Michelle Obama claims Trump is showing 'obvious mental decline' as she urges US voters to back Harris
27 October 2024, 08:44
Michelle Obama has claimed that Donald Trump is showing "obvious mental decline", as she urged US voters to back Kamala Harris in the presidential election.
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Appearing alongside the Democrat vide-president at a campaign rally, Ms Obama said she was "angry" that despite Mr Trump's "erratic behaviour" and his "history as a convicted felon" he could still get back into the White House on November 5.
She also warned that Republican-led restrictions on abortion could signal further limitations on healthcare.
Trump has been inconsistent on abortion rights: he vowed to veto a federal abortion plan if it were proposed, but he was the president who appointed the Supreme Court judges who overturned the landmark Roe v Wade abortion ruling.
Mrs Obama said that some men may be tempted to vote for Mr Trump on November 5 because of their anger at the slow pace of progress, but added that "your rage does not exist in a vacuum".
Speaking on Saturday in the key battleground state of Michigan, Ms Obama warned: "If we don't get this election right, your wife, your daughter, your mother, we as women, will become collateral damage to your rage.
"So are you as men prepared to look into the eyes of the women and children you love and tell them you supported this assault on our safety?"
The rally in Kalamazoo was Mrs Obama's first appearance on the campaign trail since she spoke at the Democratic National Convention over the summer.
"By every measure, she has demonstrated that she's ready," the former first lady said. "The real question is, as a country, are we ready for this moment?
"Do not buy into the lies that we do not know who Kamala is or what she stands for. This is somebody who understands you, all of you."
Ms Harris took the stage afterwards and promised the crowd that she would keep their interests in mind - unlike Mr Trump, who she accused of only being interested in himself.
"There is a yearning in our country for a president who sees the people, not just looking in the mirror all the time, but sees the people, who gets you and who will fight for you," she said.
The high-profile rally came after Ms Harris appeared with Beyonce on Friday in Houston, and campaigned with former president Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen on Thursday in Atlanta.
Mr Trump brushed off her rival's attempt to harness star power for her campaign.
"Kamala is at a dance party with Beyonce," the former president said on Friday in Traverse City, Michigan. He held a rally in Novi, a suburb of Detroit, on Saturday before a later event in State College, Pennsylvania.
Mr Trump courted Arab-American and Muslim voters in Michigan, which has a high population of voters from those groups. The former president said: "They could turn the election one way or the other."
He held meetings with people whom his campaign described as "prominent leaders of Michigan’s Muslim community".
Ms Harris is facing pressure from people across the US, including many Arab-American and Muslim voters, over the US' support for Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Imam Belal Alzuhairi from Michigan joined Mr Trump onstage, saying: “We, as Muslims, stand with President Trump because he promises peace – he promises peace, not war.
“We are supporting Donald Trump because he promised to end war in the Middle East and Ukraine."
