Obama urges Black men to vote for Harris; mocks Trump

Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally supporting Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, at the University of Pittsburgh's Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

PITTSBURGH — Former U.S. President Barack Obama gave a blistering critique of his White House successor Donald Trump and urged Black men to show up for Kamala Harris as he campaigned in Pittsburgh on Thursday at the start of a swing-state tour for the Democratic ticket.

At a campaign field office to thank volunteers, Obama said he wanted to "speak some truths" after hearing reports on the ground that there was lower enthusiasm for Harris than there was for his own candidacy and that some Black men were thinking of sitting out the election.

"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 said.

The former president said Trump's penchant for putting people down was not real strength.

"You're thinking about sitting out or supporting somebody who has a history of denigrating you, because you think that's a sign of strength, because that's what being a man is? Putting women down? That's not acceptable," Obama said.

Trump responded in a post on his social media network Friday by ignoring Obama's extended denunciation of him, suggesting the former president might secretly have his support, and by once again insulting Harris.

"Obama admits a total lack of enthusiasm for Kamala, especially with Black Men," he wrote. "I think Obama will be voting for me because he doesn't like the fact that Kamala is an extremely Low IQ Person!"

Obama made the battleground state of Pennsylvania the first stop of his campaign tour with less than four weeks until Election Day and as voting is already underway. Speaking at a rally at the University of Pittsburgh, he painted Trump as out-of-touch and not the choice to lead the country to change, calling him a "bumbling" billionaire "who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago."

He said Harris is "a leader who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a chance" and declared, "Kamala is as prepared for the job as any nominee for president has ever been."

Obama, eight years out of power, has been one of the Democratic Party's most reliable surrogates to galvanize voters. Until he was elected president in 2020, Joe Biden had also taken on that role for Democrats, but this year, since ending his reelection campaign and letting Harris ascend to the ticket, he's yet to hit the trail.

Obama, who received a roaring welcome from the crowd, described Trump's all-caps posts on social media and his "ranting and the raving about crazy conspiracy theories. The two-hour speeches, word salad, just -- it's like Fidel Castro. Just on and on. Constant attempts to sell you stuff. Who does that?"

Obama listed some of the products Trump has tried to sell during his third White House campaign, including $399 gold sneakers, a $100,000 watch and his "God Bless the USA" Bible for $59.99.

"He wants you to buy the word of God: Donald Trump edition. Got his name right there next to Matthew and Luke," Obama said, laughing. "You could not make this stuff up."

The appearance by Obama, the nation's first Black president, underscores the history-making nature of Harris' own political career. Harris, the first woman, Black person or person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president, would be the first woman to serve as president if elected next month.

Obama's old campaign rallying cry, "Yes, We Can," was even refashioned for the event, with "Yes, She Can" beaming on a screen over the crowd.

Both Harris and Trump have been vying for support from Black Americans. A recent poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 7 in 10 Black voters have a "somewhat or very favorable" view of Harris, with few differences between Black male and female voters on how they view the Democratic candidate.

Black voters' opinions of Trump, by contrast, were overwhelmingly negative, according to the poll, but the former president believes his message on the economy, immigration and traditional values can make inroads into the Democrats' traditional base of support among Black voters, especially younger Black men.

Obama acknowledged that the last few years, starting with the pandemic, have been hard for Americans, with high prices and other stresses on working families.

"I get it, why people are looking to shake things up. I mean, I am the hopey-changey guy. So I understand people feeling frustrated and feeling we can do better," Obama said. "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."

He mocked Trump's answer in the debate that he would replace Obama's signature health care law, the Affordable Care Act, with "concepts of a plan," and his running mate JD Vance's recent comment that Trump worked to "salvage" the law.

"Donald Trump spent his entire presidency trying to tear it down. And by the way, he couldn't even do that right."

Obama also referred to a new court filing in the federal election interference case against Trump that said Trump told an aide, "So what?" after being told his vice president, Mike Pence, had been rushed to a safe location after a violent crowd of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

"If Donald Trump does not care that a mob might attack his own vice president, do you think he cares about you?" he asked.

Glenda Ellison, a 71-year-old retired schoolteacher and Democrat from Pittsburgh, said she is feeling "a little nervous" about the election but "prayerful that it's going to turn out in our favor."

Ellison said she sees Obama as a party spokesperson with a large following who can hopefully sway voters that might be on the fence about voting for Harris.

"As a former president, and also as a Black president, I think that is something that might connect with the African American community, the fact that we do have our Black president supporting another Black candidate," said Ellison, who is Black.

Obama was among the key Democrats who were part of a behind-the-scenes effort to encourage Biden, his former vice president, to drop out of the 2024 race.

Obama and Harris have been friends for two decades since he ran for Senate in Illinois. She campaigned for him when he sought the presidency in 2008.

Pennsylvania is a state Obama won in his 2008 and 2012 presidential races, but Trump won in 2016. Biden narrowly carried it in 2020 and the state is shaping up to be one of the most closely contested in this year's race.

Trump was in the eastern part of the state Wednesday for back-to-back rallies in Scranton and Reading. He also campaigned in western Pennsylvania over the weekend when he returned to Butler, where he was shot in July as he survived an assassination attempt.

Obama's appearance at the University of Pittsburgh was also aimed to bolster the reelection campaign of Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, who is being challenged by Trump-endorsed Republican David McCormick.

This story has been updated to correct Butler's location to western not eastern Pennsylvania