At Kamala Harris‘ campaign rally in Detroit on Tuesday, former U.S. president Barack Obama told the crowd his “palms are sweaty, knees weak, my arms are heavy” over having to speak on stage after rapper Eminem.
Both Obama, 63, and Eminem, 52, attended the rally to promote Vice-President Harris ahead of the Nov. 5 American presidential election.
“I have done a lot of rallies, so I don’t usually get nervous,” Obama told the cheering crowd. “But I was feeling some kind of way following Eminem.”
The former president — a known music lover — then recited several lines from Eminem’s song Lose Yourself, but adapted the lyrics to be in first-person.
Harris’ supporters grew raucous as they shouted support and waved campaign signs while Obama rapped.
“I notice my palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, vomit on my sweater already, mom’s spaghetti, I’m nervous but on the surface I look calm and ready to drop bombs but I keep on forgetting,” Obama recited while bouncing up and down behind the podium.
He then sang along to the Lose Yourself melody and joked, “I thought Eminem was performing, I was going to jump out.”
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“Love me some Eminem,” Obama said.
Following the rap, the former president condemned Donald Trump and said America is “ready to turn the page” on his antics.
Obama referenced Trump’s recent town hall in Pennsylvania this month, where the former president danced to music for about 40 minutes instead of speaking to voters.
“If your grandpa was acting like this, you’d be worried,” Obama said. “This is somebody who wants unchecked power. We do not need to see what an older, loonier Donald Trump looks like with no guardrails.”
Obama also spoke about Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 election results and said it led to his supporters intimidating poll workers in Detroit, “all because Donald Trump couldn’t accept losing.”
Before Obama took the stage, Eminem spoke briefly and told the crowd that his hometown Detroit and “the whole state of Michigan mean a lot to me.”
“Going into this election, the spotlight is on us more than ever,” the rapper said. “And I think it’s important to use your voice. So, I’m encouraging everybody to get out and vote, please.
“I also think that people shouldn’t be afraid to express their opinions, and I don’t think anyone wants an America where people are worried about retribution, or what people will do if you make your opinion known.”
Eminem endorsed Harris for president because she “supports a future for this country where these freedoms and many others will be protected and upheld.”
Tuesday’s rally was not the first time Eminem has been vocal about politics.
A critic of former U.S. president Trump, Eminem dissed him in his 2016 song Campaign Speech, which was released 19 days before the presidential election. The song warned Americans about voting for Trump and disparaged his supporters.
Eminem has also criticized other Republican politicians, including former president George W. Bush, whom he rapped about on the 2004 track Mosh, released before the presidential election that year.
Beyond Obama’s appreciation for Eminem, the former president has said he is an avid music fan, and his tastes extend to many genres.
Twice a year, the former president shares an official list of his current favourite songs to his social media accounts. Obama’s Summer 2024 playlist included music from Sting, Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Bob Dylan, GloRilla and Megan Thee Stallion.
Michigan is a swing state with the potential to vote primarily Democrat or Republican in the presidential election. During the 2016 race, the state turned red and helped push Trump to victory. The next election cycle in 2020 saw Michigan vote blue for President Joe Biden.
Trump also hosted a rally in Detroit last week, where he brought out hometown rapper Trick Trick to endorse him.
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