By james art “By all measures, she’s shown she’s ready,” the former first lady said at a rally in Michigan. “The real question is, as a country, are we ready for that moment?”
It was Mrs. Obama’s first appearance on the campaign trail since she spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in the summer, and her remarks were strong and passionate.
She said she fears for the country and struggles to understand why the presidential race remains close.
“I would lie awake at night wondering, ‘What the hell is going on?'” she said.
Her voice vibrating with emotion, Mrs Obama warned that Mr Trump’s eventual return to the White House would undermine women’s health and reproductive freedom.
“I am asking you from the core of my being to take your life seriously,” she said.
The Kalamazoo rally followed Ms. Harris’ visit to a local doctor’s office in Portage to speak to health care providers and medical students about the impact of abortion restrictions.
One said she has patients coming from other parts of the country where there are strict restrictions on abortion, and another said she worries people will not want to practice in important areas of medicine because of fears of government interference.
“We are looking at a health care crisis in America that is affecting people of all backgrounds and genders,” Ms. Harris told reporters before visiting the doctor’s office.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden went to a union hall in Pittsburgh to promote Ms. Harris’ support for organized labor, telling the audience to “follow your gut” and “do what’s right.”
Ms. Harris appeared with Beyoncé on Friday in Houston and campaigned with former President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen on Thursday in Atlanta.
That’s a level of celebrity influence that surpasses anything Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has managed to muster this year, but there’s no guarantee it will help Ms. Harris in a close race for the White House.
Saturday is the first day early in-person voting became available in Michigan. More than 1.4 million ballots have already been cast, representing 20% of registered voters.
When Mrs. Clinton was running against Mr. Trump, Mrs. Obama inspired Democrats with the slogan “when they go low, we go high.”
But this year, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, she took a more biting approach.
She accused Mr Trump of “doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better”.
At a campaign event in Pittsburgh, Mr. Biden spoke to the Workers International Union of North America. He mentioned that Ms. Harris once picketed with the United Auto Workers — “she has a backbone like a ramrod” — while Mr. Trump undermined organized labor.
“He sees unions as an obstacle to the accumulation of wealth for people,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s in Labor’s interest to beat Donald Trump more than any other race you’ve been in.”
Mr. Biden’s remarks to the mostly male audience addressed the gender divide that has been a consistent feature of this year’s presidential race.
Speaking of Mr Trump, Mr Biden said: “I’ll just say it straight, he’s a loser as a person.”
He also said that women deserve more opportunities than they have received in the past.
“They can do anything that any person can do, including being president of the United States of America,” Mr. Biden said.