US Presidential Election: Barack Obama campaigns for Kamala Harris, says Trump putting people down at Pennsylvania rally

Former President Barack Obama took the stage in Pennsylvania and made a passionate appeal to the rabid crowd to support US Vice President and the Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Obama appealed directly to the men in the crowd, urging them to turn down the bravado showcased by the Republican presidential nominee and former president Donald Trump.

Harris and Trump are embroiled in a tight race to win the keys to the White House, with both polling beside each other, especially in key battleground states. As the nation prepares to go to the polls on November 5, both candidates are utilising the final stretch to campaign and secure votes.

Obama arriving to root for Harris was the card she chose to play on the day. Since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July following internal pressure and a poor debate performance, Obama has been an open Harris supporter. Barack Obama said that he and his wife think that their “friend” Harris would make a “fantastic President of the United States”.

The former president’s term ended back in 2017 and, yet to this day, his fandom within the party’s base endures.

The former president headlined a rally held at the University of Pittsburgh, while the vice president was campaigning in Nevada and Arizona, Reuters reported. More similar events are planned in the coming weeks, particularly in battleground states.

While addressing the crowd, Obama targeted the male voters, a constituency Harris has been unable to win over. Obama zeroed in on Trump’s behaviour and policies, aiming his rhetoric at the male voters in the crowd.

“I’m sorry, gentlemen. I’ve noticed this especially with some men who seem to think Trump’s behaviour, bullying, and putting people down is a sign of strength. I am here to tell you that is not what real strength is,” Obama said. “Real strength is about helping people who need it and standing up for those who can’t always stand up for themselves. That is what we should want for our daughters and for our sons.”

Obama made a telling statement before the rally, too, at a local campaign office. The former president suggested that Black men were not planning to vote for Harris simply because of her gender, according to Reuters.

“Part of it makes me think — and I’m speaking to men directly — part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that.”

Obama further pointed out that Trump only cared for his ego and money, stressing Harris’s middle class upbringing and American values and comparing them against Trump’s lies and attempts to deceive people.

He further highlighted Harris’ “concrete plans” on housing and taxes.

“Kamala is as prepared for the job as any nominee for president has ever been,” Obama said. “With Kamala you’ve got actual plans. Trump – concepts of a plan.”

OBAMA AIMED YOUNG AND RURAL VOTERS AT THE RALLY

Harris also has other cards up her sleeve except Obama.

Bill Clinton, a two-term Democratic president, just like Obama, will be stopping by in Georgia on Sunday and Monday before travelling to North Carolina for a bus tour later in the week in an attempt to shore up rural voters.

Obama’s college campus event, however, was aimed at the younger crowd, one that is not always eager to vote.

Ironically, it’s the youth which could prove to be a critical part of the upcoming election, or at least that’s what Harris’s campaign is hoping.

Voter registration amongst younger people, however, is down in 34 states, as compared to what it was four years ago, according to data updated in September from the Centre for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.

The number of people between the ages of 18 and 29 that registered to vote in Pennsylvania in September was 15% lower than what it was on election day in 2020, the centre’s data showed.

“I understand why certain younger people feel discouraged and maybe not as passionate about politics or an interest in voting,” rally attendee AJ Herzog, 27, told Reuters, citing the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.

“I think people feel, like, hopeless in certain cases where, no matter who they vote for, it’s a lot of the same. But I do think there is more opportunity for change with Kamala Harris as president than there is going back to Donald Trump.”

The Trump campaign promptly dismissed Obama’s remarks and his apparent influence in the ongoing election cycle.

“If anyone cared about what Obama says, Hillary Clinton would’ve been president,” Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Reuters.

According to an aide, Obama has also helped raise $80 million for the 2024 presidential campaign. Additionally, he and Michelle, his wife, gave moving speeches, rooting for Harris, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago earlier this year.

With the election only days away, Harris and Trump continue to compete to shore up critical votes in critical states, Pennsylvania being one of them.

“I get it why people are looking to shake things up,” Obama told the rally crowd. “I understand people feeling frustrated, feeling ‘we can do better.’ What I cannot understand is why anybody would think that Donald Trump will shake things up in a way that is good for you, Pennsylvania.”