Kuzma Disputes Obama Rally Message as Trump Mocks Crowd Size

WHO:

Cleveland.com - Kyle Kuzma, a Flint, Michigan, native and NBA champion, is a Milwaukee Bucks forward.

Cleveland.com - Barack Obama appeared at a rally supporting Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson. El-Sayed is Muslim; U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin is Jewish.

Cleveland.com - El-Sayed is running against Republican Mike Rogers.

Yahoo - President Trump spoke about Obama’s rally at his own rally in Perry, Georgia.

Yahoo - Newsweek contacted Cass Technical High School and Obama’s office for comment; the White House press office referred Newsweek back to Trump’s comments.

WHAT:

Cleveland.com - Kuzma criticized Obama’s discussion of religious identity in a post on X, calling it a “desperate psyop” and “unbearable to watch.” He wrote that Michigan voters cared more about economic problems, including poverty, and that “Last thing that Michiganders care about is a religious identity.”

Cleveland.com - Kuzma’s post said “1 in 4 black people in Michigan are below the poverty line.”

Cleveland.com - Obama defended El-Sayed against attacks involving his faith, saying similar tactics had been used against Obama during his political career.

Yahoo - Trump called Obama’s Detroit rally “empty” and said, “the place was empty.” He also said a “massive crowd” had appeared for “Mohammed,” referring to El-Sayed, and compared rally attendance figures, claiming he drew “35, 40 thousand” or “40,000” while Bernie Sanders drew “900 to 1,000 people.” Trump said reports described Sanders as speaking before a “massive crowd” and added that Sanders “would have like 90.”

Yahoo - Photographs and social-media videos showed a packed gymnasium and an apparent overflow crowd. Michigan Bridge reported attendance of “a crowd of more than 4,300 people.”

Yahoo - Obama described the midterm elections as a potential “circuit breaker” and the “last best chance to at least rein in some of the foolishness” from the second Trump administration.

Cleveland.com - A Sept. 30 Fox News poll found cost of living was among the issues Michigan voters considered extremely important.

WHERE:

Cleveland.com - The rally was held at Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan.

Yahoo - Trump made his remarks at a rally in Perry, Georgia; Obama’s event was in the high school’s gymnasium.

WHEN:

Cleveland.com - Obama’s rally took place on a Saturday, and Kuzma’s post was dated October 25, 2026. The article refers to an upcoming Nov. 3 election.

Yahoo - The article dates Obama’s rally to October 24, 2026, and says Trump spoke about it on Saturday.

Yahoo - A poll of 1,185 likely Michigan voters was conducted over October 15 to 18; an InsiderAdvantage survey of 1,200 likely voters was conducted over October 9-10. A Nate Silver polling model gave El-Sayed a three-percentage-point lead on Wednesday.

WHY:

Cleveland.com - Kuzma said he objected to emphasizing politicians’ religious identities when voters faced economic concerns, including poverty.

Yahoo - Trump’s remarks continued his comparisons of his rally crowds with those of political rivals, particularly Obama.

HOW:

Yahoo - Videos and photographs shared on X appeared to show a packed venue and an overflow audience; the article noted the gym was smaller than stadiums where Trump and Obama had held rallies.

Yahoo - The Michigan poll showed El-Sayed at 50 percent and Rogers at 48 percent; InsiderAdvantage showed El-Sayed at 48 percent and Rogers at 46 percent.

Yahoo - The article says Trump has used Obama’s middle name when referring to him; critics argue this is intended to make Obama sound more Islamic.

(UPDATED October 26, 2026 01:32 UTC)

Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma criticized Barack Obama for discussing Muslim Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s faith at a Detroit rally, arguing Michigan voters are more concerned about economic problems and poverty. Kuzma, a Flint native and NBA champion, called the discussion a “desperate psyop” and said one in four Black people in Michigan live below the poverty line. Obama defended El-Sayed against attacks tied to his religion, saying similar tactics had been used against him. President Trump, speaking at a rally in Perry, Georgia, called Obama’s event “empty” and contrasted its crowd with his own. But photos and videos showed a packed school gymnasium and an overflow audience; Michigan Bridge reported more than 4,300 attendees. Obama described the midterm elections as a chance to rein in the Trump administration. Polls showed El-Sayed narrowly ahead of Republican Mike Rogers.