Finland

Helsinki, October 25, 2026. The Finnish press is treating the confrontation between Barack Obama and Donald Trump as an episode in the final stretch before the November 3 midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress. Helsingin Sanomat and Ilta-Sanomat, citing American media and the New York Times, report that the former president attended two Democratic meetings on Saturday, first in Cleveland, Ohio, and then in Detroit, Michigan.

Obama described Trump's second term as "two years of chaos, cruelty, and corruption". According to Helsingin Sanomat, he added that the current administration is defined by "incompetence that we have never seen in modern times". Iltalehti also quotes his statement about Republicans, who would represent "a corrupt government, an incapable government, or no government at all". The newspaper notes that he criticized Trump for launching a war in Iran that no one had asked for, and cites a Reuters poll according to which more than 60% of Americans believe that Trump has unfairly enriched himself through cryptocurrencies.

The newspapers focus on the humorous aspects: the renovation of the White House and its ballroom, which would be more suitable for a home renovation TV show, and the phrase that Trump has made the White House look like a Cheesecake Factory restaurant opened by Saddam Hussein. MTV Uutiset notes that Obama also emphasized that Trump had not made an effort to lower consumer prices, and specifies that the video does not make it clear whether he was targeting the restaurant chain.

On Trump's side, Yle reports on his meeting in Perry, Georgia, after his early vote in Florida with Melania Trump. He announced a $4.2 billion investment by Audi in Macon, for a factory producing 200,000 cars per year, which he attributes to his tariffs. Yle specifies that the timing of the announcement was seen as support for his promise to strengthen the American industry. According to the New York Times, cited by Ilta-Sanomat, Trump called Obama a "poor president" and interpreted the criticism as a sign of the strength of the Republicans.

Yle and MTV recall that the polls give the Democrats a chance to win the majority in the House of Representatives, while the battle for the Senate is tighter. Yle adds that the Democrats accuse the Trump administration of trying to influence the election by questioning the reliability of the results in advance.