Obama Urges Democrats to Reject Trump’s ‘Chaos and Carelessness’

Former U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday urged voters to reject what he called the “chaos and carelessness” of Donald Trump’s administration, as he headlined campaign rallies in two states in support of Democratic gubernatorial candidates ahead of next week’s elections.

Obama, still one of the most popular figures within the Democratic Party, threw his weight behind Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey’s Mikie Sherrill, using the rallies to deliver a sharp critique of Trump’s leadership.

Speaking before an enthusiastic crowd at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Obama said, “Let’s be honest — our country and our politics are in pretty bad shape right now.”

“It’s hard to know where to start,” he continued. “Every single day, this White House serves up a new batch of chaos, recklessness, cruelty, and just plain madness.” Obama took aim at Trump’s “haphazard” tariff policies and his decision to deploy National Guard troops to U.S. cities, while also rebuking Republicans in Congress for failing to rein him in “even when they knew he was wrong.”

He added that he was astonished by how quickly business leaders, law firms, and universities chose to “bend the knee” to please Trump.

Later in the day, at an event in Newark, New Jersey, to support Sherrill, Obama continued his attacks on the Trump administration, saying, “These days, it feels like every day is Halloween — it’s all tricks and no treats.”

At times, the former president used humor to underscore his criticism of Trump’s decisions, such as his focus on White House renovations during a federal government shutdown. “To be fair,” Obama quipped, “he’s paying attention to some really critical issues — like paving the Rose Garden so no one gets their shoes muddy, and spending $300 million on a new ballroom.”

Polls currently show 46-year-old Spanberger, a former CIA officer and six-term congresswoman, holding a significant lead over Republican Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, 61.

In New Jersey, Sherrill maintains a single-digit lead over Republican Jack Ciattarelli, 63, a former state assemblyman running for governor for the third consecutive time. Though New Jersey Democrats enjoy a two-to-one advantage in registered voters, Republicans have been encouraged by recent close statewide races. Ciattarelli lost the 2021 governor’s race by just three percentage points, and Trump trailed by only six points in last year’s presidential election.