Obama Unleashes Fury on Trump as He Takes the Stage for Harris in Michigan

Detroit, Michigan (CNN) — Former President Barack Obama on Tuesday evening recalled the chaos and violence former President Donald Trump stoked in Detroit in the wake of the 2020 election as he made his case for Michigan voters to mobilize and get out the vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democratic candidates.

Speaking at an outdoor rally in Detroit, Obama reminded voters of the city's role as a key battleground during the 2020 presidential election. With just days left until the election, Obama sought to drive home the importance of turning out to vote in both the presidential and down-ballot races.

"We've been here before," Obama told the crowd of supporters, referencing the intense campaign stops that made headlines in 2020. "We've been here in Michigan, particularly in cities like Detroit, where the next president was going to be decided. And we know that President Trump was out visiting these places, trying to gin up votes, trying to stir up his base, and it worked, in a way. The only problem was, when he came here, he didn't just bring people to vote. He also brought chaos, brought divisiveness, brought hate and brought violence to our streets."

The former President continued to express concern over the risk of election violence that Michigan may potentially face this year, underscoring the significance for Democrats to keep this at the forefront of their minds during this campaign. Moreover, Obama talked about how for many years of democracy, the nation had the fundamental conception of electing and being governed by leaders freely elected under a fair process, free of chaos, and disruptions.

"For so long in our American history, we enjoyed this sense that once the elections were held and the votes were counted, and the results were announced, then we have our winners, and losers. Our winners offer gracious victory speeches, and our losers offer their congratulations," he said. He warned that these American core principles would be disrupted under former President Trump. "Donald Trump didn't just disrupt the norms of how we engage in politics. He disrupted the values that we hold dear as Americans. These are the things we want to get back to."

Obama later added his support for Harris, commending her impressive track record in public office and maintaining that Harris shares Biden's effort to safeguard and preserve American democracy from the threat posed by the radical right.

In the closing stages of his address, the former President sought to remind Michiganians that each citizen holds power to choose a future where our differences don't divide us and where politicians must listen to people who elected them, by participating actively in this coming election. Furthermore, he encouraged the crowd to step up and be pioneers for forging paths where we ensure that everyone's voice matters and that we'll create opportunities where everyone has access to top-notch educational facilities and quality healthcare.

This event comes several months after other White House surrogates have been campaigning in the state for Democratic candidates amid an extremely tighter general election cycle in the state.