Abortion at centre of Harris’s final push

Michelle Obama says women and their reproductive rights will become ‘collateral damage’ in any second Trump presidency, as the Harris campaign pushes abortion as a main issue in the final 10 days of the US election campaign.

Kamala Harris greets former first lady Michelle Obama during a campaign rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Picture: Getty Images

Michelle Obama says women and their reproductive rights will become “collateral damage” in any second Trump presidency, as the Harris campaign pushes abortion as a main issue in the final 10 days of the US election campaign.

The former first lady pleaded with a rally for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris to not “ hand our fates over to the likes of Trump”.

“If we don’t get this election right, your wife, your daughter, your mother, we as women will become collateral damage to your rage,” she said in the swing state of Michigan.

Ms Harris kept her focus on abortion rights – a weak point for Republicans – by visiting a local doctor’s office at the weekend and meeting physicians, staff and medical students.

“Because of Trump and what he did with the Supreme Court, we are looking at a healthcare crisis in America,” she said, referring to judges chosen by Mr Trump who tipped the court into ending the national right to abortion in 2022.

Ms Obama, ­appearing on Saturday night (Sunday, Australian time), hammered home Ms Harris’s campaign message that abortion rights – and women’s healthcare overall – were at stake on the ballot.

Supporters of US Vice-President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris arrive for campaign rally featuring Michelle Obama in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Picture: AFP

She aired her “genuine fear” that Mr Trump could retake the White House but said Ms Harris would be an “extraordinary president of the US” if she were elected in just 10 days.

With polls forecasting a near dead-heat, Ms Obama also spoke of a sense of frustration and ­anxiety that few on Ms Harris’s team dare express after she lost some momentum in recent weeks.

“My hope about Kamala is also accompanied by some genuine fear,” she said, ripping into Mr Trump’s record and asking, “Why is this race even close?”

“I’m a little angry that we are indifferent to his erratic behaviour, his obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a known slum lord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse,” she said.

Energising the crowd, she had the audience chanting “Do something!” – a refrain from her speech at the Democratic National Convention in August when she urged Ms Harris’s voters to take action.

Ms Obama galvanised the ­audience, launching an impassioned appeal for the defence of women’s rights and reproductive freedom, critical Harris campaign planks.

“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,” she said.

Mr Trump and Ms Harris were in Michigan on Saturday searching for holdout votes, with the former president returning to his anti-immigrant campaign theme at a raucous rally.

He launched bitter personal ­attacks on Mr Harris and accused her of pushing an “open border” migration policy. “She’s a dope,” he said. “This person cannot be president.

Donald Trump dances as he leaves the stage after a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Picture: AFP

“She will destroy our country. Everyone knows it. No one ­respects her. The US is now occupied country. Kamala broke it, we will fix it.”

With more than 38 million ­people already casting early ballots, Americans are deciding whether to elect the country’s first woman president or its oldest commander-in-chief.

Mr Trump, 78, still refuses to accept his defeat in the vote four years ago and is expected to reject the result if he loses again – potentially pitching the US into chaos.

Mr Trump swept the three “Blue Wall” states – Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania – in his shock victory in 2016 only to see Joe Biden reclaim them four years later.

He hopes to claw back one or more of the trio, and win the so-called Sun Belt swing states to propel him back into power.

After his Michigan event, Mr Trump headed straight to Pennsylvania for another rally on Saturday night.

The penultimate weekend ­before the vote began on Friday night with Ms Harris appearing alongside superstar Beyonce, and Mr Trump giving a three-hour interview with Joe Rogan, America’s most popular podcaster.

Overnight on Sunday, Ms Harris, 60, was due to campaign in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the largest city in the largest of the swing states likely to determine the winner under the US electoral college system.

She was expected to crisscross the city, ­especially historically black and Latino districts, trying to persuade uncommitted residents to cast their vote.

Mr Trump was expected in Madison Square Garden, the ­famous arena in the heart of heavily Democratic New York.

The brash billionaire and one-time reality TV star appeared keen to orchestrate a grand spectacle, and demonstrate he could fill an arena in a liberal bastion.

Critics, including Mr Trump’s 2016 rival Hillary Clinton, have noted that Madison Square Garden was also the scene of a 1939 pro-Nazi rally organised by a group supporting Adolf Hitler.

Part of Ms Harris’s election strategy is to peel moderate ­Republicans away from Mr Trump, who often demeans some Americans as the “enemy”.

Ms Harris has rolled out a variety of A-list admirers to make her case in the campaign’s final days.

Unwaveringly popular and seen as “cool”, Barack and ­Michelle Obama are throwing not just their political weight but also their star power behind Ms Harris in the final stretch of the election.

The Kalamazoo rally marked the second major campaign event featuring Michelle Obama, while Barack Obama has already made several high-profile appearances.

Craig McDonald, who attended the rally, said the appearances of the Obamas “brings great credibility that they are both willing to take their time to do this”.

Sonia Gipson Rankin, a law professor at the University of New Mexico, said each of the Obamas plays a different role in Ms Harris’s campaign.

The former president’s support “serves as a powerful affirmation of her qualifications” since he once held the office she is seeking.

As for Michelle Obama, she “is one of the most compelling and impactful speakers of our time. Her ability to emotionally connect with listeners is truly remarkable,” Professor Gipson Rankin said.