A Stern Obama Tells Black Men to Drop ‘Excuses’ and Support Harris

“Before speaking at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in Pittsburgh, the former president spoke directly to Black male voters in an effort to bolster flagging support.

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Former President Barack Obama traveled to Pittsburgh on Thursday to urge voters there to choose Vice President Kamala Harris in November, aiming a message at one group in particular: Black men.

The decision voters have between the vice president and former President Donald J. Trump, her Republican opponent, “isn’t a close call,” Mr. Obama said as he visited with a group of campaign volunteers and officials at a field office just ahead of his appearance at a Harris rally. His message was for Black male voters whom he said might not be yet on board with Ms. Harris.

Citing “reports I’m getting from campaigns and communities,” he called out what he said was flagging enthusiasm for Ms. Harris compared with the support he received when he was running for the presidency in 2008.

“You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses,” Mr. Obama said. “I’ve got a problem with that.

“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,” Mr. Obama continued, adding that the “women in our lives have been getting our backs this entire time.

“When we get in trouble and the system isn’t working for us, they’re the ones out there marching and protesting.”

The stern words from the former president were meant to address worrying signs for Ms. Harris, including that her support among Black voters is still lower than what President Biden received when he won the state in 2020, according to a poll last month from The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena College. Ms. Harris’s advisers and a raft of Democratic strategists believe that if anyone can lift Black voter turnout, it is Mr. Obama.

“He’s got, obviously, tremendous appeal to Black voters,” the Democratic strategist James Carville said. “He has tremendous appeal to suburban whites, which is another big part of the coalition. And he drives Trump nuts.”

Early voting has already begun in Pennsylvania, which Ms. Harris must almost certainly win to defeat Mr. Trump. She holds a narrow lead in the polls there, having overcome the significant deficit she inherited from Mr. Biden. Democrats are hoping for high voter turnout in the state’s biggest cities, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Mr. Obama remains adored by Democrats, making him a natural surrogate for Ms. Harris on the campaign trail. More than 90 percent of Democrats and many independents view him favorably, according to an August survey by The Economist and YouGov — well above other Democrats, including Mr. Biden, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.

Ms. Harris was an early supporter of Mr. Obama, flying to Iowa in 2007 to knock on doors for the junior senator from Illinois when she was the district attorney of San Francisco.

The Pittsburgh rally kicked off Mr. Obama’s plans to return the favor. The former president plans to barnstorm battleground states in the final weeks of the election to emphasize the importance of voting.

On Thursday night before over 4,500 people at the University of Pittsburgh’s Fitzgerald Field House, Mr. Obama largely made the case for Ms. Harris by delivering a searing takedown Mr. Trump. He mocked Mr. Trump as unable to relate to everyday Americans — quipping, to jeers, that he has most likely never changed a diaper or a tire. The attacks turned serious, too, as Mr. Obama upbraided Mr. Trump’s response to the deadly hurricanes that have devastated Southeastern states.

Mr. Obama pointed to a Trump rally after Hurricane Helene devastated the Carolinas and Georgia, where Mr. Trump made a series of false claims. He contrasted it with visits Ms. Harris and Mr. Biden made to the states in the days after, where they met with emergency workers and comforted families.

“Donald Trump, at a rally, just started making up stories about the Biden administration withholding aid from Republican areas and siphoning off aid to give to undocumented immigrants,” he said. “Just made the stuff up.”

“Everybody knew it wasn’t true,” he said. “Even local Republicans said it was not true.”

Mr. Obama said Mr. Trump’s allegations carried grave consequences because the claims could discourage people from seeking help.

“The idea of intentionally trying to deceive people in their most desperate and vulnerable moments,” he said, “and my question is: When did that become OK?”

Mr. Obama acknowledged the frustration that people are feeling after a pandemic that gutted the economy — which has been a vulnerability for Ms. Harris’s campaign.

“I get why people are looking to shake things up,” he 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.”

“There is absolutely no evidence that this man thinks about anybody but himself,” he added.

Mr. Obama also used Mr. Trump’s record to broaden his call to all men to support Ms. Harris.

“And by the way, I’m sorry, gentlemen, I’ve noticed this, especially with some men who seem to think Trump’s behavior of bullying and putting people down is a sign of strength,” he said. “And I am here to tell you that is not what real strength is. It never has been.”

“Real strength is about working hard and carrying a heavy load without complaining,” he continued, his voice rising into a shout. “Real strength is about taking responsibility for your actions and telling the truth even when it’s inconvenient. Real strength is about helping people who need it and standing up for those who can’t always stand up for themselves. That is what we should want for our daughters and for our sons, and that is what I want to see in a president of the United States of America.”

Nicholas Nehamas contributed reporting from Las Vegas.“