Donald Trump and Barack Obama have intensified their election attacks in the last week before the US midterm elections, although neither is a candidate. The result of the vote on November 3 could change the balance of power in Washington.
Americans will elect 35 senators and all 435 members of the House of Representatives. Independent analysts expect the Democrats to have a good chance of a majority in the House, while the battle for the Senate is shaping up to be much more contested. Republicans currently hold 53 seats to Democrats' 47.
Obama attacks Trump's policies
Obama appeared in Moro, Georgia, to support Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who is running against Republican Congressman Mike Collins. The former president blamed Trump for the high cost of living, tariffs and starting a war with Iran.
“The election we face now has a moral dimension,“ Obama said. He added that change will not be possible if people in the highest positions of government find it acceptable to lie, cheat and bully others.
Obama also touched on the renovation of the White House. On Saturday in Cleveland, he mocked the interior, saying Trump made the building look like Saddam Hussein had opened a Cheesecake Factor restaurant.
Trump responds from Ohio
At a rally in Chillicothe, Trump campaigned for Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who is running against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. The president attacked Brown for immigration policies that he said had led to an increase in the number of Haitian immigrants in Springfield.
“The city has gone to hell,” Trump said. During the 2024 presidential campaign, he spread claims that Haitian immigrants in the city eat cats and dogs. Local authorities have repeatedly denied the claims.
Trump's speech was interrupted several times by protesters. After chanting about the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, the president declared: "I kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago." Trump and Epstein dated in the 1990s and early 2000s, but the president says he later ended their relationship and banned Epstein from the club.
Trump also defended the interior of the White House, saying the building had broken windows and damaged stonework. The U.S. Department of Justice has warned that some of the published material on the "Epstein" case contain unverified or unsupported independent claims.
Early voting nears 2022 record.
According to the University of Florida Election Research Lab, about 40 million ballots have already been cast. A total of 45.9 million Americans voted in the 2022 midterm elections before Election Day.
At the same time, Republicans are trying to maintain control of the Senate, while Democrats are trying to win a majority in the House. It is these two races that will determine the political environment in the last two years of Trump's term.
Sources: bta.bg, investing.com