Obama targets Trump in Detroit rally

Early voting in Michigan began on Saturday with a direct attack on the White House rather than a discussion of local policy. Barack Obama stood before thousands of supporters at Cass Technical High School in Detroit to urge voters to back Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate. The event coincided with the start of the early voting period ahead of the general election scheduled for 3 November.

The former president spent much of his address criticizing Donald Trump’s administration. Obama accused the current president of enriching his own family and creating a culture of taking favors. He described Trump as having a specific intent to sell favors, a claim he said was evident in the administration's current operations. The crowd, which included Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic candidate for governor, responded to these remarks with visible enthusiasm.

Obama also targeted the Department of Defense, focusing on Secretary Pete Hegseth. The former president mocked Hegseth for being laser-focused on the physical appearance of troops, specifically their jawlines and testosterone levels. He asked the audience to consider how much time Hegseth spends in front of a mirror, framing the secretary's priorities as superficial compared to national defense needs.

Trade policy provided another point of contention. Obama suggested that Trump’s tariff strategy was harshest on Canada, a country located just across the bridge from Detroit. He referred to the nation as a well-known evil empire, a phrase he used to highlight the irony of taxing a close neighbor that provided cultural figures like Martin Short and natural products like maple syrup. He further criticized the White House renovations, including the new ballroom and Rose Garden projects, comparing the aesthetic to a fast-food chain owned by Saddam Hussein.

This rally marked Obama’s first public endorsement of El-Sayed. The former president had remained on the sidelines during the primary election in August, a decision that raised questions about his support for the candidate. El-Sayed, a doctor and former Wayne County health official, defeated Haley Stevens in a competitive primary. Stevens had the backing of the Democratic establishment and pro-Israel organizations, while El-Sayed represented a more progressive wing of the party.

The relationship between the two men has involved some tension regarding policy details. El-Sayed, a supporter of Medicare for All, previously described the Affordable Care Act as an incremental fix. Obama acknowledged these differences during the rally, stating that they would not agree on every detail of every issue. He used his wife, Michelle Obama, as an example of someone who does not agree with everything he does, suggesting that political alliances do not require total ideological alignment.

The Detroit stop was part of Obama’s first weekend of in-person campaigning during this midterm cycle. He began the day in Cleveland, Ohio, where he campaigned for Sherrod Brown and Amy Acton. In both cities, the former president delivered similar criticisms of the Republican Party and the current administration, signaling a unified strategy for his endorsement tour.

El-Sayed faces a challenging path in Wayne County, the area that includes Detroit. In the August primary, his opponent Haley Stevens won that county with approximately 51% of the vote compared to El-Sayed’s 45%. Detroit is more than three-quarters Black, and Obama last campaigned there in October 2024 for Kamala Harris. Senator Elissa Slotkin, a featured speaker at the Detroit event, told the crowd that Michigan elects fighters and that the party is placing a check and balance on the president.

The race for the Michigan Senate seat is currently considered a toss-up by the Cook Political Report. El-Sayed is competing against Mike Rogers, a former congressman endorsed by Trump. Rogers lost a 2024 Senate race by less than half a percentage point. A Marist poll conducted in mid-October showed El-Sayed leading by two points, a margin within the statistical error. RealClearPolitics data from a similar period indicated a lead of about 2.6 points for the Democrat.

Trump has attacked El-Sayed personally during the campaign, using terms that reference his middle name and alleging ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, a connection El-Sayed denies. On Sunday, Trump is scheduled to visit Port Huron, Michigan, for a rally with state Republicans. That city is on the Canadian border, and local officials noted it would be the first presidential visit to St. Clair County. If elected, El-Sayed would become the first Muslim and first Egyptian American to serve in the U.S. Senate. His gubernatorial running mate, Benson, faces John James, who would become Michigan’s first Black governor if he wins.