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Politics

Obama slams Trump era at midterm rallies

November 3, 2018

The former president has called for decency and honesty. It follows US President Donald Trump's plan to send several thousand troops to the US border in response to what Trump called a migrant "invasion."

https://p.dw.com/p/37bRK
Former U.S. President Barack Obama campaigns for Democrats, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and and Gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum in Miami, Florida, U.S. November 2, 2018
Image: Reuters/J. Skipper

Former US President Barack Obama urged voters on Friday to vote for "decent" and "honest" politics ahead of the country's midterm elections.

"You can vote for a politics that is decent, for a politics that is honest, for a politics that is lawful, for a politics that tries to do right by people," Obama said at a rally in Georgia for Stacey Abrams. The Democratic Party candidate is hoping to become the country's first black female governor.

Read more: Fear of Russian hacking of election is real in Georgia, USA

Obama, who also spoke in Florida on Friday, called on voters to turn out for Democrat candidates and denounced efforts by Republicans to dismantle his political legacy.

Tight races

Trump's party has attempted to use majorities in both houses of Congress to abolish Obama's signature healthcare law and backtrack his administration's environmental regulations.

Obama's public appearances coincided with Trump's campaign visits to West Virginia and Indiana, where he urged voters to back Republican candidates for the US Senate.

Polling indicates that the Republicans will keep their majority in the Senate, while Democrats will win a majority in the House of Representatives.

Read more: Texas set to send first Latinas to US Congress

Trump's 'political stunt'

Trump has tried to stoke up support for the Republicans by taking a hardline stance against a caravan of several thousand migrants heading toward the US border with Mexico.

He has called the caravan an "invasion" and his administration recently authorized a plan to send several thousand troops to the US border.

Speaking in Florida, Obama condemned the plan, accusing the Trump's administration of "taking our brave troops away from their families for a political stunt at the border."

amp/bw (AP, Reuters, AFP)

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