Former President Barack Obama took to the campaign trail in Arizona on Friday, rallying support for Vice President Kamala Harris and casting doubt on the competence of his predecessor, Donald Trump. Obama cautioned that America does not need to witness what an “older, loonier Donald Trump” might look like without checks in place.
“We have had enough of arrogance, and bumbling, and bluster, and division,” Obama declared to a crowd in Tucson. “America is ready to turn the page. We’re ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.”
At the rally, Obama highlighted Trump’s recent antics, including a town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania, where the former president awkwardly swayed on stage for over 30 minutes after his speech had ended.
“Along with his intentions, there is also a question of his competence,” Obama remarked. “Have you seen him lately? I mean, he is out there, he’s giving two, two-and-a-half hour speeches, just word salads. You have no idea what he’s talking about. He’s talking about Hannibal Lector, he’s talking about this, he’s talking about that.”
Obama also took aim at Trump’s divisive rhetoric on immigration, questioning why he didn’t address these issues when he was in office. “Why didn’t he actually solve the problem when he was in power?” Obama asked.
He paid tribute to the late Senator John McCain, a former rival, praising him as a man of character who valued honest debate and the importance of respecting differing viewpoints. “He didn’t demonize his political opponents,” Obama stated.
The rally featured appearances from U.S. Senate nominee Ruben Gallego, Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and his wife, former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords, along with U.S. congressional candidate Kirsten Engel, all rallying support for a unified vision moving forward.
Watch the videos below:
Former President Obama continues his swing state blitz for Harris with a campaign rally in Arizona where he slammed former President Trump.
"We do not need to see what an older, loonier Donald Trump looks like with no guardrails," he said. pic.twitter.com/ubJiO87gIf
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 19, 2024
John McCain and I didn’t always agree, but he understood that some values transcended parties. He knew that if we got in the habit of bending the truth to suit political expediency or party orthodoxy, our democracy will not work.
John McCain had character. That’s what I think… pic.twitter.com/yaeyHT9IYE
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 19, 2024
