Trump vs. Obama: Clash Again in Midterm Elections, Reactions at Opposite Extremes

[Financial News]  U.S. President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama, who have had a strained relationship for about a decade, will face off again in this year’s midterm elections. Democrats are making active use of Obama in this election, while Republicans are keeping their distance from Trump.
According to the U.S. political outlet The Hill, Trump mentioned Obama and other Democratic rivals in an interview on the 7th (local time). Asked whether he thought Democrats would impeach him if they retook both the House and Senate in the November midterms, he said, “I could have done bad things to Barack Hussein Obama.” He continued, “I thought that wouldn’t have been appropriate, because you have to respect the office of the president,” adding that the presidency was “sacred.” He also said he “could have done very bad things to Hillary Clinton,” the Democratic nominee in the 2016 presidential election, “and to (former President) Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. as well.”
Since leaving office in 2017, Obama has stayed at his home near Washington, D.C. He has supported Democratic campaigns in various elections, including the two presidential elections held since then. He has also weighed in on policy decisions within the party, and a CNN poll in June found that 96% of U.S. Democrats viewed Obama favorably. Biden’s favorability rating was 71%. The local political outlet Axios reported in July that Obama remained the most popular and influential Democrat.
Obama appeared in Texas Democratic Senate primary contests in May and July this year to endorse candidates, and also recorded 24 Democratic political ads this month. On the 7th, he hosted his first fundraiser this year for Democratic Senate campaigns in Washington, D.C.
On the 6th, local media including the Associated Press reported that Obama would campaign in person with Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic Senate candidate, in Detroit, Michigan, on the 24th. Michigan is a prominent battleground state where Democrats won the 2020 presidential election and Republicans won in 2024.
Trump spoke with reporters on the 5th, mentioned his schedule for campaign rallies around the country, and said, “I’ll go to Michigan in about a week and a half.” U.S. media emphasized that Obama, the country’s 44th president, and Trump, its 45th and 47th president, would face off again on the campaign trail.
Republican candidates, unlike Democrats, appear less than eager to have Trump campaign on their behalf. Trump began a daily nationwide campaign tour on the 1st and claimed he would visit all 35 battleground areas. But CNN reported on the 7th that Republican candidates in battleground areas did not want to campaign alongside Trump. Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a battleground state, said during a debate with her Democratic opponent on the 6th, “I don’t think Trump will come to Maine.” The day before, Trump had told reporters, “I think I’ll probably go to Maine too.” Trump campaigned on the 7th in San Antonio, Texas, another battleground, but Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott did not attend the event.
That day, foreign media including British outlets reported that an analysis of congressional votes, public statements and campaign materials showed that 41 of the Republican candidates in 62 areas classified as battlegrounds planned either to break with Trump on policy or to distance themselves from him. Twelve of them removed Trump’s name, photo and endorsements from their campaign websites, mostly after securing their party’s nomination. Local media observed that Republican candidates were seeking to distinguish themselves rather than rely on Trump’s near-record-low approval ratings and diminished brand power.

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