Trump doubles down on Obama criticism as his voice starts to give out amid campaign rally blitz

President Trump doubled down on his criticism of Barack Obama even as he struggled to keep his voice amid a nearly nonstop midterm campaign rally blitz to keep his Republicans in control of Congress.“I should save my voice because Barack Hussein Obama, have you heard of him?” he told a crowd in Mississippi on Monday night, pointing to the former president’s Saturday claims that Trump was too concerned with White House renovations.“I didn’t take any time,” Trump said.“I literally do it when I walk home from the Oval.”He also blasted Obama for bringing the Cheesecake Factory into the argument, calling it “a very successful company.”“He doesn’t like successful companies,” Trump said.

Obama, while campaigning for Democrats in Ohio Saturday, told supporters Trump “should be on HGTV” due to his focus on construction.“He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” the 44th president added.Trump offered a prolonged defense of his White House renovations  — which have included tearing down the East Wing to build a ballroom, repairing and repainting the North Portico columns of the residence, paving over the Rose Garden and blinging out the Oval Office in gold wall fixtures — as necessary to maintain the historic property.“Nobody loves it like I do,” he said of the White House.“Nobody loves it, and now the White House is in beautiful shape.”“We have to have a beautiful, beautiful, well-kept White House, a symbol of our country,” he added.His message was clear even if his voice was not.

Trump has struggled to make himself heard the past few days and kept his rally in Mississippi on the shorter side  — a little less than 90 minutes.His speeches usually go almost two hours.The president acknowledged his scratchy sound as he implored the MAGA faithful to come out and vote in next week’s election.“God didn’t make your vocal cords to do a rally every day, but when you love the peopl...