Obama warns 'brothers' who won't vote for Kamala that sexism could cost her election: 'That's not acceptable'

Barack Obama accused black male voters who refuse to support Kamala Harris of sexism and demanded they get on board with the Democrat nominee.

The former president was at a campaign field office in Pittsburgh to thank volunteers, but instead gave them a lecture, saying he wanted to 'speak some truths.' 

Obama said he was responding to reports on the ground that there was lower enthusiasm for Harris than there was for his own candidacy and that some black men were thinking of sitting out the election. 

'We have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all quarters of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running. Now, I also want to say that seems to be more pronounced with the brothers,' Obama said.  

He continued: 'Part of it makes me think - and I´m speaking to 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 other reasons for that.'

'You're coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses. I've got a problem with that.' 

Media reports have suggested that black male voters are a weak spot for Harris, after Joe Biden won 80% in 2020, down from 82% for Hillary Clinton in 2015.

It's been reported that a quarter of young black men support Trump, which would drop Harris further. 

The former president said the choice between Trump and Harris was 'clear' and that Harris understands the struggle of black men and has achieved the vice presidency from those struggles.

'On one hand, you have somebody who grew up like you, knows you, went to college with you, understands the struggles and pain and joy that comes from those experiences,' he said of Harris. 

He then claimed Trump´s penchant for putting people down was not real strength.

'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,' Obama said.

The Democratic former president made the battleground state of Pennsylvania the first stop of his campaign tour with less than four weeks until Election Day and as voting is already underway. 

Polling ahead of Obama's appearance in Pittsburgh found that he's a more popular figure than Harris in Pennsylvania. 

The ex-president is also more popular than Trump. 

Emerson College polling done with The Hill found that 55 percent of Pennsylvanians view Obama positively compared to 48 percent for Harris and 50 percent for Trump. 

Obama also received higher marks than the two presidential hopefuls in the key swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Michigan - meaning he could be a useful voice all over the battlegrounds. 

But Pennsylvania - nicknamed the keystone state - will likely be the key to either Harris or Trump's victory on November 5, as the path to 270 electoral votes becomes very unlikely if a candidate loses it. 

Speaking at a rally at the University of Pittsburgh, he painted Trump as out-of-touch and not the choice to lead the country to change, calling him a 'bumbling' billionaire 'who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.'

He also made a crude joke at President Donald Trump during his first solo campaign event for Kamala Harris that spectacularly backfired. 

Speaking at the University of Pittsburgh Thursday night, Obama hinted that he believed that the 78-year-old Trump wore adult diapers. 

Obama, 63, recalled that he couldn't believe how expensive diapers were when he became a parent. 'Do you think Donald Trump ever changed a diaper?' he mused. 

'His own!' yelled back an audience member. 

'I almost said that, but I decided I should not say it,' Obama said with a laugh. 

Social media was not amused, with at least one X user making an ironic reference to the president's former running mate: 'Obama would know about changing diapers. He does for Joe.'

Obama also tried to shore Harris up in areas where polling shows that she's weak - including the economy and immigration. 

The Democratic ex-president remarked how Trump gets credit for a good economy during his term. 

'Yeah, it was pretty good, because it was my economy,' Obama boasted. 'It wasn't something he did.'  

'I spent eight years cleaning up the mess that the Republicans left me,' Obama added. 

Obama took office in 2009 directly after a financial crash due to predatory lending  to borrowers with low incomes for homes. 

Trump has made immigration his top issue in 2024 - as he did when he first ran for the White House eight years ago. 

'When I hear Donald Trump talking, I've got one question,' Obama said. 

'As I recall, Donald Trump was president for four years. And if rounding up and deporting millions of desperate people and building the beautiful wall - and it didn't matter whether some of those folks you rounded up were women and children - if that's the answer to everything, well why didn't you solve the problem?' the Democrat asked. 

Obama then pointed out that the number of immigrants was 'basically the same' at the beginning and end of Trump's term. 

'I'll tell you why. Because he didn't have a real plan. He had talking points. He had concepts of a plan,' Obama jabbed. 

'And the plan was mean and ugly and it was designed to enhance his politics and  make people angry, not to solve the problem,' he continued. 

Obama argued that what would have actually made the border secure was the bipartisan deal supported by Harris and President Joe Biden thank Trump helped tank in Congress. 

The ex-president also called attention to the recent hurricanes, remarking that Asheville, North Carolina, 'one of my favorite places in the country,' was 'devastated' by Helene.

Afterward at a rally Trump 'just started making up stories,' Obama said, with the Republican falsely claiming that aid was being withheld from Republican areas and FEMA funds were going to undocumented immigrants instead. 

'Just made the stuff up. Everybody knew it wasn't true. Even local Republicans said it wasn't true,' Obama said.

'The idea of intentionally trying to deceive people in their most desperate and vulnerable moments. And my question is - when did that become OK?' the former president asked. 

'I'm not looking for applause right now,' Obama told the audience as they started to clap. 'I want to ask Republicans right now... when did that become OK? Why would we go along with that?' 

The 44th president also tailored his speech to the Pittsburgh crowd, talking about how much he loves Pamela's pancakes - a crepe-like delicacy - the late Dan Rooney, Obama's ambassador to Ireland and a Pittsburgh Steelers owner, and how he cheered for that NFL franchise as a kid. 

Opening acts for Obama included a number of Pennsylvania Democrats, including the state's popular Gov. Josh Shapiro, a finalist to be Harris' running mate.