{"id":228694,"date":"2026-10-25T14:59:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T14:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/change-is-in-the-air-obama-praises-el-sayed-and-attacks-trump-at-michigan-rally-as-it-happened-the-guardian\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T14:59:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T14:59:08","slug":"change-is-in-the-air-obama-praises-el-sayed-and-attacks-trump-at-michigan-rally-as-it-happened-the-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/change-is-in-the-air-obama-praises-el-sayed-and-attacks-trump-at-michigan-rally-as-it-happened-the-guardian\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Change is in the air\u2019: Obama praises El-Sayed and attacks Trump at Michigan rally \u2013 as it happened – The Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"

This live blog is now closed. For more on the rally, read our full report:
Obama rallies Michigan crowd for El-Sayed, saying he\u2019s \u2018fighting for real change\u2019<\/a>
Sign up for Breaking News US email<\/a>
Speaking about the nearly 20 years he\u2019s been in national politics, Barack Obama<\/a> joked that he\u2019s been campaigning for too long \u2013 but said because of the experience \u201cI can tell you when an election comes along that feels just a little bit different.\u201d <\/strong>
\u201cAn election where people are so ready for something new, so hungry for something better, so sick and tired of being sick and tired, that everywhere you go it feels like change is in the air. And Michigan<\/a> that\u2019s what I\u2019m feeling right now,\u201d Obama said.
This concludes our live coverage of the 2026 midterms for the day. Here are the latest developments:
Barack Obama <\/strong>campaigned for Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed <\/strong>in Detroit today. \u201cChange is in the air,\u201d the former president said of the 2026 midterms, in a speech that laid aim at the Trump administration and called on voters to elect \u201cserious\u201d leaders who share their values.
Speaking ahead of the former president, El-Sayed<\/strong> said that growing up with \u201can eleven letter first name\u201d he never thought he could run for office, until he saw a man named \u201cBarack Hussein Obama\u201d become president.
Michigan gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson <\/strong>denounced Donald Trump\u2019s false claim that he won the 2020 election, and described her efforts as secretary of state that year in her address to voters in Detroit.
In New Hampshire, Kamala Harris<\/strong> has joined Democratic congressman Chris Pappas,<\/strong> who is running to fill the state\u2019s vacant Senate seat, for a podcast taping. At an earlier rally in Manchester, Pappas criticized his opponent\u2019s opposition to abortion.
Donald Trump <\/strong>voted in West Palm Beach, Florida today, telling reporters at the polls that he voted straight Republican on his ballot. Trump has historically mailed-in his ballot rather than voting in-person. Trump will campaign in Georgia today.
Reporting from Manchester, New Hampshire<\/em>
With 10 days until the midterms election, New Hampshire has caused some eleventh-hour consternation for Democrats<\/a> when it comes to the competitive Senate race.
Chris Pappas<\/strong>, the four-term Democratic congressman who is vying for the open seat, took to the stage in Manchester ahead of an intimate live podcast taping with Kamala Harris<\/strong>, the former vice-president, and Mini Timmaraju<\/strong>, the executive director of Reproductive Freedom for All \u2013 one of the country\u2019s oldest abortion rights groups.
\u201cShouldn\u2019t we have a senator that\u2019s just going to turn the page on the chaos, the corruption, and the cruelty of what we\u2019ve seen over the last couple of years?\u201d Pappas told the crowd, while targeting his Republican challenger, John Sununu<\/strong>, a former US senator.
\u201cHe [Sununu] might still be our senator if he was pro-choice. But when he was in office, he voted for a national abortion ban. He voted not to require hospitals from providing emergency contraception to women who have been raped, and he stands with the Trump administration on their efforts to unwind family planning and to attack the right to choose,\u201d Pappas said.
Sununu\u2019s family name is also a known entity in the state \u2013 his brother and father are both former governors. In a state where voters handed Harris a win in 2024 while electing a Republican governor on the same ballot, some Democratic operatives are concerned this creates an opening for Sununu \u2013 who has characterized himself as an independent voice, focused on protecting New Hampshire from federal oversight.
The GOP nominee has also distanced himself from Donald Trump<\/strong>, despite winning the president\u2019s endorsement.
If elected, Pappas would make history as the first openly gay man to serve in the US Senate<\/a>.
A reminder that Democrats need to hold on to the 47 seats that they currently hold, which includes New Hampshire, as well as pickup four more.
Barack Obama concluded his remarks at Abdul El-Sayed\u2019s rally in Detroit, saying: \u201cMichigan, you and I have proved before that it\u2019s hard to stop change when it\u2019s time has come. So I\u2019m asking you to do it again in 10 days.\u201d
\u201cThese are unsettling times,\u201d Barack Obama<\/a> said in his address at Abdul El-Sayed\u2019s rally in Detroit, urging voters to elect \u201cserious\u201d candidates who share their values.<\/strong>
The former president noted that the economy is changing fast, artificial intelligence is set to change the world and the United States is facing a major housing shortage. He added that the Republican party no longer seemed to be the party of small government, and that Democrats<\/a> are struggling to deliver quickly enough for people.
\u201cWe need serious people in Washington and state capitals,\u201d Obama said. \u201cThese are serious times. This is not the time for reality TV.\u201d
He added that \u201cwe need to make sure we elect\u201d candidates like Abdul El-Sayed and Jocelyn Benson. \u201cThey understand that what ails us right now, what\u2019s throwing this country off kilter so much\u201d is \u201cabout values.\u201d
Barack Obama encouraged voters to elect Democratic governors and members of Congress in November\u2019s midterms to check the Trump administration.<\/strong>
\u201cThis election is our last, best chance to at least reign in some of the foolishness of this administration,\u201d Obama said.
Barack Obama criticized Donald Trump for profiting off the presidency during his address in Detroit.<\/strong>
\u201cWe have never seen a president straight-up excel at grifting on your dime like this,\u201d Obama said. \u201cWe have lost count of all the deals he and his family have done.\u201d
\u201cHe should be on HGTV,\u201d Obama said of Donald Trump\u2019s many renovations in Washington, including the White House ballroom and Rose Garden. \u201cHe\u2019s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.\u201d
\u201cDon\u2019t boo, vote,\u201d Barack Obama<\/a> repeated throughout his speech in Michigan, responding when rally goers booed at Obama\u2019s description of current policies being pursued by the Trump administration.
Barack Obama criticized Donald Trump from levying tariffs and starting trade wars with \u201cthat well known evil empire, Canada.\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cThese are the people who gave us Martin Short and Maple syrup. They are the nicest people," Obama said.
Barack Obama called Pete Hegseth and other Trump administration officials \u201cnot serious people.\u201d<\/strong>
Obama said the secretary of defense was more concerned about \u201cthe jawline and testosterone levels of our troops\u201d and \u201clivestreaming executions\u201d than ending the war in Iran.
\u201cHow much time do you think this man spends in front of the mirror every day?\u201d Obama joked.
Barack Obama criticized \u201cthe current occupant of the White House\u201d' and his 2024 campaign promises \u201cto keep costs down\u201d during his appearance in Detroit.<\/strong>
\u201cI don\u2019t have to tell you how tough things are out there, you\u2019re living it,\u201d Obama said, echoing the Democratic Party\u2019s affordability message that has driven this midterms cycle.
Obama acknowledged that, as a past president, he realized some factors were beyond a president\u2019s control, but said \u201cthe administration\u2019s actions are directly responsible for rising costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This live blog is now closed. For more on the rally, read our full report:Obama rallies Michigan crowd for El-Sayed, saying he\u2019s \u2018fighting for real change\u2019Sign up for Breaking News US emailSpeaking about the nearly 20 years he\u2019s been in national politics, Barack Obama joked that he\u2019s been campaigning for too long \u2013 but said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":228695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-228694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-us","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228694\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}