Obama tells Ohioans Iran war cost $2 trillion

Midterm voters in Ohio face a tight contest, but former President Barack Obama framed the choice around the price of foreign policy. Speaking at a rally on Saturday, he placed a specific figure on the cost of the administration's actions.

Obama stated that the United States spent $2 trillion on the conflict with Iran. He described the engagement as an unnecessary war that the public did not request. The former president argued that President Donald Trump made a series of poor decisions during his second term.

The speech targeted the current administration's foreign policy record. Obama told the crowd that they now have the opportunity to respond to two years of what he called chaos, cruelty, and corruption. He urged supporters to signal that they are done with the current direction of the government.

The former president also addressed the contentious gubernatorial race in the state. He defended Democratic candidate Amy Acton against a recent attack advertisement from Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy. The ad featured Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, who disputed her daughter's accounts of childhood homelessness and abuse.

Acton has said she has not seen her mother since 1978. Her brother supports her story of sexual abuse by a stepfather who was charged with rape and died in 2004. Obama called Acton's testimony moving and said Ramaswamy showed no limit in how low he would sink to win the vote.

Acton shared the stage with former Senator Sherrod Brown, who is seeking to return to office. Brown is challenging incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted. Current polls indicate a slight Democratic lead in both the gubernatorial and Senate races, though the margins are expected to remain thin.