“Take our lives seriously,” pleads Michelle Obama as she rallies for Kamala Harris in Michigan

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Michelle Obama challenged the men to support Kamala Harris ‘ ran to be America’s first female president, warning at a rally in Michigan on Saturday that women’s lives would be in danger if Donald Trump returned to the White House.

The former first lady described the attack on abortion rights as a harbinger of the dangerous limitations of health care 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 anger does not exist in a vacuum.”

“If we don’t make the right choices, your wife, your daughter, your mother, we as women will become the collateral damage of your anger,” Obama said. “So are you prepared as men to look the women and children you love in the eye and tell them you supported this attack on our safety?”

The Kalamazoo rally was Obama’s first appearance on the campaign trail since he spoke at the Democratic National Convention over the summer, and her remarks were heated and passionate in their support of Harris.

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

Obama added: “Don’t accept the lies that we don’t know who Kamala is or what she stands for. This is someone who understands you, all of you.”

Although Obama has been a reluctant campaigner over the years, she showed no hesitation Saturday as her speech veered from the political to the personal. Obama said he fears for the country and is struggling to understand why the presidential race remains close.

“I would lay awake at night wondering, ‘What the hell is going on?'” she said.

Her voice vibrating with emotion, Obama spoke about women’s struggle to understand and care for their own bodies, whether it’s menstrual cycles or menopause. And he 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 ask from the core of my being that you take our lives seriously,” Obama pleaded.

Harris took the stage after Obama and promised the crowd that he would have their interests in mind — unlike Trump, who he accused of being only interested in himself.

“There is a desire in our country for a president who will see the people, not just look in the mirror all the time, but see the people, who will welcome you and who will fight for you,” she said.

After the rally, Harris went to Trak Houz Bar & Grill with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, where they drank a locally brewed beer.

“I want to have everything she has,” Harris said.

The politicians chatted and took photos with the people at the bar. When they approached a table of young women, one of them burst into tears.

Before arriving in Kalamazoo, Harris visited a local doctor’s office in Portage to talk with health care providers and medical students about the impact of abortion restrictions. One of them said they have patients visiting from other parts of the country where there are strict restrictions on abortion, and another said she was concerned that people would not want to practice in important areas of medicine because of fears of government intervention .

“We’re looking at a health care crisis in America that affects people of all backgrounds and genders,” Harris told reporters before visiting the doctor’s office.

Harris appeared alongside Beyoncé Friday in Houstonand campaigned alongside former President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen Thursday in Atlanta.

That’s a level of celebrity influence that surpasses anything Trump, the Republican nominee, has managed to do this year. But there’s no guarantee that will help Harris in the tight race for the White House. In 2016, Hillary Clinton lost to Trump despite firing up her crowds with musical performances and Democratic allies.

Trump rejected Harris’ attempt to harness star power for her campaign.

“Kamala is at a dance party with Beyoncé,” the former president said Friday in Traverse City, Michigan. trump card organized a rally in Novia suburb of Detroit on Saturday before a later event in State College, Pennsylvania.

Saturday is the first day in-person early voting has become available in Michigan. More than 1.4 million ballots have already been submitted, representing 20% ​​of registered voters.

When Clinton ran against Trump, Michelle Obama inspired Democrats with the slogan “when they go low, we go high.”

But this year, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, she adopted a more biting approach. She accused Trump of “doubling down on nasty, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better.”

While Harris was with Obama in Michigan, President Joe Biden visited the Workers International Union of North America in Pittsburgh. He noted that Harris once walked the picket line with the United Auto Workers — “he’s got the backbone of a wand” — while Trump undermined organized labor.

“He views unions as standing in the way of the accumulation of wealth for individuals,” Biden said. “It’s in the best interest of labor to beat Donald Trump, more so than any other race you’ve been in.”

Biden’s remarks to the mostly male audience referenced the gender gap that has been a consistent feature of this year’s presidential race.

Speaking of Trump, Biden said: “I’ll say it straight, he’s a loser as a man.”

He also said that women deserve more opportunities than they have received in the past.

“They can do anything any man can do, including being president of the United States of America,” Biden said.