- Title: Michelle Obama warns vote for Trump is vote against women's health
- Date: 26th October 2024
- Summary: KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 26, 2024)(REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA WALKS ON STAGE AS CROWD CHEERS WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE)(English) FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA SAYING: "So I hope you'll forgive me if I'm a little frustrated that some of us are choosing to ignore Donald Trump's gross incompetence while asking Kamala to dazzle us at every turn. I hope that you'll forgive me if I'm a little angry that we are indifferent to his erratic behavior, his obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a known, a known slumlord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse. All of this while we pick apart countless answers from interviews that he doesn't even have the courage to do, y'all." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE)(English) FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA SAYING: "I am praying that those of us contemplating voting for Trump or not voting at all will snap out of whatever fog we are in. I am praying that we consider the decades of sacrifice and struggle by all of our ancestors, the folks who marched and sacrificed and shed their blood for us. We have to ask ourselves, is a vote for Trump or no vote at all, the way we honor their lives? And if that's the case, well, that surely doesn't sound like freedom to me." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE)(English) FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA SAYING: "I hope that you will forgive me if I am worried that we will blow this opportunity to finally turn the page on the ugliness once and for all. Because believe me, if Donald Trump is president again, at some point or another, that ugliness will touch all of our lives." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE)(English) FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA SAYING: "There are still folks wringing their hands, crossing their arms, tuning out, saying they plan to sit this election out to prove a point. Well, let me tell you who isn't tuning out. Many of the folks who served closest to Trump and saw the danger firsthand. His former vice president, almost half of his former cabinet members, the growing list of four-star generals and Republican governors and senators and former House members, all of whom are not publicly, publicly supporting his candidacy the second time around. You all hear what I said? They are saying, no, thank you." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE)(English) FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA SAYING: "And finally ya'll, who could possibly think that this man would care more about our men and boys more than Kamala Harris? And while we're at it, I want to think about who do you think possibly would care more about our reproductive health? [CROWD CHEERS]" WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE)(English) FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA SAYING: "Look, a woman's body is complicated business, y'all." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE)(English) FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA SAYING: "So I am asking your from the core of my being to take our lives seriously. Please." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE)(English) FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA SAYING: "So please, please do not hand our fates over to the likes of Trump who knows nothing about us, who has shown deep contempt for us because a vote for him is a vote against us, against our health, against our worth." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE)(English) FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA SAYING: "Let me warn you, your rage does not exist in a vacuum. If we don't get this election right, your wife, your daughter, your mother, we as women will become collateral damage to your rage." WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE)(English) FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA SAYING: "So, fellas, before you cast your votes, ask yourselves what side of history do you want to be on?" WHITE FLASH (SOUNDBITE)(English) FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA SAYING : "And we are more than just baby-making vessels. And if you are a woman who lives in a household of men that don't listen to you or value your opinion, just remember that your vote is a private matter. Regardless of the political views of your partner, you get to choose. You get to use your judgment and cast your vote for yourself and the women in your life. Remember, women standing up for what is best for us can make the difference in this election." WHITE FLASH U.S VICE PRESIDENT AND DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE KAMALA HARRIS WALKS ON STAGE AND HUGS FORMER U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA
- Embargoed: 9th November 2024 23:46
- Keywords: 2024 presidential election Kamala Harris Michelle Obama Obama Michigan reproductive rights
- Location: KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES
- City: KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES
- Country: US
- Topics: North America,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001495026102024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama on Saturday (October 26) fired up a crowd in Michigan to vote for Kamala Harris, warning that a vote for Donald Trump was a vote against women's health.
Speaking at a rally in the southern Michigan city of Kalamazoo, Obama also drew distinctions between the two candidates on personal character and qualifications, saying there was a double standard in how Trump and Harris were being treated.
"I hope you'll forgive me that I'm a little frustrated that some of us are choosing to ignore Trump's gross incompetence while asking Kamala to dazzle us at every turn," the former first lady said, urging any undecided voters to "snap out of whatever fog they're in."
Obama also addressed women's health at length, saying Trump has failed to demonstrate understanding of its complexity and that his vows to rescind the Affordable Care Act passed during her husband's presidency would affect the "entirety of women's health, all of it."
"We as women will become collateral damage to your rage," she said, later introducing Harris to an animated crowd.
Republican Donald Trump was also in the state, trying to appeal to Muslim voters some about 130 miles (210 km) away. Election Day is Nov. 5 but early voting was under way in Michigan, as it is many states.
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