Former President Barack Obama addressed concerns among black men who are hesitant to support Vice President Kamala Harris, suggesting that their hesitancy is due to her being a woman. Obama made his first surrogate appearance during the 2024 election at a rally in Pittsburgh, where he compared Harris to her rival, former President Donald Trump, and urged supporters to vote. Before the rally, Obama visited a ”Black Voters for Harris” event in Pennsylvania, where he spoke directly to black men—a demographic that recent polls show is increasingly supporting Trump.
Obama acknowledged that there hasn’t been the same level of energy and turnout in all neighborhoods as when he was running for president. He specifically mentioned the lack of enthusiasm among black men and suggested that it may be because they don’t want a woman as president.
He emphasized the importance of women in our lives who have supported us during times of trouble and protested against an unjust system. Obama criticized the idea of sitting out or supporting someone like Trump who has denigrated black men.
Trump responded on social media by claiming that Obama admitted a lack of enthusiasm for Kamala Harris, especially among black men. In his recorded remarks, Obama argued that Harris’s background—having a black father and South Asian mother—makes her more relatable to black men than Trump.
A recent poll commissioned by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples revealed an increase in support for Trump among young black men compared to previous elections. The Epoch Times has spoken with several black male voters who express pessimism towards Harris’s candidacy.
Some critics argue that Harris needs to clarify her policy program and provide contemporary examples if she wants stronger support from black male voters.
(Note: The Associated Press contributed to this report.)