At a star-studded rally in Georgia on Thursday, former US President Barack Obama and rock icon Bruce Springsteen joined Kamala Harris in her last appeal for voters before the close election in November.
In an attempt to outperform rival Donald Trump, Harris is stepping up the celebrity endorsements, reportedly including Beyoncé in Texas on Friday, at a number of concerts in battleground states.
Speaking to a gathering of thousands in Clarkston, just outside of Atlanta, Springsteen and Obama both made scathing comments directed at the Republican.
Springsteen’s statement, “Donald Trump is running to be an American tyrant,” echoed worries expressed by Democrats and former Trump administration officials about the possible abuse of presidential authority in the event that Trump is re-elected.
In a cameo performance intended to bolster Harris’s appeal to the working class, the legendary singer, who is well-known for his socially conscious, working-class anthems, sang three songs, including The Promised Land.
Obama, who is still very popular among Democrats and is the only Black president in US history, attacked Trump in a number of ways, criticising his “word salad” speeches and casting doubt on his business sense.
Obama declared, “We don’t need four more years of a wannabe dictator and king chasing around trying to punish his enemies.”
In contrast to wealthy Trump, Harris stressed her middle-class upbringing and declared that, as president, she would put fighting inflation first.
“As President of the United States, I will make it my daily priority to build a future where we lower the cost of living,” she declared.
Actor Samuel L. Jackson and director Spike Lee also spoke to the largely Black audience, which is a crucial vote bloc for Harris if she is to win Georgia.
In anticipation of Election Day on November 5, a significant number of Americans—roughly 2.2 million in Georgia—have already cast their ballots in early voting.
In a CNN appearance on Wednesday night, the vice president herself escalated the situation by claiming that she views the 78-year-old Trump as a “fascist.” This accusation was echoed in a recent interview by John Kelly, the Republican’s former chief of staff.
The election is being framed as an existential struggle for the US by Trump, the oldest major presidential candidate in US history and the first to run with an arrest history.
However, it also has personal implications because he is being investigated for major crimes related to his attempt to rescind his 2020 election defeat and his post-presidential preservation of classified documents.
During a radio interview while travelling to rallies in Arizona and Nevada, two swing states, Trump declared that he would dismiss the special prosecutor in charge of his remaining charges “in seconds” if elected.
He invoked vivid images of migrant violence while speaking at the rally in Arizona, warning that America has turned into “a dumping ground” for violent and unauthorised immigrants.
At the Tempe rally, which was anticipated to centre on economic issues, specifically the exorbitant cost of housing, Trump declared, “We’re like a garbage can for the world.”
But instead of bringing up home prices in his 55-minute speech, Trump blamed Harris for the “migrant invasion” that has overrun American cities.
Beyoncé
Trump refuted claims that he praised Hitler when he subsequently visited a bakery in Las Vegas, telling reporters that his former chief of staff “made up stories.”
Speaking for well over an hour at his event in Las Vegas, Trump asserted that he was ahead of Harris “by a lot” in Nevada and other swing states that are predicted to determine the outcome of the national election, despite almost all polls indicating that the race was tight.
Before losing to Joe Biden in 2020, he made similar unfounded charges, which he used to support his attempts to have the elections overturned.
US media said Thursday that Beyoncé, whose song “Freedom” has become the trademark song of the Harris campaign, will accompany the Democrat in Houston on Friday to highlight the abortion rights issue.
Obama, 63, has been supporting Harris in a series of swing states, such as Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, by making his own high-profile appearances.
The Harris team is hopeful that the former president’s visits will allay concerns about declining Black voter support.
Harris, 60, who is of mixed South Asian and Black ancestry, is running to be the nation’s first female president.
Trump, like Harris, is scheduled to fly to Texas on Friday to make border security remarks and record a podcast with comic Joe Rogan.
