Senate race against Republican Mike Rogers, and for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic nominee for governor. He also described the midterms as a “circuit breaker,” a chance for voters to put a check on the administration.

Earlier in the day, Obama held his first campaign rally of the fall at Cleveland Public Auditorium, where he rallied support for former Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown. He delivered a similar message there, criticizing the administration’s chaos, cruelty, corruption and incompetence. He also blamed the administration for the rising cost of living, a top concern for voters, and said Trump had chosen to start an “unnecessary war that nobody asked for.”

The Midwest swing is part of a larger push by Obama to energize Democratic voters in the final stretch before Election Day, and he is scheduled to headline a rally in Georgia next week. With control of Congress and key governor’s races on the line, both parties are working to turn out their base in battleground states like Ohio and Michigan.

Early voting is underway in many states. Voters can check their registration and find their polling place at vote.gov.