Donald Trump Says 'Rotten President' Barack Obama Will Be 'Testifying' in Confusing Campaign Attack

President Donald Trump called former President Barack Obama a 'rotten president' at a rally in Park City, Kansas, on Monday, 19 October 2026. He repeatedly used 'testifying' while discussing Obama's support for Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Trump later said Obama was going to help El-Sayed campaign.

For context, Trump was campaigning near Wichita for Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, just over two weeks before the 03 November 2026 midterm elections. El-Sayed's campaign had already announced Obama's endorsement and an appearance in Detroit, scheduled for 24 October 2026.

The announced visit was a campaign rally. El-Sayed's campaign had also released an advertisement featuring Obama's support a week before Trump's Kansas appearance.

Trump's 'Testifying' Claim Contradicted by His Own Description

The Factbase rally transcript records Trump using the word repeatedly while attacking Obama and discussing El-Sayed. He then said he did not know what Obama was doing before referring to Michigan and his own electoral performance there.

Trump subsequently described Obama's involvement as campaigning. 'But Barack Hussein Obama is going up there to help him campaign,' the transcript records him saying.

He did not identify a legal proceeding or explain his earlier choice of words in that passage. His subsequent remarks concerned the potential electoral effect of Obama's involvement, rather than details of any testimony.

Trump predicted that the former president's support would do little to help El-Sayed. Separately, he invoked 'Michigan values' while arguing that the Democratic candidate would not win.

The president also cited his own electoral performance in Michigan when questioning the value of Obama's backing. Those comments were campaign predictions, not an announcement about the result of the Senate contest.

Kansas Rally Speech Swerves Into Michigan Senate Race

Trump's remarks about El-Sayed came during an event supporting Republican candidates in Kansas. Marshall is seeking re-election against Democrat Adam Hamilton, while Republican Ty Masterson is running for governor.

The Associated Press account of the rally reported that Trump supported both Marshall and Masterson. His speech included criticism of Hamilton and was briefly interrupted by protesters near the beginning.

The agency corrected its initial description of the location, specifying that the rally was outside Wichita rather than in the city. The event took place in Park City.

Marshall's Kansas contest and El-Sayed's Michigan campaign are separate Senate races. Trump discussed Obama's support for the Michigan Democrat while urging support for Republicans in Kansas.

Obama's El-Sayed Endorsement and Michigan Voting Timetable

El-Sayed's campaign announced Obama's endorsement on 12 October 2026. Its statement accompanied an advertisement featuring the former president's appeal to Michigan voters.

'I'm asking you to support Abdul El-Sayed for the United States Senate,' Obama said, according to the advertisement transcript published by the campaign.

In that advertisement, Obama highlighted El-Sayed's medical background and presented him as a candidate focused on employment, health care and household costs. He also described health care as a right and urged investment at home rather than spending on prolonged wars.

Obama also said El-Sayed had never taken corporate money. The advertisement presented that claim alongside his arguments about health care and domestic investment.

Those were Obama's arguments for supporting El-Sayed, published by the Democratic campaign. They were distinct from Trump's prediction that the endorsement would have little electoral effect.

The advertisement also urged voters to make a plan to vote by 03 November 2026. Obama's planned appearance falls within Michigan's final stretch of campaigning before that election.

According to Michigan's Department of State, the constitutionally mandated early voting period runs from 24 October 2026 to 01 November 2026. The deadline for registering online or by mail was 19 October 2026, the day of Trump's rally.

The department says new registrations for the November election must be completed in person from 20 October 2026 through Election Day. El-Sayed's campaign scheduled Obama's Detroit appearance for 24 October 2026, the opening day of the mandated early voting period.