Former President Donald Trump, the GOP’s presidential nominee, has said on Friday morning that he thinks former President Barack Obama will vote for him over “extremely Low IQ” Vice President Kamala Harris in November’s presidential election.
Writing on his social media platform, Truth Social, the former president said: “Obama admits a total lack of enthusiasm for Kamala, especially with Black Men. I think Obama will be voting for me because he doesn’t like the fact that Kamala is an extremely Low IQ Person!”
Trump’s campaign communications director Steven Cheung backed the former president’s comments and told Newsweek on Friday morning, “Obama can’t stand Low IQ Kamala Harris, so he’ll be voting for President Trump in 2024!”
Newsweek has contacted Obama and Harris for comment via email.
What We Know
Trump’s Truth Social statement refers to comments made by Obama on Thursday at a Harris-Walz rally in Pittsburgh in which he said that low support for Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, among Black men is “not acceptable.”
“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 that seems to be more pronounced with the brothers,” Obama said.
He added: “You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses. I’ve got a problem with that. 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 reasons for that.”
Obama, who was president for two terms between 2009 and 2017, officially endorsed Harris soon after incumbent President Joe Biden announced in late July he would not run for reelection and is a regular speaker at campaign events for Harris and her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Obama said that Harris would “make an excellent president” and pledged that he and former first lady Michelle Obama would “do everything we can to make sure she wins in November.”
Context
A poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research earlier this month found that Harris is held in a mostly favorable view by Black voters, but they are less certain of whether Harris would put the United States on a better trajectory or make a substantial difference to their lives.
In contrast, views of Trump are considerably less positive. The poll found that 73 percent think Trump would not be a good president if he is elected in November. Black female voters were more likely to hold this position (78 percent) when compared to Black male voters (73 percent), a difference of 5 points.
Concerning Harris, 20 percent of Black males surveyed said they thought Harris would not make a good president, compared to 11 percent of Black female voters.
JIM WATSON/AFP/GETTY
Views
Meanwhile, Obama has come under some scrutiny for his Pennsylvania rally comments. Former Ohio state Senator Nina Turner, a Democrat, told CNN‘s Newsnight: “Why are Black men being lectured to? Why are Black men being belittled in ways that no other voting group—now, I have a lot of love for former President Obama, but for him to single out Black men is just wrong.”
She added: “And even if some of us may not like that, we have to respect it. So, unless Barack Obama is going to go out there and lecture every other group of men from other identity groups, my message for Democrats is don’t bring it here to Black men who, by and large, don’t vote much differently from Black women.”
Fox News host Jesse Watters said Obama was “mansplaining,” writing on X, formerly Twitter “Obama thinks Kamala’s ‘plateaued’ and behind the scenes, he’s saying Kamala’s losing the black vote.”
Political analyst Craig Agranoff previously told Newsweek via text message that the rally was “about momentum,” with Obama sending a “strong message about unity and shared vision.”
“Obama’s involvement in Harris’ campaign is crucial at this stage,” Agranoff said. “His ability to connect with younger voters, many of whom see him as a symbol of hope and change, could reignite enthusiasm in a demographic that has historically been less reliable at the polls.”
“If Obama can translate that into increased voter registration or turnout, it could be a game changer, particularly in battleground states where every vote counts,” he added. “But it’s important to remember that ultimately they aren’t going to vote for Obama.”
What the Polls Show
Thursday’s rally took place in a Democratic stronghold in the must-win swing state. Polls show a neck-and-neck race between Harris and Trump, with a new Quinnipiac poll out on Wednesday showing Harris up three points with likely voters in Pennsylvania. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percent.
In FiveThirtyEight’s aggregate polling, Harris is polling ahead of Trump 0.5 points in the state (47.9 to 47.4 percent) as of Friday morning.
Update 10/11/24, 10:54 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information. The headline has also been changed for clarity.
Update 10/11/24, 11:03 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
