Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama joined forces for their first public rally Thursday to oppose former President Donald Trump and urge Georgians to vote early as Harris kicks off the “When We Vote We Win” concert series at a stadium outside Atlanta. .
“A lot is at stake in this election, and this is not 2016 or 2020,” Harris said. “The stakes are even higher, because in recent years, and especially in the last eight years, Donald Trump has become more confused, more unstable and more angry. You see it every day.
Harris was referring to comments made by Trump’s former chief of staff General John Kelly, who gave an interview this week saying the former president once said he wanted a general like Adolf Hitler had. Trump told reporters in Las Vegas on Thursday that he never made those comments.
Harris said voters have a choice about who they put in the Oval Office.
“This is either Donald Trump, there is stewing … through the list of enemies or me, working for you, checking off my to-do list,” Harris said. “You have the power to make that decision.”
In his remarks, Obama also cited sharp criticism of Trump by former military generals — such as Kelly and Gen. Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“They are not, quote-unquote woke liberals,” Obama then said. “He is a man who has never talked about politics because he believes that the military should be above politics. to serve the Constitution or the American people.”
Obama said of Trump, “He doesn’t see being commander-in-chief as a sacred and sacred responsibility. Like everything else, he thinks the military is there to do his bidding, to serve his interests.”
Bruce Springsteen, whose music has peppered many of the list of Democratic presidential candidates, performed several hits at the concert, while stars with Georgia ties including Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson and Tyler Perry took the stage to express their support for Harris. Harris’ campaign says seeing this big event is a way to draw in more people and get them to vote and volunteer.
The campaign said 23,000 people took part. However, there appear to be some logistical and technical challenges. At one point, hundreds of participants said they couldn’t see the stage, asking the cameras broadcasting the event on large monitors to zoom in. When Harris took the stage, the campaign song “Freedom” by Beyonce was not played as usual. exercise. The vice president walked out without the music. Many attendees were also seen walking around during Harris’ speech.
Harris is next set to appear with former first lady Michelle Obama in Michigan on Friday, campaign officials said.
The Obamas endorsed Harris in July and both spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August.
Asked about his support of Obama and Springsteen while speaking to reporters in Philadelphia on Thursday, Harris said he was “honored” to have them at a campaign event.
“I’m very happy to have the support of former President Obama. As you know, he’s been on the campaign trail and he’s been wonderful and incredible in terms of the time and effort he’s put into our campaign, and people like Bruce Springsteen, have his support , and of course, he’s an American icon,” Harris said. “It just shows the breadth and depth of support that we have and also the passion that so many people bring to the campaign and feel for our campaign.”
On Wednesday, nearly 2 million Georgians voted early, exceeding the first eight days of early voting in 2022, 2020 and 2018, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.
Georgia is a key target for Harris’ campaign as he seeks to capture the state’s presidential candidate Joe Biden who won by just 11,779 votes. And it will definitely be close again. Former President Donald Trump currently leads Harris in Georgia by 1.5%, according to the 538 polling average.
In the final days of the race, Harris’ team has enlisted celebrities to help deliver her message and get voters out during the early voting period across the country. On Saturday, Harris was joined by Lizzo in Detroit and Usher in Atlanta, while on Tuesday, Eminem introduced Obama at a Detroit rally.
Additionally, megastar Beyoncé will join the vice president at a rally in the singer’s hometown of Houston on Friday.
ABC News’ Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this report.