In the beginning of 2024 Barack Obama joked to allies that his blood pressure had gone down cause he stopped watching cable news. However his calm didnt last long – after Joe Bidenʼs debate with Donald Trump in 06/2024 Obamaʼs worries came back.
Now with election day coming up in about 2 weeks Obama is traveling across the country to support Kamala Harris. Heʼs planning rallies in 4 battleground states over the next 5 days starting in Tucson (10/18/2024) and Las Vegas (10/19/2024). On 10/22/2024 heʼll be in Detroit and Madison. His first joint event with Harris is set for 10/24/2024 in Georgia.
Obama whoʼs now 63 is still very popular in the Democratic Party. Heʼs seen as proof that a liberal can win tough races and represents breaking racial barriers. At his rallies Obama criticizes Trump harshly; calling him self-centered and warning about the dangers of him being president again.
Obama has been involved in Harrisʼs campaign for a while. About 1.5 years ago he had lunch with Biden at the White House to share his concerns about Trumpʼs strength as a candidate. He also gave advice on how to improve the campaign structure.
Recently Obama has been focusing on Black male voters. Heʼs expressed frustration about turnout and addressed potential discomfort with electing a female president:
And youʼre coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses‚ Iʼve got a problem with that
Some people think Obamaʼs approach is too harsh‚ while others see it as needed outreach. Either way Obamaʼs involvement shows how important this election is to him and the Democratic Party