Obama rallies in Georgia for Ossoff and Bottoms, mocks Trump's reaction to his jab

Former President Barack Obama rallied Wednesday in suburban Atlanta for Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms, the party's nominee for governor. He called it a closing argument for Democrats in the last week before the Nov. 3 midterm election ¹.

The Guardian reported that 3,500 to 4,000 people filled the Discovery Center of Clayton County, just south of Atlanta ¹. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution had reported earlier that the rally was planned for Oct. 28 ².

On tapeCBS News · Oct 28

▶3:38

These are not serious people

Obama turns a joke into a point about prices

Obama returned to his jab from last week, when he compared Trump's White House renovations to Saddam Hussein decorating a Cheesecake Factory. He said the Saddam comparison did not bother Trump, but the restaurant did ¹.

Obama said the White House called the treasury secretary and told him to hold a press conference in front of a Cheesecake Factory. He called him the official trying to figure out how to lower inflation ¹. He then argued that voters face a president more interested in favors than in affordability ¹.

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

Obama also said Trump has made billions of dollars while in office. That is Obama's claim. The Guardian's report did not independently verify it ¹.

Ossoff and Bottoms make their cases

Ossoff accused Trump of leading "the most corrupt administration of all time." He referred to Democratic pledges to impeach Trump if the party wins control of Congress next year ¹.

Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor, tied her Republican opponent, billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson, to Trump. Her words are in the quote below ¹.

two out-of-touch billionaires who want to keep getting rich on the backs of taxpayers

Sen. Raphael Warnock, Georgia's other Democratic senator, spoke about deep cuts to Medicaid, the health program for low-income Americans, and to SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food aid. He said "This is about the character of the country" ¹.

Where the races stand

Ossoff leads Republican Rep. Mike Collins by 8 to 10 points in polls, according to the Guardian. Bottoms is statistically tied with Jackson ¹. The AJC described the governor's race as tight and Ossoff as the favorite ².

If Bottoms wins, she would end a Republican trifecta in Georgia that began in 2004. A trifecta means one party controls both chambers of the legislature and the governor's office ¹.

Trump campaigned in Ohio at the same time as the Georgia rally. He has held near-daily rallies in the final days and has made two Georgia appearances in two weeks ¹.

That matters because a tied governor's race can turn on turnout. An Obama visit with thousands of people in a Democratic-leaning county near Atlanta is meant to push supporters to vote before Tuesday.

The Record

1. Oct 16, 2026Republican governor nominee Rick Jackson appeared with Trump at a rally in Dalton, Georgia ².
2. Oct 28, 2026Obama rallied 3,500 to 4,000 people in Clayton County, Georgia, for Ossoff and Bottoms ¹.

Sources

1. The Guardian, “'They mobilized a whole government response to that joke': Obama laughs off Trump attacks in rally for Ossoff” (2026-10-29). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/28/obama-atlanta-democrats-
2. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Obama to headline Atlanta rally for Bottoms and Ossoff” (2026-10-19). ajc.com/politics/2026/10/obama-atlanta-bottoms-ossoff/

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