CNN —
Michelle Obama delivered a scathing indictment of Donald Trump at a Kamala Harris rally in Michigan on Saturday, calling the former president an existential threat to women’s rights and encouraging people to vote for him. “It’s a vote against us,” he told the men.
The former first lady echoed her passionate and often vitriolic remarks at this summer’s Democratic National Convention, expressing hope and fear in equal measure, openly agonizing over the prospects of Trump’s return to the White House while echoing Harris’ courage. It promoted compassion. . By the time she introduced and hugged Harris, Obama’s voice was almost trembling. She insisted it wasn’t as close as polls suggested and was frustrated by the worry and competition.
“In every way, she has shown she is ready,” President Obama said of Harris. “The real question is: Are we as a country ready for this moment?”
Addressing a raucous and enthusiastic crowd in Kalamazoo, President Obama spoke frankly about the impact on women and “the men who love us” if his federal government is not willing to cushion the blow. He often spoke in dark terms. State abortion ban.
“Please, don’t hand over our fate to people like Mr. Trump, who know nothing about us and deeply despise us,” Obama said. “Because a vote for him is a vote for us, our health, and our values.”
Harris’ Kalamazoo rally — “Kamalazoo,” as the former first lady joked — comes on the heels of another reproductive rights-themed event in Houston on Friday night, where music Superstar Beyoncé endorsed the vice president and issued a similar message of faith and fear.
“I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician,” the singer said. “I’m here as a mother.”
In Houston, Harris spoke directly to male voters, saying, “Men across America don’t want to see their daughters, their wives, their sisters, their mothers in danger because their rights are taken away from them.”
President Obama of Michigan made similar overtures, many of them in more graphic and painfully detailed language.
“During routine work, if my wife is shaking and bleeding on the operating table, if the birth goes awry and blood loss increases and her blood pressure drops, or if an unexpected infection spreads and the doctor is not ready to respond. If you’re not sure, it’s up to you to pray it’s not too late,” President Obama said. “You’re going to be begging someone to do something for you.”
Obama asked the women watching to try to convince undecided friends and family to vote for Harris, or vote on their own.
“If you are a woman living in a household with a man who doesn’t listen to you or respect your opinion, please remember that your vote is a private matter,” Obama said. ” he said. “You can make your own decisions and vote for yourself and the women in your life. Women who stand up for what’s best for us can make a difference in this election. Please don’t forget.
This appeal to moderate Republicans and conservatives disillusioned with the Trump brand of Republican politics has become another theme of Harris’ campaign in the final stages of the campaign.
“Kamala, she’s fearlessly putting herself out there and standing up to even her harshest critics. She’s looking to Republicans to find common ground,” Obama said. “Unlike her opponents, she doesn’t avoid interviews or hunker down in the safety of a fawning audience. She shows us what a sane, stable leader looks like. Thank you.”
After writing at length criticizing President Trump, his “horrible actions” and what she described as his failure to respond to the pandemic, President Obama once again offered a glimpse of her own insecurities.
Michelle Obama: Some are choosing to ignore President Trump’s incompetence
“That being said, it made me ask myself, ‘Why on earth is this race even closer?'” Obama said. “I would stay up at night wondering what the hell was going on.”
Aside from a star-studded event in Texas, Ms. Harris, who continues her daily onslaught of battleground states, has focused on now-familiar themes and lines of attack, calling out Mr. Trump’s “enemy list” and her “enemy list.” The list was compared again. To-do list. ”
“Imagine Donald Trump without guardrails,” Harris said. “Those who claim extreme, unlimited power if re-elected, those who have sworn to become dictators from day one, those who say they wish they had generals like Hitler, those who hold Americans with whom they disagree. Within those who call themselves “enemies.”
Standing behind a podium holding the presidential seal, Harris pointed out that Trump had called for abolishing the Constitution and restoring power, and said Trump should be disqualified for that comment alone. said.
“Never, never, never again,” she said.
Harris delivered her passionate line to thunderous applause, the loudest reaction to the vice president that night.
Speaking in a typically blue-leaning county that President Joe Biden won by about 20 points in 2020, Harris directly appealed to young voters, including those in Kalamazoo, which is home to several universities.
“Generations of Americans before us led the fight for freedom, and now that baton is in our hands,” she said, before asking, “Can I meet Gen Z?” he asked. — which drew cheers from the young attendees.
“I love you all,” Harris added.
“I love that.”
