Obama calls out Black men for hesitance with Harris: 'You're thinking about sitting out?'

WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama on Thursday admonished Black men reluctant to support Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, suggesting some aren't rallying behind her because she is a woman.

Obama's stern remarks, delivered to supporters at a Harris campaign office in Pittsburgh, came as polling shows former President Donald Trump, the Republican 2024 nominee, has made slight inroads with Black males, particularly young Black men. Democrats also worry about signs of lagging Black turnout next month even as the country could elect the first Black woman president in U.S. history.

"I'm going to go ahead and just say, speak some truths, if you don’t mind," Obama said, "because my understanding, based on reports I'm getting from campaigns and communities, is that we have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all quarters of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running."

He added that it "seems to be more pronounced with the brothers" as he directed his remarks specifically to Black men.

More: Barack Obama returns to campaign trail for Kamala Harris, Democrats: 5 takeaways

Obama, the nation's first and only Black president, said Black men are "coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses," adding that, "I’ve got a problem with that."

“Because part of it makes me think – and I'm speaking to men directly – 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," Obama said.

More: Trump pounces as Harris reluctant to draw contrasts with Biden

A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll from August of Black voters in Pennsylvania found 78% of Black women in the state planned to vote for Harris, compared to 63% of Black men. The poll found 15% of likely Black male voters in Pennsylvania backed Trump, while only 7% of Black women supported Trump.

Harris has since coalesced greater support among Black voters, with a Pew Research Center poll last month finding Harris ahead 84%-13% among Black voters nationally over Trump. Yet that's a smaller margin than the 2020 election, when Black voters supported President Joe Biden at the polls by a 92%-8% margin, according to exit polls.

Although not a majority, Black men in the Pew poll were more likely than Black women, 38%-24%, to say they have confidence in Trump's ability to handle the economy.

More: Harris surges with Black voters in key battleground states but gaps remain

Obama: 'You are thinking about sitting out?'

Returning to the campaign trail, Obama held his first rally for Harris on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, with stops next week set for Tucson, Arizona and Las Vegas. Harris, already the first Black woman and Asian American to be a major party presidential nominee, would be the nation's first Black female president if elected.

In a razor-close election, even a slight shift among Black voters could make a major difference in a race likely to come down to seven battleground states – with Pennsylvania and its 19 electoral votes the biggest prize of them all.

More: The bro vote: Trump and Harris duel over what it means to be a man in America

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, I've noticed this, especially with some men who seem to think Trump's behavior – the bullying and putting people down – is the sign of strength," Obama said at the rally in an appeal to male voters. "I am here to tell you that is not what real strength is. It never has been."

The 2024 election has an especially wide gender gap. Among all races, Harris leads among female voters in Pennsylvania 56%-39%, while Trump is on top 53%-41% with male voters, according to a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll last month.

Earlier at the Harris campaign office, Obama said Black men have one candidate in Harris "who grew up like you, knows you, went to college with you, understands the struggles and pain and joy that comes from those experiences."

“And on the other side, you have someone who has consistently shown disregard, not just for the communities, but for you as a person,” he said. "And you are thinking about sitting out?"

“I’m not,” one man in the audience responded.

“You know, Cousin Pookie might be,” Obama said. The man replied, "He might be."

Obama then urged Harris' Black supporters to talk to people in their communities. “Our challenge is to speak to people on the sidelines,”  the former president said.

Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly Twitter, @joeygarrison.  

(This story has been updated to fix a typo in a headline.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Obama calls out Black men for hesitance to vote for Kamala Harris