DOMINANT ANGLE
Paris is deciphering Obama's return to the campaign trail as a duel between former and current presidents, just ten days ahead of the midterms, where the war in Iran and the cost of living are fueling attacks.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
On Saturday, October 24, in Cleveland, Obama denounced "two years of chaos, cruelty, corruption, and incompetence" and a "useless war" linked to the rise in the cost of living.
- 02
Trump responded on Truth Social that Obama was "grossly incompetent" and that he "poured billions of dollars into Iran".
- 03
The November 3 election will decide the Congress; in Ohio, polls give Democrats a narrow lead for the Senate and the governor's seat.
ANALYSIS
Paris, October 25, 2026. The French press is devoting extensive coverage to Barack Obama's return to the campaign trail for the November 3 midterm elections. On Saturday, October 24, the former president held a rally in Cleveland, Ohio, before heading to Michigan to support Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for the Senate. Le Monde, BFMTV, and 20 Minutes, which are reprinting the AFP dispatch, describe a "scathing critique" of Donald Trump.
The central quote is being repeated everywhere: "After two years of chaos, cruelty, corruption, and incompetence never seen in the modern era, you have a chance to say: Enough is enough." Obama also reproached his successor for having "decided to trigger an unnecessary war, which nobody asked for," blaming him for the rise in the cost of living. He urged his audience to vote early: "Don't procrastinate, don't dodge." HuffPost France notes his mockery of the White House's work: Trump "should be on HGTV."
On the ground, RFI is giving a voice to the activists. Its special correspondents describe a "packed" room, where Amy Acton, a candidate for governor, and Sherrod Brown, a candidate for the Senate, take the stage. They note that Obama spoke for forty minutes "without ever naming him." It was his first rally since the start of the campaign. Le Monde recalls that the polls give the Democrats a narrow lead in Ohio, ahead of Jon Husted and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Trump's response, published on Truth Social, is being reported with precision. He calls his predecessor a president of "crass incompetence" according to BFMTV, "grossly incompetent" according to HuffPost, and claims that he "handed over billions of dollars to Iran." BFMTV specifies that these statements are "factually false" and recalls that the 2015 agreement only allowed for a gradual lifting of sanctions. The channel also notes that Trump omits his 2020 defeat when mocking Obama's electoral failures, and quotes the attack on El-Sayed, whose message says that Obama "is campaigning for a Muslim Brotherhood jihadist."
20 Minutes finally notes that Trump voted early in Palm Beach, saying "Everything is fine." France 24 summarizes the stakes: the Democrats hope to retake Congress, and the cost of living is a concern for voters.
SOURCES (5)
- 20 MinutesMEDIUM
- HuffPost FranceMEDIUM
- BFMTVMEDIUM
