Obama laments lack of enthusiasm for Kamala Harris

Former President Barack Obama told Vice President Kamala Harris 's supporters at a campaign office in Pittsburgh that a lack of enthusiasm from black men for Harris is “not acceptable.”

“You’re thinking about sitting out or supporting somebody who has a history of denigrating you because you think that’s a sign of strength, because that’s what being a man is? Putting women down?” the former president said. “That’s not acceptable.”

Obama is in Pittsburgh to boost Harris’s support in the area. He later took the stage at a rally in the area and stumped for Harris .

Obama: You’re thinking about sitting out or supporting somebody who has a history of denigrating you, because you think that’s a sign of strength, because that’s what being a man is? Putting women down? That’s not acceptable pic.twitter.com/KVFiCxDLft

Obama also suggested that black men are "coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses" and said he "has a problem with that."

"Because part of it makes me think, and I'm speaking to the 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 reasons for that," he said.

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Obama invigorated black voters in his 2008 and 2012 campaigns and drove the highest turnout among the demographic in recent history. Voter turnout among black people dipped in 2016 before rising again in 2020.

A recent poll from Activote showed former President Donald Trump taking 27% of the black vote while Harris had 73%. If that result holds in the general election, it would be a larger vote share among black people for Trump than in either 2016 or 2020. The poll also shows Trump with a 1-point national lead.