Barack Obama is urging black men to boost their support for Kamala Harris, a sign that her campaign is concerned about what is usually a reliable demographic for Democrats.
Citing reports that support for Harris among black men is lagging, the former president issued a scolding as he made an unscheduled stop at a campaign office in Pittsburgh.
“You come up with all kinds of reasons and excuses, I have a problem with that,” he said. “Because some of it makes me think – and I’m speaking directly to men – some of it makes me think that, well, you just don’t like the idea of having a woman as president, and you come up with other alternatives and other reasons for it.”
The former president is the most popular figure in the Democratic Party and his campaign blitz was expected to provide momentum in the final weeks of the race, capturing some of the energy that propelled his historic rise to the White House. But it has also exposed a weakness in Harris’s own efforts to make history.
Obama told volunteers that a lack of enthusiasm appeared to be “more pronounced” among black men, who will play a key role if she hopes to triumph over Donald Trump, especially in the battleground of Pennsylvania.
“We have not yet seen the same kind of energy and turnout in all areas of our neighborhoods and communities that we saw when I was running,” he said, according to a video of the comments on social media.
He then claimed that Harris is someone who “grew up like you.”
The former president is embarking on a state trip to Harris that began Thursday in Pittsburgh, a city known as a bastion of organized labor, another key constituency.
Obama rejected Trump’s claims of a strong economy, noting that the Republican benefited from economic recovery policies introduced during his presidency. “I spent eight years cleaning up the mess the Republicans left me last time,” he said.
He contrasted that with Harris, who he said is “ready to get the job done.”
Black men this cycle have expressed frustration with the Harris campaign, and some have said the Democrats’ efforts have been disappointing or even condescending at times.
Obama, who won Pennsylvania in both his 2008 and 2012 presidential elections thanks in part to record-high turnout among voters of color, suggested that these potential voters were making excuses for not wanting to vote for Harris, a woman who already made history when she was elected to vice president.
In addition to Pennsylvania, Democrats have stepped up efforts on behalf of black men in Michigan and Wisconsin, two other battleground states where Harris is committed to staying blue.
Detroit, Milwaukee and Philadelphia have large black populations and high turnout in those cities could be crucial to Harris’ chances of winning the election in less than three weeks.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump appeared in Detroit, where he warned that “our entire country will end up like Detroit” if Harris is elected president. “You’re going to get a mess on your hands.”
