Barack Obama used a Detroit rally Saturday night to sharply criticize President Trump while endorsing Abdul El-Sayed, the Michigan Democratic Senate candidate who has previously criticized the former president.
Speaking at Cass Technical High School in Midtown Detroit, Obama targeted Trump’s handling of gas prices, the conflict in Iran and tariffs on Canada. He also poked fun at the president’s highly publicized renovations to the White House.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he is very focused on home renovation,” Obama told the audience, drawing laughter. “He should be on HGTV.”
Obama pointed to Trump’s plans for a new ballroom, the changes to the Rose Garden and the addition of a helicopter pad on the South Lawn. “The guy’s building a ballroom that is bigger than the White House,” he said. “He paved over the Rose Garden and put a helicopter pad on the South Lawn. And then there is just gold everywhere.”
“What’s up with the gold?” Obama continued. “He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory. It’s just gold everywhere. He is clearly not focused on lowering prices for you.”
The former president also accused the administration of widespread corruption, citing controversies that included those surrounding Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former U.S. ambassador to Greece who resigned.
“This is a culture that’s set at the top,” Obama said. “We have never seen a president excel in straight-up grifting on your dime like this.” He blamed what he called a “spineless Congress” for failing to challenge the administration.
Obama also mocked Trump’s trade fight with Canada, describing the neighboring country as a longtime ally rather than an adversary.
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“Canada, it’s your neighbor. It’s a few minutes’ drive over the bridge,” he said. “These are the people who gave us Martin Short and maple syrup.” Referring to Canadians as “the nicest people,” Obama added, “They’re so nice.”
He further accused Trump of launching “a war nobody asked for and nobody voted for” in Iran. Obama also ridiculed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, saying he appeared “like a laser” focused on the jawlines and testosterone levels of U.S. troops.
“How much time do you think this man spins in front of the mirror every day?” Obama asked. “These are not serious people.”
The speech was briefly interrupted when someone in the crowd needed medical assistance, a situation that frequently occurred at Obama’s campaign events during his political career. “A little tip: stay hydrated. Bend your knees. I have been in a lot of gyms,” he joked.
Obama became so absorbed in his attacks on Trump — who had called him a “lousy president” earlier Saturday — that he went for long stretches without highlighting El-Sayed. The candidate is locked in a difficult race against former Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican from Michigan.
“We’ve got to start showing what a future on the other side of this administration can look like, and that starts with all of you,” Obama said. “It starts with you sending Abdul El-Sayed to the United States Senate.”
Earlier in the event, El-Sayed addressed his past criticism of Obama, describing it as the perspective of a “younger” and “angry” version of himself. He emphasized similarities between the two men, including the fact that both were raised in mixed-parent families. He referred to his Egypt-born father and his stepmother, Jacqueline, without mentioning his birth mother, Fatten Elkomy.
“I was raised by my dad and my stepmom Jackie, a daughter of the American Revolution in the middle of the state,” El-Sayed said. “They said he got a funny name — I got a funny name,” drawing another comparison with Obama.
