PHILADELPHIA- Kicking off the last full week of the 2024 presidential election campaign, former President Barack Obama followed Vice President Kamala Harris to a concert-style rally that featured performances by Bruce Springsteen and John Legend.
As has been the case at other campaign stops this cycle, Obama wasted no time in criticizing former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s presidential nominee, accusing him of complaining about his problems and thinking only about himself and not the American people.
“Above all, Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided between us and them,” Obama said. “Between the quote: real Americans who support him, of course, and outsiders who don’t. Enemies within.”
It exploded Trump for Sunday’s rally at Madison Square Gardenin which a comedian called Puerto Rico a “trash island” and other speakers mocked Harris’ race.
“These are your fellow citizens that he’s talking about here,” Obama said. “Here’s a good rule of thumb: If someone doesn’t respect you, if they don’t see you as a fellow citizen with equal rights to opportunity, to the pursuit of happiness, to the American dream, you shouldn’t vote for them.”
“You shouldn’t expect them to make your life better. They won’t assist you pay your bills. They won’t work difficult to give your child a good education. They won’t assist you with a down payment on a house. We must reject the kind of politics of division and hatred that we have seen,” he added.
After Sunday’s rally, Trump campaign officials released a statement saying the “joke” about Puerto Rico “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
Philadelphia, where On Sunday, Harris unveiled a fresh proposal from Puerto Ricois home to the second largest population of Puerto Ricans in the United States among American cities, it is second only to New York, according to 2020 census. According to a 2019 report, nearly 500,000 Puerto Ricans live in Pennsylvania, making it the state with the third largest population in the country Center for Puerto Rican Studies.
Monday night’s event in North Philadelphia is part of Harris’ “When We Vote We Win” campaign concert series, which aims to boost voter turnout in key battleground states, including Pennsylvania.
Obama touted his administration’s achievements, including the Affordable Care Act, and repeatedly cited Trump’s achievements “plan concepts” for ACA replacement. Trump made the comment during last month’s debate with Harris in Philadelphia, during a discussion on health care. Obama also emphasized that the economy he inherited when he took office in 2009 is equal to the one he handed to Trump when he entered the Oval Office.
“Some people say, ‘Well, I remember the economy when he came here, it was pretty good,’” Obama said. “Yes, it was good because it was my economy.”
Legend and Springsteen also said a few words during their appearances on stage, echoing the message of some of the songs.
“Kamala Harris has a vision for all of us, a vision that is inclusive and fights for the freedoms we deserve and the future we can build together,” Legend said. “Like Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass and the great Philadelphia artists said it’s time to wake up, and Philadelphia, it’s time to choose where we stand.”
Legend performed Wake Up Each by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and opened with Sam Cooke’s A Change is Gonna Come.
“I believe in a better tomorrow,” Legend said. “I believe change is coming, Philadelphia.”
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (R-Pa.), who introduced Springsteen to the stage, accused his Republican challenger Dave McCormick of siding with billionaires while he focuses on helping middle-class families.
Obama praised Casey, who was was an early supporter of his 2008 White House bid.
“I love his entire family and I can say that there is no one more humble, more honest, more rooted in his community and more committed to this great country than Bob Casey,” Obama said.
Representatives of the Trump campaign sent a statement on Monday before the rally.
“Democrats’ continued reliance on celebrities and Barack Obama, the president of more than 10 years ago, to make the case for their party’s presidential candidate is another sign that Kamala’s argument for another four years of unrestricted illegal immigration, inflation and foreign wars is diminishing. Pennsylvanians,” said Trump campaign spokeswoman Kush Desai. “The shining stars and presidents of the past will not compensate for a mediocre message, disastrous results and an unattractive candidate.”
This year, the Liacouras Center hosted several high-profile campaign events in Philadelphia. in June Trump held a rally at the arenaone sec Harris and Walz held their first event together as a ticket in August.
Democrats need to rally in large numbers in Philadelphia and its counties to hold together. Harris spent Sunday campaigning in the City of Brotherly Love to boost support among black and Latino voters.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton, who spoke at Harris’ Sunday rally in Philadelphia, also made remarks Monday evening.
McClinton said that as she was leaving the house before the rally, her mother commented that she looked nice and asked where she was going.
“I said I was going to see the greatest president who ever did it,” McClinton said to applause. “Tonight we will warmly welcome our 44th president, President Barack Hussein Obama, to Philadelphia.”
Parker spoke for just over 10 minutes and engaged with the audience throughout. At one point, she instructed half of the audience to say “Kamala Harris” while the other half replied “on behalf of the people.”
While Springsteen and Legend headlined the event, music played between speakers throughout the evening. At one point, the DJ led the crowd into Ludacris’ popular 2001 song, changing it to say, “Get Trump out of the way.”
Trump was most recently in the state on Saturday at a rally at Penn State. He returns Tuesday for a roundtable discussion in Delaware County and a rally in Allentown.
Over the past few days, running mates have also hit the campaign trail. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Democratic Party candidate for vice president, he campaigned in the eastern part of the state on Friday while U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), the Republican Party’s vice presidential candidate, was in Harrisburg and Erie. Walz and Vance are also scheduled to arrive in the state later this week.
Last Saturday also promises to be a busy day for both campaigns. Trump is reportedly planning to attend the Penn State vs. Ohio State football game in State College, while former First Lady Michelle Obama will campaign in Pennsylvania for the Harris-Walz ticket.
Visits continue to take place as the race nears its finale. Polls show both candidates are deadlocked in the fight for the state’s 19 electoral votes.
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (Philadelphia), an auditor general candidate and Temple University graduate, told the crowd Monday that “none of us want to live in Donald Trump’s dark, twisted 18th century future.”
Kenyatta’s speech was briefly interrupted by the sound of a telephone ringing over the loudspeakers and heard throughout the arena.
“This is the calling of the future,” Kenyatta said with a smile. – And I hope you’re ready to answer.
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