The signs held up this Friday by the more than 5,000 people gathered inside the facilities of the University of Arizona football field in Tucson no longer said “Hope» (Hope) this could be seen in August at the Chicago Convention: they said “Vote» (Vote). Each time former President Barack Obama mocked Donald Trump, the credit cards shook in the air with laughter and boos. “No, don’t boovote” (“No, don’t boo, vote“), Obama responded to every manifestation of public rejection of Trump.
The former president visited the border town of this key state, 18 days before the election, in an effort to curb the momentum the Republican gained during the election. swing state in recent weeks. A CBS poll showed this Friday that Trump continues to distance himself from Harris in Arizona with 51% support, compared to 48%.
Immigration and abortion, two of the major issues of the campaign, come together in this swing statewhich shares a border with Mexico and where a law of 1864 totally prohibiting abortion, which can only be practiced up to the fifteenth week, has been almost recovered. The CBS poll reflects a clear dichotomy: While Harris continues to garner the majority of support in Arizona when asked about reproductive rights, 79% of voters think Trump is better at border management.
In the last election, Joe Biden managed to change the color of Arizona and dye it blue for the first time since 1996. The Latino vote was instrumental in making this happen in the fourth largest state in the country having the largest Hispanic population. Four years later, polls show how Harris is stagnating among Latino voters and Trump is managing to consolidate his growth among them. The other group where he is losing strength is black men, particularly young people under 30, according to polls.
Charles Johnson is a 20-year-old studying in Tucson who came to the rally to see Obama because, he explains, he likes him. “But I will vote for Donald Trump.” Charles explains that in the legislative elections which will also take place on November 5, he will vote for Democrats like Ruben Gallego, the Arizona candidate for the US Senate who is accompanying Obama this afternoon and for whom the former president is also requesting a vote. vote. But for him, this is not incompatible with voting for Trump: “I have the impression that Democrats take the support of black people and, of course, black men for granted. »
“I will vote for Trump because I believe he will end many of the wars that currently exist in the world. I think he’s the strongest president we’ve ever had and he’s an intelligent man, and he’s a difficult person for other countries to deal with,” Charles says. Last week, Obama asked black men to put the “excuses” behind them and vote for Harris. Even though Charles likes Obama, he doesn’t share his views: “I think he’s wrong and that black men shouldn’t just vote for what they want.” Black men need to vote in a way that helps black men.
Although Harris continues to enjoy the majority of support among Black and Latino voters, Trump’s progress worries Democrats. This is why Obama intensified his criticism of the tycoon this Friday. Not only is he portraying him as a selfish candidate who only thinks about himself, but now he is also attacking him because of his age and questioning his abilities to assume the presidency.
“You would be worried if your grandfather behaved like this,” Obama said, referring to the forum the tycoon hosted this week in Pennsylvania. In videos from the event you can see how the Republican stops answering questions and spends more than half an hour swaying to the music. “Tucson, we don’t need to see what an older, crazier Donald Trump with no limits looks like,” Obama said to laughter and applause from the audience.
That he has sharpened his attacks on the tycoon does not mean that he has stopped emphasizing the new flank that has emerged in Chicago to attack Trump: reducing him to the image of an egomaniac. Obama cited all merchandising that Trump threw out during the campaign, like gold sneakers, a watch worth $100,000, or a Bible. “This is my favorite: it has the Trump Bible in it. “He wants you to buy the word of God, Donald Trump edition.”
Obama focused on reproductive rights during his speech, as on November 5, Arizona citizens will also vote in a referendum to decide whether or not to include protection of the right to abortion in the Constitution of their state. “I think for us one of the most important issues in this election is abortion. Being able to have access to abortion is very important for many women in the United States, without it many women die in the country, that’s why,” said Emily, a 20-year-old from Tucson, who cited reproductive rights as the main reason who will vote for Harris.
“It reduces women’s reproductive freedom because it doesn’t mean any change in their lives,” Obama said from the stage. Beyond the worsening attacks, another symptom of Democrats’ concern about the polls and the prospects of a very close election race is the former president’s agenda. Over the past 18 days, Obama has intensified his tour of key states to give Harris one last push. Tucson was the starting point for a tour that also plans to visit Las Vegas (Nevada), Detroit (Michigan) and Madison (Wisconsin). Next week, Obama will hold his first joint campaign event with Harris in Georgia, after presenting her with the “Yes, she can“to Harris.
