Former President Barack Obama has a message for Black men considering voting for former President Donald Trump instead of Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election.
"You're coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses," Obama told a group of campaign volunteers and officials at a Pittsburgh field office on Thursday, The New York Times reported. "I've got a problem with that.
"Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren't feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you're coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that."
Obama added that, "women in our lives have been getting our backs this entire time."
"When we get in trouble and the system isn't working for us, they're the ones out there marching and protesting," he said.
The former president spoke after a poll last month from The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Siena College showed that Harris' support among Black voters is lower than what President Joe Biden received when he won the state in 2020.
Pennsylvania is considered a key state in deciding whether Trump or Harris wins the presidency.
A September national survey released by the NAACP found that 26% of Black men under 50 said they plan to support Trump in November, while 49% said they back Harris. The same poll found that 67% of Black women support Harris.
At the University of Pittsburgh on Thursday night, Obama again pleaded for Black men to support Harris.
"And by the way, I'm sorry, gentlemen, I've noticed this, especially with some men who seem to think Trump's behavior of bullying and putting people down is a sign of strength," he said, the Times reported. "And I am here to tell you that is not what real strength is. It never has been.
"Real strength is about working hard and carrying a heavy load without complaining. Real strength is about taking responsibility for your actions and telling the truth even when it's inconvenient. Real strength is about helping people who need it, and standing up for those who can't always stand up for themselves.
"That is what we should want for our daughters and for our sons, and that is what I want to see in a president of the United States of America."
At least one Democrat slammed Obama for lecturing Black men on how to vote.
"Why are Black men being belittled in ways that no other voting group [is]?" former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner said on CNN, Newsweek reported. "Now, a lot of love for former President Obama, but for him to single out Black men is wrong."
Reuters contributed to this story.