Former US President Barack Obama and current President Donald Trump held competing rallies in Georgia and Ohio on Wednesday, 29 October, just five days before the 3 November midterm elections, trading sharp attacks on the Iran war, tariffs, White House renovations, and the record of each other's presidencies.

Obama's Broadside in Atlanta

Campaigning in the Atlanta area for Senator Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, Obama criticised the current administration's military engagement in Iran. 'This is the reason why the price of oil is up. This is the reason why the price of diesel is up, the price of just about everything is up,' he said, according to remarks released by his office.

Obama warned that relief was not imminent: 'And by the way, contrary to the promises and statements and declarations that were made seven months ago, this war is not over. It's still going on, which means you are not getting any relief anytime soon.'

He also targeted the administration's trade dispute with Canada, saying sardonically: 'Now, they're booing our hockey games.' He returned to an earlier jibe about White House renovations, mocking what he called a disproportionate official response. 'They mobilised a whole of government response to that joke, not to inflation, but to that joke!' he said, according to reports. Obama urged Georgia voters to cast early ballots before the Friday deadline.

Trump Fires Back in Ohio

Speaking simultaneously in Chillicothe, Ohio, Trump rallied for Senator Jon Husted and Indian-American candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who is seeking the Ohio Governor's office. Trump dismissed Obama's renovation remarks, saying: 'I paid for it myself. I fixed it, and now it's more beautiful and in better shape,' characterising his predecessor as someone 'who doesn't understand cleanliness, who doesn't understand broken, cracked stone and sidewalk.'

Trump also cast doubt on Obama's record as a campaign surrogate: 'He got involved with Hillary Clinton ... and he lost. He then got involved with Kamala and he lost.' He attacked the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as 'one of the dumbest deals I've ever seen in my life.'

Trump defended a Ramaswamy campaign advertisement featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Amy Acton, arguing the family member's comments were legitimate. Notably, as reported by NBC4, the mother does not say in the ad that Acton lied about Ramaswamy — a detail that complicated Trump's characterisation.

National Polls Favour Democrats

National surveys heading into the final stretch lean Democratic. An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll conducted on 19-20 October gave Democrats a 52–44 per cent lead among likely voters on the generic Congressional ballot. The Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, conducted 24-26 October, put the race at 52–48 among voters and placed Trump's approval rating at 39 per cent.

Indian-Americans on the Ballot

Several Indian-American candidates are contesting on 3 November. Beyond Ramaswamy's gubernatorial bid, sitting House members Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ami Bera, Shri Thanedar, and Suhas Subramanyam are seeking re-election. Nithya Raman is running for Mayor of Los Angeles, and Saritha Komatireddy is the Republican Party nominee for the New York Attorney General race.

With polls showing a tightening race in key states, both parties will be watching turnout figures closely when voting opens on 3 November.