Harris as prepared to be President as any nominee in past; election going to be tight: Obama

WASHINGTON: Vice President Kamala Harris is as prepared for this job as any nominee for the president in the past, former president Barack Obama said on Thursday, noting that the November election will be “tight” between her and Republican candidate Donald Trump.

“Kamala is as prepared for the job as any nominee for president has ever been. That's who Kamala is. And in the White House, she will have an outstanding partner in Governor Tim Walz,” Obama told a cheering crowd in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, a battleground State, as the former president came out to address his first campaign rally for Harris in this election cycle.

“If you elect Kamala and Tim, they won't be focused on their problems, they'll be focused on yours. They understand that too many folks here in Pennsylvania and across the country are struggling to pay the bills. Even though wages are steadily growing and inflation is finally slowing, the price of everything from health care to housing to groceries, it's still too high,” he said.

“That takes a real bite out of the paycheck. It hurts. The question is, who's really going to do something about it? That's what you should be asking yourself. Now, Donald Trump plans to do what he did last time - give another massive tax cut to billionaires and big corporations,” he said.

Addressing thousands of his supporters in this battleground State, Obama said the election is going to be tight. “This election is going to be tight because there are a lot of Americans who are still struggling out there. They're striving to make life better for themselves, for their families, and for their kids,” he said.

“Let's face it. As a country, we've been through a lot these last few years. We had a historic pandemic wreaking havoc on communities and businesses. Disruptions from the pandemic then caused prices to spike, and that put a strain on family budgets. In many ways, it's felt like the aspirations of working people have taken a backseat to the priorities of the rich and the powerful. So, I get why people are looking to shake things up,” he said.

Obama said he understood people's frustration and their feeling that they (President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris) could do better. “What I cannot understand is why anybody would think that Donald Trump will shake things up in a way that is good for you. I don't understand that. Because there is absolutely no evidence that this man thinks about anybody but himself,” he said.

“Donald Trump is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. You've got the tweets in all CAPS, the ranting and the raving about crazy conspiracy theories. You've got the two-hour speeches, word salad... it's like Fidel Castro, just on and on,” he alleged.

“Constant attempts to sell you stuff. Who does that? Selling you gold sneakers and USD 100,000 watch and, most recently, a Trump Bible. He wants you to buy the Word of God, Donald Trump edition. Got his name right there next to Matthew and Luke. It's crazy. And the reason he does it is because all he cares about is his ego, money and his status,” Obama said.

“He's not thinking about you. Donald Trump sees power as nothing more than a means to an end. He wants the middle class to pay the price for another huge tax cut that would mostly help him and his country club buddies. Doesn't care if he costs more women their reproductive freedom, because it won't make a difference in his life,” he alleged.

“Most of all, Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided between us and them, between real Americans who support him and the outsiders who don't. Because having people divided and angry, he figures, boosts his chances of being elected. He doesn't care who gets hurt,” Obama said.

“Think about it. Just the other day, we learned that on January 6, a couple of years ago, Donald Trump was told that Mike Pence was in the Capitol about 40 feet from an angry mob chanting, hang Mike Pence. And his response was 'So what?' If Donald Trump does not care that a mob might attack his vice president, do you think he cares about you? We do not need four more years of that. We don't need four more years of arrogance, bumbling, bluster and division. America's ready to turn the page,” Obama said.

Eight years out of power, Obama has been one of the Democratic Party's most reliable surrogates to galvanise voters.

As the nation's first Black president, Obama's appearance for Harris underscores the history-making nature of her own political career. Harris, the first woman, Black person or person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president, would be the first woman to serve as president if elected next month.

Obama also appeared at a Harris fundraiser in California and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August.