President Donald Trump lashed out at Barack Obama and Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in an early Sunday post after the former president mocked his White House renovations and accused his administration of corruption during midterm campaign appearances.
"Obama was a grossly incompetent President!" Trump wrote on Truth Social at 12:42 a.m., opening a response that moved from Iran policy and past presidential elections to unsupported allegations about El-Sayed's religious affiliations and professional record.
The post followed Obama's Saturday rallies in Cleveland and Detroit, where he urged voters to elect Democrats as a check on Trump. In Michigan, Obama appeared in support of El-Sayed and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson.
"He's got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory," Obama said in Detroit, mocking the president's gold-heavy renovations.
Obama also criticized the administration's handling of the Iran war and alleged profiteering, presenting the November 3 elections as an opportunity to impose greater oversight.
"We got to flip that circuit breaker, bring some accountability to this government," he told supporters.
Trump answered by accusing Obama of giving Iran billions of dollars and enabling its nuclear ambitions. He also highlighted the defeats of Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Kamala Harris in 2024, arguing that Obama's campaigning had failed to secure their victories.
His Iran criticism revived their dispute over the 2015 nuclear agreement, which exchanged sanctions relief for restrictions on Tehran's nuclear program. Trump withdrew the United States from that agreement during his first term.
The president then targeted El-Sayed, calling him a "Muslim Brotherhood Jihadist" and a "Fake Doctor," while accusing him of hostility toward Jews, Black people and Americans. He supplied no evidence substantiating those accusations.
Bridge Michigan's fact-check found no evidence that El-Sayed had pledged support to or established ties with the Muslim Brotherhood. The candidate has rejected allegations that he is an extremist.
The attack on his medical credentials also obscures a distinction between academic qualifications and a license to treat patients. El-Sayed holds a medical degree from Columbia University and a doctorate in public health from Oxford University, according to the supplied reporting.
He did not complete the residency required for medical licensure and has acknowledged that he does not treat patients. His public-health career includes leading the Detroit and Wayne County health departments.
Obama anticipated attacks on El-Sayed's identity during the Detroit rally, comparing them with the false claims about his own birthplace that Trump promoted.
"They will use lies and they will use fear and they will use division," Obama said, warning that opponents might use a candidate's name to cast doubt on his patriotism.
"We have seen this movie before. I starred in it. I've got a long form birth certificate to prove it," he added. "This stuff didn't work on me, not in Michigan. It's not going to work on Abdul."
El-Sayed faces former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in the contest to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. Trump closed his post by urging Michigan voters to support Rogers: "VOTE FOR MIKE ROGERS! He will never let you down!"
