Obama, Springsteen join Harris in Georgia for final pre-election rally

Kamala Harris held a star-studded rally on Thursday in the swing state of Georgia, where former US President Barack Obama and rock legend Bruce Springsteen joined her final push for voters ahead of November’s nail-biting election.

Harris is ramping up the celebrity support — reportedly including Beyoncé in Texas on Friday — at a series of concerts in battleground states in hopes of gaining an edge over rival Donald Trump.

Springsteen and Obama both delivered barbed remarks aimed at the Republican as they addressed a crowd of thousands in Clarkston, just outside Atlanta.

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“Donald Trump is running to be an American tyrant,” Springsteen said, echoing concerns raised by Democrats and former Trump administration officials over the potential misuse of presidential power if Trump is re-elected.

The iconic singer, known for his socially conscious, working-class anthems, performed three songs, including The Promised Land, in a cameo appearance meant to reinforce Harris’s blue-collar appeal.

Obama, the only Black president in US history and still widely popular among Democrats, delivered a series of attacks on Trump, questioning his business acumen and mocking his “word salad” speeches.

“We do not need four more years of a wannabe king, a wannabe dictator, running around trying to punish his enemies,” Obama said.

Harris emphasised her middle-class roots, drawing a contrast with billionaire Trump, and stated she would prioritise battling inflation as president.

“We will build a future where we bring down the cost of living, and that will be my focus every single day as President of the United States,” she said.

The predominantly Black audience — a key voting demographic for Harris if she is to win Georgia — also heard from actor Samuel L. Jackson and film director Spike Lee.

Large numbers of Americans, including about 2.2 million in Georgia, have already cast their ballots in early voting, reflecting high engagement ahead of Election Day on 5 November.

‘Fascist’

The vice president herself raised the stakes in a CNN appearance on Wednesday evening, saying she considers the 78-year-old Trump a “fascist,” echoing a charge made in a recent interview by the Republican’s former chief of staff, John Kelly.

Trump, the oldest major presidential nominee in US history and the first to run with a criminal record is also casting the election as an existential battle for the United States.

But it holds personal stakes as well, given he is the subject of serious criminal investigations into his attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and his post-presidential retention of top-secret documents.

In a radio interview on his way to rallies in Arizona and Nevada — both swing states — Trump announced that, if elected, he would fire the special prosecutor overseeing his remaining cases “in seconds.”
Speaking at the Arizona event, he evoked stark imagery of migrant violence and warned that America had become “a dumping ground” for dangerous and undocumented immigrants.

“We’re like a garbage can for the world,” Trump said at the Tempe rally, which was expected to focus on economic issues, particularly high housing costs.

However, in his 55-minute address, Trump did not mention home prices, instead accusing Harris of a “migrant invasion” that has overwhelmed American cities.

Beyoncé

During a visit later to a Las Vegas bakery, Trump denied reports that he praised Hitler, telling reporters that his former chief of staff “made up stories.”

At his Las Vegas rally, where he spoke for well over an hour, Trump claimed that contrary to nearly all polls showing the race as close, he was leading Harris “by a lot” in Nevada and other swing states expected to decide the national election.

He made similar baseless claims before his 2020 loss to Joe Biden, using those assertions to justify his efforts to overturn the results.
US media reported on Thursday that Beyoncé — whose hit Freedom has become the Harris campaign’s signature song — will join the Democrat in Houston on Friday to underscore the issue of abortion rights.

Obama, 63, has been making his own headline appearances in support of Harris in a string of swing states, including Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

The Harris campaign hopes the former president’s appearances will help counter fears of waning support among Black voters.
Harris, 60, of mixed Black and South Asian heritage, is vying to become the country’s first female president.

Like Harris, Trump is also travelling to Texas on Friday, where he is expected to deliver remarks on border security and record a podcast with comedian Joe Rogan.