Pittsburgh CNN —
Former President Barack Obama on Thursday addressed Black men who have been hesitant to support Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, calling it “unacceptable” for her to sit out this election, citing Harris as a woman. He suggested that they may be reluctant to vote for a number of reasons.
President Obama’s striking comments to a small group of voters who made a surprise stop at his local Harris campaign office in Pittsburgh were part of a stronger campaign message from the former president on Thursday as the lead remained narrow in the polls. It was. -Neck lace. At a rally in the city later that night, President Obama issued his most scathing public criticism yet of his successor.
Regarding the lack of energy that some people see in Harris’ campaign, Obama first told a small group that “it seems to be more pronounced with the brothers.”
“Are you considering ignoring or supporting someone (former President Donald Trump) who has a history of defaming you? That’s a sign of strength and that’s a man’s Is it because it demeans women?” Obama said. “That’s not acceptable.”
He suggested that the issue is not as complex as some people think and often boils down to sexism.
“You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses, and I have a problem with that,” Obama said. “Because part of it makes me think – and I’m talking directly to men – part of it makes me think, well, you know, the idea of having a woman as president. Even though you’re not feeling it, you come up with other alternatives and other reasons.”
As CNN reported, even before Harris was sworn in as the Democratic nominee, she focused on endorsing Black men in an effort to drum up enthusiasm for President Joe Biden.
“The concern is that Sofa will win,” one person close to the Harris team told CNN. “We need to keep black men and Hispanic men off the couch, because if they don’t vote at all, that’s a vote for him.”
Harris will travel to Detroit next week to participate in a radio town hall on Tuesday hosted by Charlamagne the God, the national radio co-host who announced the plan Friday morning. He has millions of followers across digital platforms, and “The Breakfast Club” has a huge audience nationally, many of them Black.
During the hour-long meeting, scheduled for 5 p.m. ET, Harris will field questions from callers from across the battleground states. In addition to multiple digital streams and the iHeartRadio app, an estimated 139 radio stations in markets nationwide will take advantage of the program.
As the Harris campaign works to quickly recreate the multiracial Biden coalition of 2020, campaign operatives and allies have issued directives similar to those issued by President Obama in Pittsburgh, and many In some cases, they are working informally to appeal to voters close to them. -up, intimate space.
Last month in Milwaukee, Harris’ brother-in-law Anthony West quietly attended a local NAACP meeting. The NAACP is strictly a nonpartisan organization whose members include influential, mostly Democratic, state activists and organizers.
In a recording of the meeting obtained by CNN, he made his case for Harris in strong terms.
“Remember that you were raised by strong Black women who cared for you, fed you, and gave you opportunities in life,” West told the NAACP audience. He encouraged attendees to take this message home with them.
“Get up off your couch and vote.”
President Obama condemns President Trump’s economic claims
President Obama made his most personal and blistering accusation yet at a rally, saying President Trump and the Republican Party are in thrall to a toxic man whose lies about last week’s storm relief deeply violated the trust of the American people. Ta.
“The idea that we would intentionally try to deceive people in their most desperate and vulnerable moments. My question is, since when did that become OK?” He pointed out President Trump’s lies about withholding aid to “Republican areas” and “siphoning off aid given to illegal immigrants.”
As the cheers erupted, he suddenly silenced the room.
“I’m not asking for applause right now!” President Obama said, his voice shaking with emotion, before asking Trump’s Republican and conservative allies. Why do we follow it? ”
Obama drew sharp contrasts in policy and personality, bashing Trump on both sides and elevating Harris, installing his successor as the mascot of a dangerous and increasingly troublesome nation. Mr. Obama has enjoyed mocking and criticizing Mr. Trump on the campaign trail so far, but Thursday’s speech and address were stinging and unusually visceral.
“If you had a family that acted like[Trump]you might still love them, but you would say to them, ‘You have a problem,’ and you wouldn’t put him in charge of anything.” “Deaf,” President Obama said. . “Yet, when Donald Trump lies, cheats, and completely disregards the Constitution, when he calls prisoners of war ‘losers’ and his fellow countrymen ‘pests,’ people make excuses for it.”
Turning to voters who have expressed concerns about Trump’s possible return to the White House or who may not be paying attention to the race, Obama issued a blunt call to action.
“Whether you’re excited or scared, hopeful or frustrated about this election, or somewhere in between, it’s best to sit back and hope for the best. Don’t. Get off your couch and vote. Put down your phone and vote. Gather your friends and family and vote,” President Obama said. “Vote for Kamala Harris.”
Mr. Obama also sought to counter a central argument of Mr. Trump’s campaign: that Mr. Trump represents a break from the gridlocked status quo.
“I can see why people would want to shake things up. I mean, I’m a ‘hopeful’ guy. I understand that people are frustrated and feel that we can do better,” President Obama said. “What I don’t understand is why anyone thinks Donald Trump is going to shake things up for the better for you guys.”
Throughout his speech, Obama described Trump as uniquely greedy and duplicitous.
He said President Trump’s tax plan is a gift to “billionaires and big corporations.”
President Obama said President Trump’s pledge to impose harsh tariffs on foreign trade amounted to a glorified “sales tax” that would cost the average household thousands of dollars.
He was furious, calling Trump’s claims that he had led a strong economy ahistorical nonsense.
“Well, it was pretty good[when President Trump took office in 2017]because that was my economy,” Obama said. “That’s not what he did. I spent eight years cleaning up the last mess the Republican Party left behind. So in case your memory is fuzzy, he We didn’t do anything other than massive tax cuts.”
Mr. Obama concluded that President Trump’s promises were either wildly false or dangerously naive.
President Obama said, “If you ask President Trump to enumerate his ‘concepts’ in detail, he will come back to one answer.” “No matter what the problem is – housing, health care, education, paying the bills – their only answer is to blame immigrants.”
This article has been updated with additional reporting.
