FAIRFAX, Va.—President Barack Obama is bringing along a new ally on the campaign trail: Big Bird.

The president and his supporters are seizing on Republican Mitt Romney’s pledge to cut funding from public broadcasting, one of the few specific spending cuts he offered to make during their debate Wednesday night.

“When he was asked what he would actually do to cut spending and reduce the deficit, his big example was to go after public television,” Mr. Obama told a rally at George Mason University Friday, where he also discussed the new jobs data. “For all you moms and kids out there, don’t worry. Somebody is finally getting tough on Big Bird… Wall Street can run wild again, but he’s going to bring down the hammer on Sesame Street.”