Pittsburgh
CNN
—
Former President Barack Obama on Thursday admonished black men hesitant to support Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, saying it was “unacceptable” for her to sit out the election and that they might hesitate to vote for Harris because she is a woman.
Obama’s striking remarks to a small group of voters at a local Harris campaign office in Pittsburgh were part of a more robust campaign message delivered by the former president on Thursday. – Neck race. At a rally in the city that evening, Obama delivered his most scathing public criticism of his successor to date.
The lack of energy that some see around Harris’s campaign, Obama told the small group at first, “is very apparent with the brothers.”
“You think about sitting down or supporting someone (in former President Donald Trump) who has a history of disparaging you because you think that’s a sign of strength, because that’s what it means to be human? To put women down?” “That’s not acceptable,” Obama said.
The problem, she suggested, is less complicated than some people make it out to be — and it often comes down to gender.
“You come 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 speaking directly to men — part of it makes me think, you don’t realize the idea of a woman being president, and you come up with other alternatives and other reasons for that.”
According to a CNN report, Harris focused on black men’s evictions before taking the Democratic nomination, trying to drum up excitement for President Joe Biden there.
A person close to Harris’ team told CNN. “We have to make sure that black men, Hispanic men, don’t sit on the couch. Because if they don’t vote. That’s (a) vote for him.
Harris will travel to Detroit next week for a radio town hall on Tuesday, hosted by national radio co-host Charlemagne Tha God, who announced the plan Friday morning. He has millions of followers on digital platforms and “The Breakfast Club” enjoys a wide audience across the country, the majority of whom are black.
During the hourlong conversation, scheduled for 5 p.m. ET, Harris will take questions from callers from battleground states. In addition to multiple digital streams and the iHeartRadio app, 139 radio stations in markets across the country will carry the program.
With Harris’ campaign short-term, campaign operatives and allies are giving a mandate similar to the one Obama gave in Pittsburgh to rebuild a multiracial Biden coalition for 2020 — often working to make the case to close voters in person. -up, close places.
Last month in Milwaukee, Harris’ brother-in-law Anthony West quietly attended a local meeting of the NAACP — a technically nonpartisan group whose members are filled with influential, mostly Democratic activists and organizers.
In a recording of the meeting obtained by CNN, he made Harris’s case in strong terms.
“Remember you were raised by a strong black woman, a strong black woman took care of you, fed you, gave you a chance in life,” West told the NAACP audience, urging attendees to take that home.
‘Get off your couch and vote’
Obama slams Trump’s economic claims
At the rally, Obama delivered his personal, furious indictment of Trump and the Republican Party, which he said last week’s lies about hurricane relief had a toxic quality that indicated a deep violation of Americans’ trust.
“The idea of deliberately trying to deceive people in their most desperate and vulnerable moments — my question is, when did that become okay?” Obama pointed to Trump’s lies that the federal government is withholding aid to hard-hit “Republican areas” or “freezing aid to undocumented immigrants.”
When a cheer arose, he silenced the room sharply.
“I’m not looking for applause now!” To Republicans and conservatives allied with Trump, “When did it get right? Why should we go with it? ”
Obama has drawn sharp contrasts in policy and character — ripping Trump and talking up Harris on both ends — and his successor has become a symbol for a dangerous and increasingly sinister version of the country. Obama has loved mocking and criticizing Trump in past campaigns, but his speech and speech on Thursday were bitter and unusually visceral.
“If you have a family member who acts like (Trump), you can still love them, but you tell them, ‘You have a problem,’ and you don’t hold them accountable for anything,” Obama said. . “And yet, when Donald Trump lies or cheats, or completely ignores our Constitution, calls prisoners of war ‘losers’ or fellow citizens ‘vermin,’ people make excuses for it.”
Turning his attention to voters worried about the possibility of a Trump return to the White House and others not paying much attention to the campaign, Obama issued a stark call to action.
“Whether this election makes you feel excited, scared, hopeful, or frustrated, or anything in between, don’t sit back and hope for the best. Get off the couch and vote. Put down your phone and vote. Grab your friends and family and vote,” Obama said. Vote for Kamala Harris.
Obama tried to push back against an argument that was at the heart of Trump’s campaign: that he represents a departure from the old status quo.
“I understand why people are looking to shake things up. I mean, I’m a ‘hope-change’ guy. I understand that people are frustrated and that we can do better,” Obama said. I can’t understand.”
Throughout his speech, Obama described Trump as uniquely greedy and hypocritical.
Trump’s tax plan, he said, catered to “billionaires and big corporations.”
Obama called Trump’s pledge to impose tougher tariffs on foreign trade a “sales tax” that would cost the average family thousands of dollars.
He fumed that Trump’s claim to have led a strong economy was historical nonsense.
“Yeah, it was pretty good (when Trump took office in 2017) — that was my economy,” Obama said. “It’s not something he did. I spent eight years cleaning up the mess that the Republicans left me with last time. So if everybody has a hazy memory, he didn’t do anything except those big tax cuts.
Obama concluded that Trump’s promises were either outrageously false or dangerously simplistic.
“If you challenge Trump to elaborate and list his ‘opinions,’ he will back off with an answer,” Obama said. “Whatever the problem is, housing, health care, education, paying bills — their only response is to blame immigrants.”
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Eva McKend contributed to this report.
