Obama mocks Trump's 'arts and crafts' in Georgia as war and prices dominate final week

Former President Barack Obama said President Donald Trump is "literally doing arts and crafts" in the Oval Office while the country fights a war and struggles with high prices. He spoke Wednesday at a rally in Morrow, Georgia, six days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections ¹. The event was held inside the arena at SouthLake, about 16 miles south of downtown Atlanta ².

Obama was campaigning for Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, and Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee for governor. Ossoff faces Republican Rep. Mike Collins. Bottoms faces Republican Rick Jackson ¹.

What Obama said

Obama said Trump was spending time gluing gold medallions to the Oval Office mantel. He tied that to the war with Iran, which he called "unnecessary" and said "nobody asked for and nobody voted for" ¹. He also said Trump has not delivered on promises to lower costs ¹.

He's literally doing arts and crafts while we are fighting a war and trying to deal with out-of-control prices.

Obama also revisited his Cheesecake Factory joke. At a rally in Ohio over the weekend, he said Trump's changes made the White House look "like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory." Trump defended the renovations, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited a Cheesecake Factory in Washington to hit back ¹.

From Channel GOPOssoff: Georgians die younger than LebaneseJon Ossoff · 171 plays · captioned, with the source named

On Wednesday, Obama said the administration had not disputed his points on prices or corruption. He said it had instead focused on the restaurant remark ¹.

They mobilized a whole-of-government response to that joke,

Obama also contrasted the current conflict with his own approach to Iran's nuclear program. "I had put in place a deal. I didn't have to fire any missiles," he said ¹. He accused the White House of "bending the knee to Vladimir Putin of Russia" ¹.

The Georgia races

Ossoff is polling about eight points ahead of Collins, according to Capital B Atlanta. The most recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll has Bottoms and Jackson virtually tied ². Ossoff said of the administration, "Never before has so little effort been made to cover up so much corruption" ³.

Bottoms said she would expand Medicaid, the government health program for low-income people. She also promised to fund pre-K and pause data center construction ². Of Jackson, she said, "Slick Rick is running to be Trump's favorite governor, and I'm running to be yours" ².

Trump's side

Trump was in Chillicothe, Ohio, the same day. He said Obama "doesn't understand cleanliness" and that the White House is "more beautiful than it's ever looked," according to a report on the Ohio rally ³. The Capital B report included no direct response from Trump or Republican officials to the Georgia rally ².

Early voting in Georgia ends Friday, Oct. 30. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day ².

The pattern is clear. Obama is trying to move the debate from a restaurant joke to what voters say worries them most: prices and the Iran war. Whether that changes any votes will be known Tuesday.

The Record

1. Oct 24, 2026Obama says at a rally in Ohio that Trump's changes made the White House look 'like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory' ¹
2. Oct 28, 2026Obama rallies in Morrow, Georgia, for Ossoff and Bottoms and says Trump is 'literally doing arts and crafts' during a war ¹
3. Oct 30, 2026Early voting in Georgia ends ²
4. Nov 3, 2026Midterm Election Day; Georgia polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ¹²

Sources

1. Newsweek, “Obama Mocks Trump's 'Arts and Crafts' as US Fights War, Prices Rise” (2026-10-29). newsweek.com/obama-mocks-trumps-arts-and-crafts-as-us-fights
2. Capital B Atlanta, “Obama Stumps For Keisha Lance Bottoms at Georgia Rally Amid Tight Race” (2026-10-28). atlanta.capitalbnews.org/obama-stumps-for-keisha-lance-botto
3. The National Herald (AP), “Trump in Ohio and Obama in Georgia Make Closing Stretch Appeals to Midterm Voters in Pivotal States” (2026-10-28). thenationalherald.com/trump-in-ohio-and-obama-in-georgia-mak

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