Obama rallies Georgia voters with jibe at Trump's White House ballroom

Between 3,500 and 4,000 people packed the Discovery Center of Clayton County on Wednesday as the midterm election campaign entered its final week. The crowd gathered just south of Atlanta to hear former president Barack Obama deliver a sharp critique of Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

Obama called the current administration "not serious people" and argued that the public is paying the price for that lack of seriousness. He used the rally to boost US senator Jon Ossoff, former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and other Democrats on the ballot in the state.

The former president focused his attack on the White House renovations, specifically the new ballroom being built on the site of the former East Wing. He revisited his joke from last week comparing the gilded decor to Saddam Hussein decorating a Cheesecake Factory, noting that Trump was less bothered by the dictator reference than the restaurant comparison.

"The Saddam Hussein thing didn't bother him. But he was very upset about the Cheesecake Factory," Obama said. He claimed officials mobilized a whole government response to the joke, including a call to the secretary of the treasury. According to Obama, the treasury chief was told to hold a press conference in front of the restaurant while working on lowering inflation.

Obama rejected the idea that the reference was snobbish, citing his own family history. "I am the father of two daughters," he said. "Do you think I could have survived their childhood without going to the Cheesecake Factory?" He then shifted to affordability, describing a presidency intent on selling favors and claiming Trump made billions of dollars while in office.

Ossoff, who is polling eight to 10 points ahead of Republican opponent Mike Collins, also addressed the renovations. He said Trump digs the moral pit deeper each day and accused him of leading the most corrupt administration of all time. The crowd chanted "Lock him up!" as Ossoff described Democrats pursuing impeachment if they win control of Congress next year.

Keisha Lance Bottoms, who is statistically tied with Republican opponent Rick Jackson, drew a line between her campaign and the billionaire healthcare executive. She labeled them two out-of-touch billionaires trying to get rich on the backs of taxpayers. Bottoms invoked John Lewis and Coretta Scott King, stating that her opponents may have money but will never overtake the movement.

A Bottoms victory would end the Republican trifecta in Georgia, which has held both legislative chambers and the governor's office since 2004. Rev Raphael Warnock, Georgia's other senator, also spoke, warning of spiritual wickedness in high places due to deep cuts to Medicaid and Snap nutrition support.

Trump campaigned in Ohio during the same time frame. He has held near-daily rallies in the closing days of the race, including two appearances in Georgia within the last two weeks in districts that would otherwise appear safe for Republicans.