“Take our lives seriously,” Michelle Obama implored while rallying for Harris in Michigan

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Michelle Obama warned at a rally in Michigan on Saturday that women’s lives would be at risk if Donald Trump returns to the White House, urging men to support Kamala Harris’ bid to become America’s first female president. invited.

The former first lady called the attack on abortion rights a harbinger of dangerous restrictions on health care for women. Obama said some men might be tempted to vote for Trump because of their anger at the slow pace of progress, but “your anger doesn’t exist in a vacuum.”

“If we don’t make this choice right, your wives, your daughters, your mothers, us as women will be the collateral damage of your anger,” Obama said. “So are you, as men, ready to look into the eyes of the women and children you love and say that you support this attack on our security?”

The rally in Kalamazoo was Obama’s first appearance on the campaign trail since speaking at the Democratic National Convention over the summer, and his words were searing and passionate in support of Harris.

“She showed that she was ready in every respect,” the former first lady said. “The real question is: Are we ready for this moment as a country?”

Obama added: “Don’t believe Kamala’s lies that we don’t know who she is or what she represents. This is someone who understands you, all of you.”

Although Obama has been a reluctant campaigner for years, he showed no hesitation as his speech on Saturday ranged from the political to the personal. Obama said he was afraid for his country and had a hard time understanding why the presidential race was approaching.

“At night I wonder, ‘What’s going on in the world?’ “I was lying awake thinking,” he said.

Her voice shaking with emotion, Obama spoke about women’s struggle to understand and care for their own bodies, whether it’s their menstrual cycle or menopause. And she talked about the dangers of childbirth, where a split-second decision can mean the difference between life and death for mother and baby.

“I ask all of you from the core of my being to take our lives seriously,” Obama implored.

Harris took the stage after Obama and promised the crowd that she would keep their interests in mind, unlike Trump, whom she accused of only caring about herself.

“There is a longing in our country for a president who does not constantly look in the mirror, but sees people who understand you and will fight for you,” he said.

The rally in Kalamazoo followed Harris’ visit to a local doctor’s office in Portage to talk to health care providers and medical students about the effects of abortion restrictions. One of them said she had patients from other parts of the country where there were strict restrictions on abortion, while another said she was concerned people would not want to work in important areas of medicine due to fear of government interference.

“We are facing a health crisis in America that affects people of all backgrounds and genders,” Harris told reporters before visiting the doctor’s office.

Harris appeared in Houston with Beyoncé on Friday and campaigned with former President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen in Atlanta on Thursday.

That’s a level of celebrity clout that surpasses anything Republican candidate Trump has been able to achieve this year. But there’s no guarantee it will help Harris in the close race for the White House. Hillary Clinton lost to Trump in 2016 despite galvanizing the crowd with musical performances and Democratic allies.

Trump ignored Harris’ attempt to leverage star power for his campaign.

“Kamala is at a dance party with Beyoncé,” the former president said Friday in Traverse City, Michigan. Republican presidential candidate Trump held a rally in Novi, a suburb of Detroit, ahead of an event in State College, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

Saturday is the first day early in-person voting is possible across Michigan. More than 1.4 million ballots have already been mailed, representing 20% ​​of registered voters.

As Clinton ran against Trump, Michelle Obama inspired Democrats with the slogan “when they hit rock bottom, we rise.”

But this year at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, he took a tougher approach. He accused Trump of “doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies in place of real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better.”

While Harris was with Obama in Michigan, President Joe Biden visited the North American International Labor Union in Pittsburgh. He said Harris once walked the picket line with the United Auto Workers — “she has a backbone like a ramrod” — while Trump undermined organized labor.

“He sees unions as a tool that gets in the way of individuals’ accumulation of wealth,” Biden said. “More than any other race you’ve been in, it’s in the interest of the working class to defeat Donald Trump.”

Biden’s remarks to the mostly male audience referenced the gender divide that has been a consistent feature of this year’s presidential race.

Speaking about Trump, Biden said, “I’m telling you the truth, he is pathetic as a man.”

She also said women deserve more opportunities than they have received in the past.

“They can do anything any human being can do, including being president of the United States,” Biden said.