Hip-hop icon Eminem and former President Barack Obama joined forces at a rally in Detroit, calling on voters to turn out in force for the upcoming election. The event, aimed at energizing Democratic voters in Michigan, featured sharp criticism of former President Donald Trump, who remains a central figure in the political landscape.
Eminem, a Detroit native and vocal critic of Trump, took the stage to encourage the crowd to use their voices in the upcoming election. "As most of you know, the city of Detroit and the whole state of Michigan mean a lot to me," he said. “And going into this election, the spotlight is on us more than ever. I think it's important to use your voice, so I'm encouraging everybody to get out and vote.”
Obama made a memorable entry, walking out to Eminem's hit song "Lose Yourself." With a playful nod to the rapper’s famous lyrics, Obama joked, "I don’t usually get nervous, but I was feeling some kind of way following Eminem. Now I notice my palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy… I’m nervous. But on the surface, I look calm and ready."
The rally was not all lighthearted, however, as Obama took aim at Trump, lambasting his economic policies and leadership. Obama asked the crowd why anyone would believe Trump could improve their lives.
"What I cannot understand is why anybody would think that Donald Trump will shake things up in a way that’s good for you," Obama said, before asserting that Trump’s actions show he only thinks about himself. "Donald Trump is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he came down that golden escalator nine years ago."
Obama also addressed Trump’s claims about the economy, arguing that the strong economy during Trump’s early presidency was a result of the work done under Obama’s administration. "Some folks say, ‘Yeah, I do remember the economy was pretty good when Trump first came into office.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, because it was my economy,’” Obama stated.
He went on to criticize Trump’s economic policies, saying, “When I handed over 75 straight months of job growth to Donald Trump, all he did was give a tax cut to people who didn’t need it and drove up the deficit in the process. So don’t have nostalgia for what his economy was, because that was mine.”
With Michigan being a critical battleground state, both Eminem and Obama emphasized the importance of voter turnout to secure a victory for Democrats in the upcoming election.
