President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama traded sharp attacks while campaigning in key states ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, as both parties intensify their fight for control of Congress.

Obama appeared in Ohio and Michigan to support Democratic candidates, while Trump rallied Republicans in Perry, Georgia.

Speaking in Cleveland, Obama criticized Trump’s policies before mocking the president’s extensive renovations at the White House.

“The guy is building a ballroom bigger than the White House itself, paved over the Rose Garden, and there’s gold everywhere,” Obama said.

“What is it with all the gold? He’s made the White House look like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”

Obama argued that Trump’s attention to the renovations reflected a failure to focus on Americans’ economic concerns.

The former president later traveled to Detroit to campaign for Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim physician of Egyptian descent aligned with the party’s progressive wing.

El-Sayed has sharply criticized Israeli policies and opposes unconditional military assistance to Israel. He faces Republican Mike Rogers, who has Trump’s endorsement, in a race drawing attention from both Jewish and Arab voters.

At his Georgia rally, Trump responded by questioning attendance at Obama’s Michigan appearance.

“I saw Barack Hussein Obama was in Michigan, and the place was empty,” Trump said.

“They said, ‘Oh, the people are coming in slowly,’ but nobody talks about my enormous crowds.”

Local reports, however, described hundreds of supporters waiting for hours to enter Obama’s Detroit event.

Asked about criticism from Obama and former President Bill Clinton, Trump said the two were angry “because we beat them.”

“Obama was a bad president,” Trump said.

“Clinton wasn’t bad, but he got involved in a lot of scandals. Other than the scandals, he could have been a good president,” he added.

Both presidents are expected to continue campaigning in competitive states during the final stretch.

Trump is scheduled to visit Michigan to support Rogers and other Republican candidates, while Obama is expected in Georgia on Wednesday to campaign for Democrats.

Although neither Trump nor Obama is on the ballot, the midterms will determine control of Congress for the next two years and shape the president’s ability to advance his agenda.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)