Obama Speaks With Reporters While In Pennsylvania

By
Rachel Stevenson
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Well, it looks like Barack Obama is back on the campaign trail, and this time, he’s got some advice for Vice President Kamala Harris—and a little bit of shade for the Democratic turnout machine while he’s at it. Speaking before a rally in Pennsylvania, Obama didn’t mince words: Harris just isn’t drawing the same kind of enthusiasm, particularly in the Black community, that he managed to stir up during his own campaigns. The former president’s comments sound like a warning shot, a reality check that perhaps the Democrats’ grip on this crucial voting bloc isn’t as firm as they’d like to think.

Now, if anyone knows about the importance of turnout, it’s Obama. Back in 2012, he won Pennsylvania by over 5 points, securing a whopping 93% of the Black vote. That’s the kind of voter loyalty most candidates can only dream of. But Harris? Let’s just say that kind of enthusiasm hasn’t quite translated to her campaign. With polls showing a tight race between Harris and Donald Trump in key swing states, the stakes couldn’t be higher. And according to Obama, the energy just isn’t there like it was when he was on the ballot. Ouch.

It’s not like the Democrats haven’t noticed the problem. Poll after poll is showing that Trump’s appeal among Black voters—especially Black men—isn’t going away. In fact, data from the Howard University Initiative indicates that Trump’s support among Black men has surged to 16%. And that’s not just an outlier. A recent NAACP poll found that more than one-quarter of young Black men surveyed would pick Trump over Harris. You can almost hear the alarms going off at DNC headquarters.

So what does Obama do? He gets on stage in Pennsylvania and, well, pleads. He’s practically begging Black voters to stick with the party that’s taken them for granted for decades. It’s an insult. “On the one hand, you have somebody who grew up like you, knows you,” he said, clearly aiming to remind voters of Harris’s shared experiences. And then he took a swipe at Trump, painting him as someone who “has consistently shown disregard” for these communities.

But here’s the thing: voters aren’t buying it like they used to. Despite Obama’s efforts to frame Harris as the candidate who “gets it,” many Black voters are starting to see through the rhetoric. Maybe it’s the economic realities under the current administration, or maybe it’s that Trump’s message—focused on opportunity, jobs, and a tough stance on crime—has found a receptive audience. After all, 16% support among Black men is no small feat for a Republican, especially one that the media has spent years labeling as divisive.

Meanwhile, the polling in Pennsylvania, which is shaping up to be a battleground state again, shows Trump with a slight edge. RealClearPolitics gives him a 0.3-point lead over Harris. It’s a statistical tie, sure, but given that Pennsylvania was supposed to be a stronghold for the Democrats, it’s not exactly a comforting sign for Harris and her team.

The reality is that the Democrats are facing a tougher battle than they expected. Obama may be able to draw a crowd, but he can’t vote for them. And with Trump making inroads into voter groups that Democrats have long considered their base, Harris has a serious problem on her hands. If she can’t rally the kind of support that Obama did, particularly among Black men who are more willing than ever to hear Trump out, then this race is far from the easy win Democrats might have hoped for.


As Obama might say, “Don’t boo, vote.” But this time, it’s looking like more voters might just decide that voting for Trump isn’t as unthinkable as the Democrats want them to believe.

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