A vote for Trump is a vote against women: Michelle Obama

Washington: In an emotional speech, former US First Lady Michelle Obama called on men, undecided voters and those planning to sit up the election to vote for Vice President and Democratic candidate for the White House Kamala Harris, warning them about the stark consequences of voting for her Republican opponent Donald Trump.

Obama addressed a packed stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan, late on Saturday prior to Harris’s speech at the Wings Event Centre in the city of just over 70,000 residents in the crucial midwestern battleground state.

Michelle Obama challenged men to support Kamala Harris ' bid to be America's first female president, warning at a rally in Michigan on Saturday that women's lives would be at risk if Donald Trump returned to the White House.

The former first lady described the assault on abortion rights as the harbinger of dangerous limitations on healthcare for women. Some men may be tempted to vote for Trump because of their anger at the slow pace of progress, Obama said, but “your rage does not exist in a vacuum.” “If we don’t get this election right, your wife, your daughter, your mother, we as women will become collateral damage to your rage,” Obama said. “So, are you as men prepared to look into the eyes of the women and children you love and tell them you supported this assault on our safety?” The rally in Kalamazoo was Obama’s first appearance on the campaign trail since she spoke at the Democratic National Convention over the summer, and her remarks were searing and passionate in their support of Harris.

“By every measure, she has demonstrated that she’s ready,” the former first lady said. “The real question is, as a country, are we ready for this moment?”

Obama added, “Do not buy into the lies that we do not know who Kamala is or what she stands for. This is somebody who understands you, all of you.”

Although Obama has been a reluctant campaigner over the years, she showed no hesitation on Saturday as her speech stretched from the political to the personal. Obama said she fears for the country and struggles to understand why the presidential race remains close. “I lay awake at night wondering, 'What in the world is going on?'” she said.

Her voice vibrating with emotion, Obama talked about the struggle for women to understand and care for their own bodies, whether it’s their menstrual cycles or menopause. And she spoke about the dangers of childbirth, when a split-second decision can mean the difference between life and death for a mother and her baby. “I am asking y’all from the core of my being to take our lives seriously," Obama pleaded. Harris took the stage after Obama and promised the crowd that she would keep their interests in mind — unlike Trump, who she accused of only being interested in himself.