Former first lady Michelle Obama called on men to support her Suggested by Kamala Harris At a rally in Michigan on Saturday, former President Donald Trump warned that women’s lives would be at risk if he returned to the White House, becoming America’s first female president.
Obama described the attack on abortion rights as a harbinger of dangerous restrictions on women’s health. Some men may be tempted to vote for Trump out of anger at the slow pace of progress, Obama said, but “your anger doesn’t exist in a vacuum.”
“If we don’t get this election right, your wife, your daughter, your mother, we as women will be held hostage to your wrath,” Obama said. “So you as men are willing to look the women and children you love in the eye and say you support an attack on our security?”
The rally in Kalamazoo was Obama’s first campaign appearance since his speech Democratic National Convention over the summer, and his words were passionate and enthusiastic in support of Harris.
“She showed that she was ready in every way,” the former first lady said. “The real question is, are we as a country ready for this moment?”
Obama added: “Don’t lie that we don’t know who Kamala is or what she stands for. This is someone who understands all of you.”
While Obama has been reluctant to campaign for years, he showed no hesitation Saturday as his speech veered from the political to the personal. Obama said he fears for the country and is trying to understand why the presidential race is so close.
“What in the world is going on at night?” I was lying awake,” he says.
Her voice shaking with emotion, Obama spoke about women’s struggles to understand and care for their bodies, whether it’s during the menstrual cycle or menopause. He spoke about the dangers of childbirth, where a split-second decision can mean the difference between life and death for a mother and her child.
“I ask all of you to take our lives seriously,” Obama said.
Harris took the stage after Obama and promised the crowd that he would have their best interests in mind — unlike Trump, who he accused of only looking out for himself.
“There is a desire in our country for a president who does not always look in the mirror, but sees the people, accepts you, and fights for you.
After the rally, Harris visited Trak Houz Bar & Grill with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, where they drank local beer.
“I want whatever he has,” Harris said.
Politicians chatted with people at the bar and took pictures. As they approached the table of young women, one of them cried.
Before coming to Kalamazoo, Harris visited a local doctor’s office in Portage to talk to health officials and medical students about the impact of abortion restrictions. One said patients were coming from other parts of the country, where abortions are severely restricted, while another said he was concerned that people would not want to practice important areas of medicine for fear of government interference.
“We’re looking at a health care crisis in America that affects people of all races and genders,” Harris told reporters before going to the doctor’s office.
Harris Appeared with Beyoncé on Friday in Houston and he campaigned with former President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen in Atlanta on Thursday.
That’s a level of celebrity that trumps anything Republican nominee Trump has managed to do as marshal this year. But there’s no guarantee that will help Harris in a close race for the White House. In 2016, Hillary Clinton lost to Trump despite warming up crowds with musical performances and Democratic allies.
Trump has denied trying to use Harris’ star power for his campaign.
“Kamala is at a dance party with Beyoncé,” the former president said Friday in Traverse City, Michigan. Trump held a rally on Saturday before an event in State College, Pennsylvania, in Novi, a suburb of Detroit.
Saturday is the first day early in-person voting is available in Michigan. More than 1.4 million ballots have already been submitted, which is 20 percent of registered voters.
When Clinton was up against Trump, Michelle Obama inspired Democrats with the slogan, “When they go low, we go high.”
But at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this year, he took a more extreme approach. He accused Trump of “doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that actually improve people’s lives.”
While Harris was in Michigan with Obama, President Biden visited the International Labor Union of North America in Pittsburgh. He said Harris once picketed with the United Auto Workers — “he’s got a backbone” — and Trump has undermined organized labor.
“He sees unions as an obstacle to the accumulation of wealth for individuals,” Biden said. “It’s more in labor’s interest to beat Donald Trump than any other race you’ve been in.”
Biden’s remarks to a largely male audience referenced the gender divide that has been a persistent feature of this year’s presidential race.
Speaking about Trump, Biden said, “I’ll just say, he’s a loser as a person.”
She also said that women deserve more opportunities than ever before.
“They can do anything anyone can do, including being president of the United States,” Biden said.