- Obama gave a fired-up speech criticizing Sen. Johnson for being out of touch with Wisconsin voters.
- He rebuked the senator for supporting tax breaks for private plane owners while wanting to undermine Social Security.
Former President Barack Obama delivered an impassioned rebuke of GOP Sen. Ron Johnson at a rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Saturday.
The former president hit out at the incumbent senator for supporting a tax plan allowing people to write off the cost of private planes while also supporting a plan that Obama said puts Medicare and Social Security "on the chopping block."
Obama asked the crowd to consider "who is going to fight for you" as he spoke in support of Democratic challenger Wisconsin Lt. Gov Mandela Barnes.
The video excerpt from the speech went viral on social media, receiving 7.7 million views at the time of writing.
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Obama said that Johnson's "adult children bought not one, not two, but three private planes. Because apparently, carpooling wasn't an option. You need three? Meanwhile, Sen. Johnson voted to raise the retirement age to 70, supported a plan that would put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block every single year."
Johnson has previously suggested that Social Security and Medicare should no longer be federal entitlement programs and instead should be approved by Congress annually as discretionary spending.
Obama pointed out that members of the crowd and their family members were likely on Social Security.
"You know why they have Social Security? Because they worked for it. They worked hard jobs for it. They have chapped hands for it. They had long hours and sore backs and bad knees to get that security," Obama said.
"And if Ron Johnson does not understand that, if he understands giving tax breaks for private planes more than he understands making sure that seniors who've worked all their lives are able to retire with dignity and respect, he is not the person who is thinking about you and knows you and sees you, and he should not be your senator for Wisconsin."
The former president's oratory received intense applause from the crowd, and videos of it were shared widely on social media.
It was Obama's second rally appearance over the weekend, as the former president has stepped into the spotlight to raise support for Democrats ahead of the midterm elections.
The former president is seen as his party's top communicator to base voters, and strategists say Obama is the only leader that can motivate crowds without also angering the other side, according to The Washington Post.