Ahead of a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, former President Barack Obama attended a ‘Black Voters for Harris’ event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, October 10. While addressing supporters, the 63-year-old influential Democrat criticised the sitting vice president’s campaign for not being as fervent as him during his White House run.
“We have yet to see the same kinds of energy and turnout in all corners of our neighbourhoods and communities as we saw when I was running,” Obama said. However, he didn’t particularly have a bone to pick with Harris, as much as he had words for the Black men in the crowd.
Barack Obama rails against Black male voters for backing Trump
“I also want to say that seems to be more pronounced with the brothers,” he added. The former POTUS had a “problem with” them for “coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses,” demonstrating their lack of enthusiasm for Harris’ candidacy.
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He questioned whether their actions were fuelled by specific reasons, such as the Democratic presidential hopeful being a woman. Slashing out those ideas, he argued that regardless of their views on the matter, it was “not acceptable” for Black men to support Donald Trump.
“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,” he continued.
Obama’s address comes days after a Pennsylvania survey conducted by InsiderAdvantage established that Harris’ Republican rival was leading the state by two points as he had gained momentum “with his numbers among independent, senior, and African American voters increasing or holding steady.” The pollster pointed out that Kamala Harris’ support from African Americans had deteriorated a bit even though the race remained close.
Similarly, last month’s NAACP survey estimated that one in four Black men under 50 are backing Trump. Swing-state polling shows that a higher percentage of Black voters are behind him this time than were in 2020, the New York Post reported.
GOP leader on why Black women are not pro-Trump
On the other hand, Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt, who is leading GOP’s Black outreach, previously admitted that he wasn’t as confident about Black women in Trump’s case, given their affinity to Harris. “With the selection of Kamala Harris, I am less confident about black women versus President Trump because, quite frankly, that specific demographic bases their voting more predicated on identity. Kamala Harris being a black woman, that’s a tough demographic for us to get,” he told the outlet.
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However, as far as their male counterparts’ support for Trump was concerned, he claimed that the ex-POTUS “will have the highest black male vote in the history of any Republican president in modern history.”
Obama disses Trump as well
Meanwhile, Obama continued railing against men who perceived Harris as the weaker presidential candidate. “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.”
He also called out Trump’s behaviour of “pulling and putting people down,” which he believed many saw as a “sign of strength.” He countered, “I am here to tell you this is now what real strength is.”
Alluding to inflation becoming a significantly opposed issue under the Harris-Biden administration due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Obama acknowledged why people were frustrated and “looking to shake things up.”
“I understand people feeling frustrated and 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.”
Obama eventually landed his third diss targeting Trump as he likened him to the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.”You’ve got the tweets in all caps, the ranting and raving about crazy conspiracy theory, the two-hour speeches — word salad — it’s like Fidel Castro, just on and on.”
