FORMER US president Barack Obama made a passionate case against Donald Trump on Thursday (10) during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in which he appealed direct to men to reject Trump's bravado and back vice president Kamala Harris.
Obama has been a vocal supporter of Harris since she ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket after president Joe Biden stepped aside in July following a poor debate performance against Trump, the Republican former president.
Obama, whose White House term ended in 2017, is still popular with his party's base. The rally he headlined at the University of Pittsburgh, held while Harris spent the day campaigning in Nevada and Arizona, is the first of several events he plans to do in coming weeks in battleground states which are likely to decide the election.
In remarks that lambasted Trump both for his character and his policy proposals, Obama zeroed in on male voters, a constituency Harris has struggled to win over.
"I’m sorry, gentlemen. I’ve noticed this especially with some men who seem to think Trump’s behaviour, the bullying, and the putting people down is a sign of strength. I am here to tell you that is not what real strength is," he 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."
Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the Rawhide Event Center on October 10, 2024 in Chandler, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)Obama trained his fire on Trump during the rally, comparing the Republican's long speeches to late Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro's and calling the billionaire out of touch with ordinary people.
America's first Black president admitted that "this election's going to be tight" as many voters were still struggling with high prices.
But he told the crowd that "what I cannot understand is why anybody would think that Donald Trump will shake things up", adding: "You think Donald Trump ever changed a diaper?'
The popular Democrat called Trump's schemes to sell bibles as "crazy" and used the same word to describe the 78-year-old former president's embrace of conspiracy theories.
Before the rally, during a stop at a local campaign office, Obama went a step further, suggesting black men were not supporting Harris because of her gender.
"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."
At the rally Obama said Trump only cared about his own ego and money. He stressed that Harris was raised in the middle class and believed in American values, which he contrasted with Trump's mistruths and deliberate attempts to deceive, including recently about the government's response to hurricanes.
"When did that become okay?" Obama asked.
He highlighted Harris' "concrete plans" on housing and taxes.
"Kamala is as prepared for the job as any nominee for president has ever been," he said. "With Kamala you've got actual plans. Trump - concepts of a plan."
Obama's event on a college campus was also aimed in part at attracting younger voters.
Youth are a critical part of the coalition that the Harris campaign hopes will propel her to victory. But voter registration among young people in 34 states is down compared with four years ago, according to data updated in September from the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.
The number of people between the ages of 18 and 29 registered to vote in Pennsylvania in September was 15 per cent lower than 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," said rally attendee AJ Herzog, 27, 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."
Obama's engagement could help get young people motivated in the campaign's final stretch. The former president has sought to serve as a closer for Democratic candidates before, with events for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and for Biden in 2020, especially at the end of the election cycle when early voting had begun, as it has now.
The Trump campaign dismissed Obama's remarks and influence.
"If anyone cared about what Obama says, Hillary Clinton would've been president," said Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
Obama has helped raise $80 million for the 2024 presidential campaign, according to an aide.
He and his wife, Michelle, gave rousing speeches in support of Harris at the Democratic National Convention in August; the former first lady is expected to campaign further for Harris as well.
Harris was an early supporter of Obama's own 2008 presidential bid, and he has helped her behind the scenes as the party's 2024 standard-bearer.
Harris and Trump remain in a close race, and winning Pennsylvania could be key to winning the White House.
"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."
Harris's campaign said Obama's appearance, the first in a series in battleground states before the November 5 election, was designed to get people out to vote in crucial Pennsylvania.
She was in battleground Nevada for a town hall hosted by the Spanish language network Univision on Thursday and later spoke at a rally in Arizona aimed at reaching out to Latino voters.
When a woman asked Harris at the town hall to name three of Trump's virtues, she replied: "I think Donald Trump loves his family, and I think that's very important.... But I don't really know him, to be honest with you. I don't have much more to offer you."
In Arizona, Harris addressed the devastation caused by Hurricane Milton in Florida, saying the federal government "has mobilized thousands of personnel" to recover and rebuild the region.
Trump was in the hotly contested state of Michigan on Thursday, unveiling new details of his protectionist plans for the US auto industry, including sweeping tariffs on vehicles not made in America.
Trump also ramped up his personal attacks on Harris, branding her "dumber than hell," and assailed the auto industry capital Detroit itself as run down as he was speaking to the city's economic club.
"Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she's your president," he said.
Harris meanwhile said she had accepted an offer for a CNN town hall on October 23 in Pennsylvania, after Trump turned down a final televised debate with her.
(Agencies)
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