Election 2024: Obama calls on black men to run for Harris

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Former President Barack Obama sharply criticized his successor in the White House Donald Trump and called for black men to show up Kamala Harris as he campaigned for the Democratic ticket in Pittsburgh on Thursday at the start of a swing-state tour.

At a campaign office to thank volunteers, Obama said he wanted to “tell some truths” after hearing reports on the ground that enthusiasm for Harris was lower than for his own candidacy and that some black men had considered to sit out the candidacy election.

“Part of it makes me think — and I speak directly to men — part of it makes me think that you’re just not feeling the idea of ​​having a woman as president and are coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for it ” said Obama.

The former president said Trump’s penchant for putting people down is not a real strength.

“Are you thinking about sitting out or supporting someone who has denigrated you in the past because you believe that is a sign of strength because that is what it means to be a man? Degrading women? “This is unacceptable,” Obama said.

The Democratic former president made the battleground state of Pennsylvania the first stop on his campaign tour as Election Day is less than four weeks away and voting is already underway. At a rally at the University of Pittsburgh, he called Trump out of touch and not the choice to lead the country toward change, calling him a “stumbling” billionaire “who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since his fall.” .” his golden escalator nine years ago.”

He said Harris was “a leader who has spent her life fighting for people who need a voice and an opportunity” and declared, “Kamala is as prepared for the job as any presidential candidate ever.”

Obama, out of power for eight years, has been one of the Democratic Party’s most reliable surrogates when it comes to mobilizing voters. Until his election as president in 2020, Joe Biden had also served in that role for Democrats, but this year, after ending his re-election campaign and allowing Harris to climb the ticket, he has yet to make a move.

Obama, greeted with loud cheers from the crowd, described Trump’s all-caps social media posts and his “banter and gushing about crazy conspiracy theories.” The two-hour speeches, word salad, simple – it’s like Fidel Castro. Just keep going. Constantly trying to sell you things. Who does that?”

Obama listed some of the products Trump tried to sell during his third White House campaign, including Gold sneakers worth $399A $100,000 watch and be God Bless the USA Bible for $59.99.

“He wants you to buy The Word of God: Donald Trump Edition. There’s his name right next to Matthew and Luke,” Obama said with a laugh. “You couldn’t make this up.”

As the country’s first black female president, Obama’s performance for Harris underscores the historic nature of her own political career. Harris, the first woman, Black person or person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president, would be the first woman to serve as president if she is elected next month.

His old campaign rallying cry “Yes, We Can” was even revamped for the event, with “Yes, She Can” beamed on a screen over the crowd.

Both Harris and Trump vied for the support of black Americans. A current survey by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 7 in 10 black voters have a somewhat or very favorable view of Harris, with little difference between black male and female voters in their view of the Democratic candidate.

In contrast, black voters’ opinions of Trump were overwhelmingly negative, according to the poll, but the former president believes his message on the economy, immigration and traditional values ​​can penetrate Democrats’ traditional support base among black voters, particularly younger black men.

Obama acknowledged that the last few years, starting with the pandemic, have been tough on Americans as high prices and other impacts put pressure on working families.

“I understand why people are trying to shake things up. I mean, I’m the hopeful type. “So I understand that people are frustrated and feel like we can do better,” Obama said. “What I can’t understand is why anyone would think that Donald Trump is going to shake things up in a way that’s good for you, Pennsylvania.”

He mocked Trump’s response in the debate that he would replace Obama’s flagship health care law, the Affordable Care Act, with “concepts of a plan” and his Vice President JD Vance’s recent remark that Trump had worked to “save” the law.

“Donald Trump spent his entire presidency tearing it down. And by the way, he couldn’t even do it right.”

Obama also referred to a New court application in the case of interference with the federal election against Trump, which said Trump told an adviser, “So what?” after being told that his vice president, Mike Pence, had been taken to a safe location after a violent crowd of Trump supporters on January 6, 2021 stormed the US Capitol.

“If Donald Trump doesn’t care that a mob might attack his own vice president, do you think he cares about you?” he asked.

Glenda Ellison, a 71-year-old retired teacher and Democrat from Pittsburgh, said she was “a little nervous” about the election but “praying it will go in our favor.”

Ellison said she sees Obama as a party spokesman with a large following who can hopefully persuade voters who may be on the fence about voting for Harris.

“As a former president and also as a black president, I think this might have something to do with the African-American community, the fact that our black president is supporting another black candidate,” said Ellison, who is black.

Obama was among the key Democrats trying behind the scenes to persuade Biden, his former vice president, to drop out of the 2024 campaign.

Obama and Harris have been friends for two decades, since he ran for Senate in Illinois. She campaigned for him when he sought the presidency in 2008.

Pennsylvania is a state that Obama won in his 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, but Trump won in 2016. Biden narrowly prevailed in 2020 and the state is shaping up to be one of the most competitive states in this year’s race.

Trump was in the eastern part of the state on Wednesday to hold back-to-back rallies in Scranton and Reading. He also fought in eastern Pennsylvania over the weekend as he returned to Butler, where he was shot in July while surviving an assassination attempt.

Obama’s appearance at the University of Pittsburgh was also aimed at bolstering the re-election campaign of Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, who is being challenged by Trump-backed Republican David McCormick.