Washington, 29 October

Barack Obama reprised his nearly two-decade-old message of hope and change to urge voters in the US to seize their last best chance to rein in "non-serious" President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

Addressing a rally in Atlanta on Wednesday evening, the former president said he was already feeling that “change is in the air” and that the people were “so hungry for something new”.

“These are not serious people. And we’re all paying the price for their lack of seriousness,” he told thousands of Democratic supporters gathered at the Discovery Centre, who cheered him throughout his 45-minute speech.

Obama, then a first-term US senator, was elected the 44th president in 2008 on the strength of his oratorical skills and his message of hope, encapsulated in his “yes, we can” campaign slogan and his call for change.

He also roasted the Trump administration's attacks on him after he compared the gilded renovations at the White House to Saddam Hussein (former Iraq president)decorating the Cheesecake Factory, a popular American restaurant chain known for its ornate interiors.

“The Saddam Hussein thing didn’t bother him. But he was very upset about the Cheesecake Factory,” Obama said.

“I mean, it’s all crazy, but this is the crazy part: they mobilised a whole government response to that joke,” he said, recalling that the White House had even asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to hold a press conference in front of the Cheesecake Factory.

As the crowd erupted in boos, Obama urged supporters to channel their anger into ballots by turning out in huge numbers for the November 3 midterm elections.

“They can’t hear your boos, but they can hear your vote,” the former president said, flagging affordability issues and accusing Trump of profiteering from the office he held.

“We have never seen a president so intent on selling favours,” Obama said.

“The guy has made billions of dollars while in office. Understand that this has not been done in modern times,” he said, accusing Trump of never focusing on issues that matter to the common man.

Obama was campaigning for US Senator Jon Ossoff, former Atlanta mayor and gubernatorial hopeful Keisha Lance Bottoms, and other Democrats contesting the elections.

“When you’ve campaigned in as many elections as I have, you can tell when an election comes along that’s a little different. An election where people are so hungry for something new, so hungry for something better, so sick and tired of being sick and tired, that everywhere you go it feels like change is in the air.

“And Georgia, that’s what I’m feeling right now. That’s what you have a chance to do in six days,” Obama said.