Obama criticizes Trump as he stumbles over Spanberger and Sherrill
Former President Obama kicked off his campaign on Saturday, rallying supporters for Democratic gubernatorial candidates Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill at separate events in Virginia and New Jersey — while throwing a few jabs at President Trump in the process.
“Every day, this White House delivers a new batch of chaos, recklessness, meanness, and downright insanity,” Obama said at both rallies.
The former president appeared alongside Spanberger, a former Democratic member of the House of Representatives, at an afternoon rally in Norfolk, Virginia, before traveling to Newark, New Jersey, to join Sherrill, a representative serving the 11th Congressional District. He sought to contrast the president’s actions with the candidates’ records, adding that voters in their states deserve “leaders who tackle tough problems and bring people together instead of dividing them.”
Obama took several opportunities to throw shade at Trump, accusing him of using the Justice Department to prosecute his political opponents, criticizing the $300 million White House ballroom project, and pointing to “weird” AI-generated videos like the one the president shared on Truth Social weeks ago that depicted him dropping feces on “No Kings” protesters in New York City from a fighter jet while wearing a crown.
“All of this is meant to distract you from the fact that your situation has not improved,” Obama told the crowd in Norfolk.
In response to audience boos at both rallies, the former president repeated a trademark phrase dating back to 2016: “Don’t boo, vote.”
“They don’t hear the boos, they hear the votes,” he said in Norfolk, though he said in Newark later Saturday that Trump’s AI-powered “No Kings Day” video “isn’t even worth being booed at.”
“Let’s face it: Our country and our politics are in a very dark place right now,” Obama said in Newark.
At both rallies, he said Spanberger and Sherrill are the kind of candidates America needs right now because they are “in it for the right reasons.”
“Now, her opponent? Not so much,” the former president said at both rallies, referring to Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earl Sears (R) while in Norfolk and former state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli (R) while in Newark.
Both Spanberger and Sherrill were generally ahead of their rivals, but the two campaigns have different points of intrigue ahead of Election Day on Tuesday. Spanberger has a strong lead over Earl Sears, but Democrats are bracing for the possibility of ticket-splitting outcomes due to the scandal surrounding discovered violent texts sent by Democratic Attorney General candidate Jay Jones.
Meanwhile, in New Jersey, some prominent Democrats like Obama are racing to boost Sherrill amid signs that the race against Ciattarelli is tightening more than expected. New Jersey Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is scheduled to speak on Sherrill’s behalf on Sunday.
At both rallies on Saturday, Obama urged the public to cast their ballots on Tuesday if they had not already done so through early voting.
“And then you have to have all your friends and your family and your cousin lying on the couch,” Obama said in Newark. “Just go, come on.” Get him off the couch.”
