Former President Barack Obama is hitting the trail on Saturday for his first campaign rallies of the midterm elections, putting him directly counter to President Trump, who is set to speak at a rally in the evening.
Mr. Obama’s return to rally stages in Ohio and Michigan sets up a rare split-screen between him and Mr. Trump, who will appear in Georgia. The two presidents are presenting starkly different pitches on the eve of the midterms, with their parties locked in bitter battles for control of Congress and statehouses.
Mr. Obama is expected to argue that Americans have an opportunity to elevate public servants who will bring accountability to Washington, and to speak about what he sees as abuses of power unfolding in the federal government, according to his representatives. He will also address artificial intelligence, arguing that Democrats are a better choice to address the fast-developing and disruptive technology, his team said.
“President Obama understands the stakes of this election could not be any higher,” Eric Schultz, a senior adviser to Mr. Obama, said in a statement, adding that the president’s strategy was “focused on maximizing his impact, especially where his voice can help move the needle in support of the next generation of leaders.”
Mr. Trump, who is set to speak in Perry, Ga., on Saturday evening, has been pressing a message that Democrats are dangerous extremists who will transform America. He has urged voters to pretend he is on the ballot, hoping to activate his party’s base. But polls show his approval ratings have plummeted, and Republicans are on the defensive over high prices.
At a rally in Florida on Friday, Mr. Trump falsely accused Democrats of being communists and said a vote for Republicans would be a vote for “more money in your pockets, bigger paychecks for your families, lower taxes” and less crime.
The presidents have recently exchanged public criticisms — though Mr. Trump’s have been more frequent, forceful and direct. At a rally in Kansas on Monday, Mr. Trump said Mr. Obama had been a “rotten president.”
Mr. Trump, who succeeded Mr. Obama in office in 2017, had for years promoted a racist, baseless conspiracy theory that Mr. Obama was not born in the United States.
Mr. Obama has been selective about publicly criticizing Mr. Trump by name. Recently, he has expressed disapproval of Mr. Trump’s approach to artificial intelligence, among other topics.
Mr. Obama, who has been out of office for nearly a decade, has engaged heavily with midterm races, taping dozens of ads for candidates. But until now his time on the trail has been limited to some light campaigning in the spring with James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas.
On Saturday, Mr. Obama will start in Cleveland with former Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, a Democrat who is challenging Senator Jon Husted, a Republican, in one of the country’s most closely watched races. Mr. Obama will also speak in support of Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor.
Dr. Acton’s race has consumed national politics in recent days, after her Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, aired an ad featuring Dr. Acton’s mother, who has been estranged from her daughter for decades. The ad has split Republicans.
Mr. Obama was the last Democratic presidential candidate to carry Ohio, which was once seen as a quintessential swing state but has been drifting toward Republicans for years. But Democrats have grown increasingly confident about their chances there in the November elections.
Mr. Obama will travel next to Detroit to rally with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive Democratic nominee in Michigan’s pivotal Senate race. Dr. El-Sayed has been trying to shore up his support from Black voters in a contest that Republicans see as their best chance to flip a Senate seat.
In the evening, Mr. Trump will make his appearance in Georgia, a state that Mr. Obama plans to visit later in the week. On Sunday, Mr. Trump is set to visit Michigan.
Mr. Trump has directly addressed Mr. Obama’s trip to Michigan in his own recent remarks and has reminded audiences that he won Michigan in 2016 and 2024.
Mr. Obama has challenged Mr. Trump over his policies. Last month, he publicly criticized Mr. Trump over his approach to A.I. for the first time, warning that the technology could “deeply affect our health and our safety.”
“There’s no replacement for an effective, government regulatory structure,” Mr. Obama said at an event in upstate New York. “And the challenge we have is that, obviously, we have a president currently that has said that’s for losers.”
Last weekend, Mr. Obama also denounced the Trump administration’s intensifying investigation into Representative Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, writing on social media that it was “appalling.”
On Saturday, Mr. Obama will also focus on Democratic candidates’ personal stories, his representatives said. Dr. El-Sayed, a son of Egyptian immigrants who would be the first Muslim senator, has been facing attacks from Republicans who say he is ungrateful or disloyal to the United States. Dr. El-Sayed has responded that he believes America represents a “deep and profound” gift.
Mr. Obama, the first Black president, spoke by phone with Dr. El-Sayed soon after he won a divisive primary in August.
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