Former first lady Michelle Obama warned voters that women’s lives could become “collateral damage” to protest votes and low voter turnout, which she said will help former President Donald Trump in his bid to seek a second term in the White House.
Obama made the comments during a rally in Kalamazoo – or, as she branded it shortly after taking the stage, “Kamalazoo” – on Saturday, her first time appearing on the campaign trail in support of Vice President Kamala Harris since the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
The former first lady said that “it is reasonable to be frustrated” with the “slow pace of change,” saying she understands why there are “a lot of angry, disillusioned people out there.”
“But to anyone out there thinking about sitting out this election or voting for Donald Trump or a third-party candidate in protest because you’re fed up, let me warn you: Your rage does not exist in a vacuum,” Obama said. “If we don’t get this election right, your wife, your daughter, your mother, we as women will become collateral damage to your rage. Are you as men prepared to look into the eyes of the women and children you love and tell them that you supported this assault on our safety?”
During her speech, Harris was at one point interrupted by a protester shouting, “No more Gaza war,” who was quickly drowned out by chants of “Kamala” as the protester’s face was covered by rally signs and a flag.
“We must end that war and bring the hostages home,” Harris said. “But now I am speaking about 2024.”
Women and girls have been socialized to not talk openly about their reproductive health, Obama said, instead being taught from a young age to feel shame and hide how their bodies work.
“See, fellows, most of us women, we suck up our pain and deal with it alone,” Obama said. “We don’t share our experiences with anyone, not with our partners, our friends, or even our doctors.”
That’s in part because “our experiences are often neglected by science,” Obama said, with studies showing that “if you happen to look like me and report pain, you’re more likely to be ignored, even by your own doctors.”
“Look, a woman’s body is complicated business,” Obama said. “Yes, it brings life, and that’s a beautiful thing, but even when we are not bearing children, there is so much that can go wrong at any moment.”
“In those terrifying moments when something goes wrong – which will happen at some point to the vast majority of women in this country – let me tell you, it feels like the floor falls out from under us,” Obama continued. “In those dark moments, all we have to rely on is our faith in a higher power and the experience of doctors to get us the care we need in a timely manner.”
Obama said that she doesn’t “expect any man to fully grasp how vulnerable this makes us feel” because “in all honesty, most of us as women don’t fully understand the breadth and depth of our own reproductive lives.”
The former first lady offered numerous examples of “what it will feel like if America, the wealthiest nation on Earth, keeps revoking basic care from its women, and how it will affect every single woman in your life.
“Your girlfriend could be the one in legal jeopardy if she needs a pill from out-of-state or overseas, or if she has to travel across state lines because the local clinic closed up,” Obama said. “Your wife and mother could be the ones at higher risk of dying from undiagnosed cervical cancer because they have no access to regular gynecological care. Your daughter could be the one too terrified to call the doctor if she’s bleeding during an unexpected pregnancy. Your niece could be the one miscarrying in her bathtub after the hospital turned her away.”
But Obama refuted the idea that reproductive healthcare is exclusively a women’s issue.
“The devastating consequences of teen pregnancies won’t just be borne by young girls, but also by the young men who are the fathers. They, too, will have their dreams of going to college, their entire futures totally upended by an unwanted pregnancy,” Obama said.
“If you and your partner are expecting a child, you’ll be right by her side at the checkups, terrified if her blood pressure is too high, or if there’s an issue with the placenta, or if the ultrasound shows that an embryo has implanted in the wrong place, and the doctors aren’t sure that they can intervene to keep her safe,” Obama continued. “If your wife is shivering and bleeding on the operating room table during a routine delivery gone bad, her pressure dropping as she loses more and more blood or some unforeseen infection spreads and her doctors aren’t sure if they can act, you will be the one praying that it’s not too late. You will be the one pleading for somebody, anybody to do something.
“Then there is the tragic but very real possibility that in the worst-case scenario, you just might be the one holding flowers at the funeral. You might be the one left to raise your children alone.”
Obama urged men to take these possibilities into consideration when deciding who to vote for.
“Let me tell you all, to think that the men that we love could be either unaware or indifferent to our plight is simply heartbreaking,” Obama said. “It is a sad statement about our value as women in this world. It is both a setback in our quest for equity and a huge blow to our country’s standing as a world leader on issues of women’s health and gender equity. So fellas, before you cast your vote, ask yourselves: What side of history do you want to be on?”
But the former first lady also encouraged women to make their own decisions about how to vote, even if it means breaking from their loved ones’ preferred candidates.
“And to the women listening, we have every right to demand that the men in our lives do better by us,” Obama said. “Our lives are worth more than their anger and disappointment. We are more than just baby-making vessels. 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.”
Obama said that the effects of living in the United States after the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade are already being felt, citing an increase in the infant mortality rate, which she said is in part due to women being forced to carry fetuses that won’t survive to term.
Harris started her day with a stop at the offices of Dr. Rockelle Rogers and Dr. Amanda Henry in Portage. One health care provider told Harris that Michigan currently represents “a safety net” for the Midwest – and, over the past 18 months, has also seen an influx of patients from care deserts in the south.
While Harris acknowledged that Michigan voters passed a ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution in 2022, she said that “if there’s a national abortion ban, nobody’s safe.”
Obama said that even states with restrictions on reproductive healthcare already in place could feel the consequences of a potential second Trump administration, as the Food and Drug Administration “could further outlaw patchwork systems of telehealth appointments and mail-order pills, thereby eliminating the last remaining protections for women in those states.”
“We will see more doctors hesitating or shying away from providing lifesaving treatments because they are worried about being arrested; more medical students reconsidering even pursuing women’s health at all; more OB/GYN clinics without enough doctors to meet demand, closing their doors, leaving untold numbers of women in communities throughout the country without a place to go for basic gynecological care, which in turn will leave millions of women at risk of undiagnosed medical issues like cervical and uterine cancers,” Obama said.
Obama said that she came to Michigan on the first day of statewide in-person early voting “because I am someone who takes her own advice to heart,” calling back to her speech at the Democratic National Convention and encouraging everyone to “do something.”
“You all know I hate politics,” Obama said. “But I hate to see folks taken advantage of even more. I wanted to do everything in my power to remind the country that I love that there’s too much we stand to lose if we get this one wrong.”
After the rally, Harris visited Trak Houz Bar & Grill with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as the rivalry football game between Michigan State University and University of Michigan was getting started.
Both leaders were drinking Bell’s Oberon, which Whitmer noted is brewed in Kalamazoo.
Vice President Harris Goes to Kalamazoo Restaurant with Gov. Whitmer @CSPANhttps://t.co/d4wCEMNBmH
— Susan J. Demas 🏔 (@sjdemas) October 27, 2024
Harris at one point acknowledged the microphones hovering above them, joking that “we were just sharing all the family secrets, sh-t.” Whitmer laughed and asked the crew to “bleep out my f-bombs.”
Harris and Obama made brief remarks to an overflow room in the Wings Event Center before speaking to the main audience, who were given LED bracelets that flashed as speakers took the stage.
Obama said that she hasn’t seen the level of enthusiasm behind Harris’ campaign in several years, noting the packed hockey arena.
“I am so hopeful about the energy and poise and joy that Kamala has injected into this race,” Obama said. “Think about it, no one could have predicted the way everything would have unfolded this summer. And yet, in a critical moment, when our country needed her, Kamala couldn’t have been more prepared to meet that moment, and she’s met it every single day since. She’s filling arenas in a way we haven’t seen for years. She’s building a remarkable campaign in record time, dominating her opponent so thoroughly in the debate, he was too scared to face her again.”
But Obama said it is important to not become overly confident.
“Y’all give me great comfort in this arena. But this is a big country, and that’s why all of my hope about Kamala is also accompanied by some genuine fear,” Obama said.
Obama said she questions, “Why on earth is this race even close? I lay awake at night wondering what in the world is going on.”
The former first lady said that “we are, once again, holding Kamala to a higher standard than her opponent.”
“We expect her to be intelligent and articulate, to have a clear set of policies, to never show too much anger, to prove time and time again that she belongs,” Obama said. “But for Trump, we expect nothing at all, no understanding of policy, no ability to put together a coherent argument, no honesty, no decency, no morals.”
Obama said that “in any other profession or arena, Trump’s criminal track record and amoral character would be embarrassing, shameful, and disqualifying.”
Harris cited her experience as a district attorney and as California’s attorney general.
“In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds: Predators, fraudsters and repeat offenders. I took them on, and I won,” Harris said. “In 10 days, it’s Donald Trump’s turn.”
Obama said that protest votes are part of how Trump was first elected in 2016.
“Too many people are willing to write off his childish, meanspirited antics by saying, ‘Trump is just being Trump.’ Rather than question his horrible behavior, some folks think he’s funny,” Obama said. “If you remember, that’s exactly how he got elected the first time. Folks gave him a pass and rolled the dice, betting that he couldn’t possibly be that bad. Then there were those who didn’t think it really mattered who the president was, if you can believe that, and still others who thought it would be a good idea just to blow up our entire democracy.”
Harris said that “there is a huge contrast in this election” and encouraged the audience to picture the Oval Office in three months.
“It’s either Donald Trump in there stewing over his enemies list – or me, working for you, checking off my to-do list,” Harris said.
Obama expressed her frustration that more people don’t see that contrast.
“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,” Obama said. “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 slum lord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse, all of this while we pick apart Kamala’s answers from interviews that he doesn’t even have the courage to do.”
Trump counterprogrammed Obama’s rally with one of his own in Novi on Saturday and was in Traverse City the night before, where he ripped Harris for garnering the support of former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney. The former president also stressed he’ll invoke the Alien Enemies Act against undocumented immigrants as part of his mass deportation plan.
Obama’s husband, former President Barack Obama, was in Michigan earlier in the week for a rally in Detroit along with Michigan native and rapper Eminem.
Harris is set to return to the state on Monday for an Ann Arbor rally with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Trump’s vice presidential nominee, Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, is scheduled to do a Tuesday event in Saginaw.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.
