We are not going to fix the system that's broken. We're not going to unrig our economy so long as we've got a culture where anything goes, where people in the highest offices of the land think it's OK to lie and cheat and bully.
Former US President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump held rival campaign rallies in Georgia and Ohio, trading criticism over the war in Iran, tariffs, and the economy just five days before midterm elections. According to the report, Obama criticised Trump's decision to start a war with Iran, calling it unnecessary and unpopular.
The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February, targeting Tehran and the country's nuclear and military facilities, and killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several high-ranking officials. Tehran responded with attacks on US military assets across the region and closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. Although a ceasefire was reached in April, efforts to secure lasting peace have stalled over Iran's nuclear programme, US sanctions, and the reopening of the strait.
Obama also criticised Trump's trade tariffs, which he argued have increased the cost of goods for American consumers rather than delivering economic benefits. He singled out Trump's ongoing dispute with Canada, one of the US's largest trading partners, and accused the administration of alienating key allies while being too soft on Russia. The two countries have been locked in a trade war, with Trump announcing 50 percent tariffs on Canadian vehicles and auto parts from January 2027.
Trump defended his military campaign against Iran and criticised the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran reached under Barack Obama. He claimed US military operations had destroyed Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and much of its military, including 159 naval vessels. Trump also suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz after himself, saying oil shipments had increased since the conflict began. The strait, between Iran and Oman, connects the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, and about a fifth of the world's oil consumption passed through it before the war.
The rallies highlight the deep divisions in US politics ahead of the midterm elections, with both sides accusing each other of dishonesty and intimidation. Obama warned that the country's problems go beyond inflation, economic inequality, and government policy, and that there is a moral component to the choices Americans face. He quoted civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, saying that Americans need to rediscover values they have abandoned in order to move forward.
