Kamala Harris avoided directly answering a question on whether she agrees with former President Barack Obama’s widely criticized plea to black men to vote for her over Donald Trump.
Obama sparked outrage last week for controversial comments criticizing black men for not getting behind her campaign because of her gender.
Harris was asked about Obama’s remarks by reporters on the campaign trail Wednesday, but she sidestepped the controversy and acknowledged his support.
‘Let me first say that I’m very proud to have the support of former President Barack Obama,’ she said.
‘And I think that the important point that I will make over and over again is I don’t assume to have the vote of any demographic locked down.’
During a surprise campaign visit in Pittsburgh, Obama criticized ‘the brothers’ in the black community for their lack of enthusiasm for Harris.
Former President Barack Obama talks with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House
‘Part of it makes me think — and I’m speaking to men directly — 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 other reasons for that,’ he said.
Obama’s comments drew criticism from some in the black community, who said the comments were ‘condescending.’
Media reports have suggested that black male voters are a weak spot for Harris, after Joe Biden won 80% in 2020, down from 82% for Hillary Clinton in 2015.
It’s been reported that a quarter of young black men support Trump, which would drop Harris further.
Harris released her Opportunity Agenda for Black Men on Tuesday and was also asked about Obama’s comments during a town hall in Detroit with radio host Charlamagne tha’ God.
When asked if Obama’s remarks ‘stepped on’ her plan to release a black economic agenda, Harris denied it.
‘Oh, no, no, no, no. … No, obviously not,’ she replied. ‘I’ve been doing this quite some time including before I was running for president.’
Charlamagne noted during the interview that Obama was ‘waving his finger at black men’ and suggested that white Republicans should do the same to white women and white men for supporting Trump in past elections.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama talks to supporters at a campaign field office in East Liberty, ahead of a rally in support of Vice President Kamala Harris, in Pittsburgh.
Former President Barack Obama laughs as he listens to an introduction at a campaign field office in Pennsylvania
Harris sidestepped the controversy, but highlighted her Republican support from people who worked from Republicans like John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Liz Cheney.
‘I think what what is happening is that we are all working on reminding people of what is at stake. And that is very important,’ she said.
