DOMINANT ANGLE
The United States takes away from Barack Obama's departure a battle of formulas in the final stretch of the midterms, where the former president targets the renovation of the White House, the Secretary of Defense, and Iran.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
In Cleveland, on Saturday, October 24, Obama compared the Trump White House to a place where "Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory", in support of Amy Acton and Sherrod Brown.
- 02
The Hill estimates Trump's construction work at the White House and in Washington at over $900 million.
- 03
Obama provided video support to Angie Nixon (Senate) and David Jolly (governor) in Florida, less than two weeks before the election.
ANALYSIS
Washington, October 25, 2026. On Saturday, October 24, just ten days before the November 3 midterm elections, Barack Obama campaigned in Cleveland, Ohio, for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and Senate candidate Sherrod Brown. The Hill describes a speech "full of quips and punchlines" in which the former president took aim at Donald Trump's policies, members of his cabinet, and Republican candidates.
The most repeated phrase concerns the work at the White House. "I don't know if you've noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovations. He should be on HGTV," Obama said, before adding about the gilding: "He's got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory." The Hill estimates the total cost of Trump's projects in Washington at over $900 million. Obama also mocked the Lincoln Memorial basin: "The only thing that got drained was the Reflecting Pool," he said, twisting Trump's 2016 promise to "drain the swamp." The Hill recalls that algae were reported after the renovated basin was inaugurated in June, and that Trump announced on Friday that the refilling was 85% complete.
Fox News reports the same scene but adds a factual counterpoint: according to the network, the renovations include several functional amenities, such as the limestone terrace of the rose garden, the granite helipad inaugurated on September 21, and the ballroom intended to replace tents for large events.
Obama also targeted Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth: "he's very focused on important matters like the jawlines and testosterone levels of our troops." According to The Hill, he presented this attention to the appearance of soldiers as a distraction that contributed to the prolongation of the conflict with Iran. The newspaper reports that Democratic senators are discreetly considering, according to senatorial sources, Hegseth's departure after the election, in exchange for their cooperation on defense issues.
On the same day, Obama gave his support in a video on X to Democratic candidates in Florida: Angie Nixon for the Senate, against Republican Senator Ashley Moody, and David Jolly for governor. He recalls that Nixon defends a minimum wage of $15 and that Jolly, a former Republican elected official, is "independent-minded." Obama had won Ohio in 2008 and 2012, and Florida in both of his presidential campaigns.
SOURCES (2)
- The HillMEDIUM
