Biden, on ‘The View,’ says ‘at peace’ with exit but insists he would’ve beaten Trump
(NEW YORK) — President Joe Biden, during an appearance on “The View” on Wednesday, said he is “at peace” with his decision to exit the 2024 race but says he is still confident he would have defeated Donald Trump in November.
Biden sat down for roughly a half hour with the show’s five co-hosts in what was his first interview since the Democratic National Convention and the Sept. 10 ABC News presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump.
The president was first asked to reflect on stepping aside and ending his bid for reelection amid growing concerns from Democrats about his age and ability to carry out a grueling campaign and possible second term.
“I am at peace with my decision,” Biden said. “Look, when I ran for this last term, I said I saw myself as a transition president … But what happened was we were having so much success in getting things done that people felt we couldn’t get done, I found myself having used more time than I would’ve ordinarily to, you know, pass that torch.”
Biden then turned to praising Harris, who he called “tough” and “honorable.”
“And the thing I like about her, and one thing we share in common, is that we have an optimistic view of the future,” he said.
Still, Biden inisisted he would have defeated Trump had he stayed in the race.
Biden said he “never fully believed” claims that there was “overwhelming reluctance” to his continuing his campaign, despite, at the time of his announcement, there being 40 Democrats publicly calling for him to withdraw and behind-the-scenes pressure from leaders like Sen. Chuck Schumer and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He asserted such statements from Democrats wasn’t the reason he stepped down.
“I was confident I would beat Trump. He’s a loser,” Biden told “The View” hosts.
Biden’s advice for Harris on how to win was for her to “be herself.” He then briefly ran through her record as a prosecutor, U.S. senator and in his administration.
“As vice president, there wasn’t a single thing that I did that she couldn’t do,” he said. “So, I was able to delegate her responsibility on everything from foreign policy to domestic policy.”
“I just think she is — she has the energy, she has the intelligence, she has the grit, she has the stamina, and she has the guts to do the right thing,” he added.
Biden’s appearance on “The View” touched on his long career in government, with hosts paying homage to his work on the Violence Against Women Act and his administration’s diverse Cabinet and nomination of the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
But they also discussed hot-button issues such as Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and the Israel-Gaza war.
Asked about Trump blaming Biden and Democrats for the heated environment, Biden called Trump “the most unusual president” and said he was inspired to run in 2020 to restore the “soul of the nation.”
“Trump is — there’s not a social redeeming value there,” Biden said. The president asserted Trump “does not believe in democracy” and “failed to understand” the value of global alliances.
On Israel-Gaza, Biden said while he supported Israel he did not agree with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s position and that there needs to be a cease-fire as well as a two-state solution.
Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, with fighting between Israel and Lebanon increasing, Biden said the region is at an inflection point.
“An all our war is possible,” he warned. “But I think there’s also the opportunity still in play to have a settlement that can fundamentally the change the whole region.”
(CHICAGO) — Lowering health care costs will be a central theme at the Democratic National Convention this week, campaign and convention officials said on Monday, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), confirmed as one notable program speaker set to focus upon the issue — specifically on “lowering Rx drug prices” and “taking on Big Pharma.”
The DNC convention runs for four nights starting on Monday, with nightly programming airing from the United Center in Chicago. Each night “will bring the story of the Democratic party and our nominees to the American people,” convention officials have said, and will help to further introduce Vice President Kamala Harris, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and their agenda to the nation.
Speakers throughout the week like Sanders, California Rep. Robert Garcia, Illinois Rep. Lauren Underwood and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will highlight the Harris-Walz campaign’s support for strengthening the Affordable Care Act, convention officials shared first with ABC News.
The remarks are also expected to contrast those health care proposals with “Donald Trump’s toxic Project 2025 agenda, which would repeal the Affordable Care Act and drive up the cost of care,” officials said, and highlight Trump’s “disastrous mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic” during the end of his term in 2020. Trump has said he no longer plans to repeal the ACA, saying he would make it “much better than it is right now.”
The speakers were each selected for their unique backgrounds on the topic of health care. Garcia, who lost two parents to COVID-19, will talk about Trump’s mismanagement of the pandemic. Underwood, who has a background as a nurse, will talk about preserving and strengthening the ACA. Lujan Grisham, who was formerly the New Mexico Secretary of Health and whose mother was a breast cancer researcher who was later diagnosed with breast cancer, “will talk about preserving access to care through the ACA as well as cancer research,” officials said.
On Sunday, the Democratic National Convention Committee announced the daily themes for the convention.
Monday’s theme is “For the People.” As it’s the day when President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak, the programming will highlight “the accomplishments and results President Biden delivered for people,” — “with [Harris] by his side.”
Tuesday’s theme is “A Bold Vision for America’s Future,” which will contrast the Harris-Walz agenda with that of Trump and Vance. The day’s speakers will emphasize the notion that the former ticket “presents a brighter vision where everyone will have a chance not just to get by, but to get ahead,” according to convention officials.
Wednesday’s theme is “A Fight for Our Freedoms.” On the day Walz is set to speak, the programming is expected to expand upon the reasons Harris chose him as her running mate — because he is a “staunch defender” of freedoms and is a “champion for America’s working families.”
And Thursday’s theme is “For Our Future,” which sets up the marquee nomination acceptance speech slated to be delivered by Harris. The programming will center around the fact that the nation “can’t afford” to put Trump back in the White House, raising the stakes for the November election.
Health care will be a convention focal point days after as Harris unveiled on Friday a string of new economic proposals during the first major policy rollout of her campaign in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In that speech, she pledged to “lower the cost of insulin and prescription drugs for everyone.” She also said she’d “demand transparency from the middlemen who operate between Big Pharma and the insurance companies, who use opaque practices to raise your drug prices and profit off your need for medicine.”
“Building on her years of work as vice president, U.S. senator, and California attorney general, taking on corporations that rip off consumers and fighting to keep prices low for Americans, VP Harris made two major announcements last week — one with President Biden on Thursday regarding drug prices and one on Friday regarding her plan to bring down costs for the middle class,” the officials said in a statement to ABC News.
“Now, with those accomplishments secured and a forward-looking plan, lowering health care costs will be a central theme at this week’s convention,” they added.
(WASHINGTON) — Vice President Kamala Harris is back in Washington and is preparing to roll out her economic plan on the road in North Carolina on Friday, which will mark her first major policy rollout since becoming the Democratic nominee. As Donald Trump looks for a campaign reset, he spoke with Elon Musk live on Tuesday and will deliver remarks on the economy in North Carolina on Wednesday.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Walz falsely claims he is first union member on presidential ticket since Reagan
Speaking to AFSCME members in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz claimed he was the “first union member on a presidential ticket since Ronald Reagan.”
That claim is false: former President Donald Trump was a SAG-AFTRA member until he resigned in 2021 after the union’s national board found probable cause that Trump violated the group’s constitution by his actions on Jan. 6.
Trump was for years a member of the union, which represents more than 160,000 performers across a variety of media platforms, by virtue of his various appearances in films and television shows. He reported earning a pension from the union in his financial disclosures.
At a fundraiser later Tuesday, Walz repeated the claim, apparently unaware it was false.
Prior to his two terms as California governor, Reagan served twice as president of the Screen Actors Guild.
ABC News has reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for comment.
Harris, Walz to tour Pennsylvania ahead of the DNC
Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will take a bus tour through Pennsylvania on Sunday right before their appearance at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), ABC News has confirmed.
Sunday’s tour, first reported by CNN, will begin in Pittsburgh and will be the first time Harris, Walz and their spouses will appear on the campaign trail together. According to the campaign, they aim to have a cluster of intimate events with voters, ranging from canvass kick-offs to stops at local retail shops.
Trump to deliver remarks on economy in North Carolina
Former President Donald Trump is set to deliver remarks on the economy in North Carolina on Wednesday as the campaign works to recenter its campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris.
“The election’s coming up, and the people want to hear about the economy,” Trump said during an interview with Elon Musk on X Monday, directly blaming the Biden-Harris administration for the current state of the economy.
The economy has been one of the Trump campaign’s central election issues this cycle — the former president often spending a considerable amount of time discussing inflation, gas prices and the job market.
“I just ask this: Are you better off now, or were you better off when I was president?” Trump said Monday night as he was wrapping up his conversation with Musk.
Omar decries ‘shameful’ opponents in primary race
Following her Tuesday night primary victory, Rep. Ilhan Omar told supporters: “We run the politics of joy, because we know it is joyful to fight for your neighbors.”
“We know it is joyful to want to live in a peaceful and equitable world,” she added, per ABC News’ St. Paul affiliate KSTP-TV.
Omar also had harsh words for her main primary opponent Don Samuels, though did not mention him by name.
“I hope that they reflect in the shameful way they decided to divide our district and the incredible people we are grateful to represent,” she said of her challengers.
Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar wins primary
Rep. Ilhan Omar has won her Congressional primary in Minnesota, multiple media outlets projected Tuesday night.
Omar’s win follows defeats by two of her fellow squad members in their primaries — Cori Bush from Missouri, and Jamaal Bowman of New York.
Omar had been expected to win in her district despite a challenge from former Minneapolis city council member Don Samuels.
Bush lost her primary earlier this month to St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell. He was backed by more than $8 million from the pro-Israel United Democracy Project.
Bowman lost to Westchester County Executive George Latimer in June. Per AdImpact, the race was the most expensive House primary on record, with most of the funding coming from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) United Democracy Project PAC in support of Latimer. Latimer was recruited to run by AIPAC.
Walz says he’s ‘damn proud’ of military record, thanks Vance for his service
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, in his first solo campaign appearance, defended his military record and thanked his vice presidential opponent, Sen. JD Vance, for his service.
“I am damn proud of my service to this country,” Walz said to applause at the AFSCME convention in California. “And I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person’s service record. Anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country, including my opponent, I just have a few simple words: thank you for your service and sacrifice.”
Vance has repeatedly criticized how Walz has talked about his military record, which included 24 years in the Army National Guard before he retired to run for Congress in 2005. Vance served as a combat correspondent for four years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Read more about Vance’s comments and Walz’s background here.
Biden says he would attend Trump’s inauguration if he were elected
President Joe Biden on Tuesday, as he was departing the White House, said he would go to Trump’s inauguration in January if he were to win this year’s election.
“I have good manners, not like him,” Biden told reporters after being asked if he’d attend. Trump did not attend Biden’s inauguration in 2021.
Biden also defended his calling Trump “a genuine danger to American security,” a comment he made during his CBS News interview over the weekend. Asked whether that contradicted his calls to cool heated political rhetoric, Biden shot back: “That’s just a statement. That’s a factual statement.”
-Fritz Farrow
Judge’s ruling means independent Cornel West can appear on North Carolina ballot
Independent presidential candidate Cornel West will be allowed on the general election ballot in North Carolina following a judge’s ruling that reversed a decision that would have kept him off the ballot in the battleground state.
In a ruling on Monday, U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle ordered the North Carolina State Board of Elections to certify Justice for All North Carolina as a political party in the state. That party, started by West’s campaign, is nominating him as its candidate in North Carolina and some other states. The board had previously voted to deny certifying the party over concerns about how signatures were gathered for its petition to become a certified party.
Justice for All North Carolina called the decision a “monumental day for our party” but West’s campaign still faces headwinds. The Democratic National Committee filed a complaint with the FEC alleging that West’s campaign received “illegal In-Kind Contributions” from firms it used to collect signatures for ballot access petitions in Arizona and North Carolina — allegations West has pushed back on.
“We’ve always said we’re going to ensure the third party candidates are playing by the rules, and it’s clear his campaign isn’t playing by the rules,” DNC spokesperson Matt Corridoni told ABC News after the complaint was filed.
-Oren Oppenheim
Walz to make his 1st solo campaign appearance
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday will embark on his first solo Harris-Walz campaign event as Harris’ running mate with a stop in Los Angeles for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) international convention.
Walz is set to speak at 3:35 p.m. ET.
Walz emerged as a popular candidate among labor unions during Harris’ search for a vice president pick, sources said. AFSCME represents 1.4 million public service members, and the union’s president, Lee Saunders, previously released a statement endorsing Harris for president.
Harris to roll out economic plan on Friday
Harris will outline her economic policy in a speech in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday, her campaign announced, making it her first major policy rollout since jumping into the race.
Harris’ speech will detail her plan to “lower costs for middle-class families and take on corporate price-gouging,” a campaign official said.
The vice president has heavily focused her stump speech on the economy while on the campaign trail in recent weeks, saying over the weekend she would look to eliminate taxes on tips earned by service workers — a proposal Trump announced earlier this summer.
Harris’ college sorority creates PAC
The historically Black Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., of which Vice President Kamala Harris counts herself a member, started its own political PAC last week, according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission posted Monday.
The committee is named Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority PAC, Inc., or AKA 1908 PAC, the filing shows.
Harris has been an AKA since her days as a student at the historically Black Howard University in Washington, D.C. Harris on Monday visited the campus, her office confirmed to ABC News, but it’s not clear why she was there.
In July, before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, Harris spoke at the AKA’s annual Boulé in Dallas, Texas. Since then, as a candidate, she’s also addressed similar national gatherings of two other historically Black sororities, Zeta Phi Beta and Sigma Gamma Rho.
Trump says he will return to Butler, Pennsylvania after assassination attempt
After discussing the assassination attempt made against him in Pennsylvania in July, former President Donald Trump said he’s planning a trip back to Butler in October.
“We’re going back to Butler; we’re gonna go back in October,” Trump said, adding, “Butler is a big, great area.”
Addressing what he’ll say when he returns, Trump told Musk, “I think I’ll probably start by saying I was so horribly interrupted.”
Trump discusses assassination attempt with Musk, says he turned head at ‘perfect angle’
During his conversation with Musk, former President Donald Trump addressed the assassination attempt made against him during a campaign rally in July.
“It was amazing that I happened to be turned just at that perfect angle,” Trump said of the bullet, which grazed his right ear while his head was turned.
During the discussion, Trump mentioned the man who was killed in the shooting, saying, it was a “very sad situation.”
“We lost somebody that was firefighter, a great Trumper,” Trump said of Corey Comperatore, adding, “He was a just a fantastic family [man] and a fantastic man.”
Trump and Musk’s conversation on X appears to be delayed
The conversation between former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk appears to be delayed, with many X users reporting they cannot access the Spaces conversation.
“This Space is not available,” appeared for some users on X.
The conversation was scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Judge orders RFK Jr. off New York ballot
A New York judge ruled Monday that the thousands of signatures gathered by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign in the state were “invalidated” after a Democrat-aligned group argued he misled voters by listing as his home an address he rarely visits.
The judge, Christina Ryba, ordered the New York Board of Elections to not include Kennedy’s name on the ballot this fall.
A lawyer representing Kennedy told reporters last week they would appeal any ruling that went against them.
The ruling could prompt Democrats to bring similar lawsuits against Kennedy in other states where he gathered signatures from registered voters to appear on the ballot.
The FBI is investigating alleged attempts by Iran to target the then-Biden-Harris campaign, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News.
The alleged targeting via spear-fishing emails occurred before Biden announced he would exit the 2024 presidential race, the sources said.
While the campaign was targeted, the alleged hack was not successful, sources added.
The FBI is investigating a purported hack of the Trump campaign, according to a brief statement from the agency earlier Monday.
The FBI did not attribute the hack to anyone in its statement.
A source familiar with the matter told ABC News that Trump adviser Roger Stone has also been informed that his email accounts have been compromised, and that he’s cooperating with any investigation into the matter.
The Washington Post first reported the news.
-ABC News’ Luke Barr, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Will Steakin and Katherine Faulders
Biden, Obama, Clintons tentatively slated to speak at DNC: Sources
President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, and Bill and Hillary Clinton are all tentatively slated to speak at the Democratic National Convention next week, sources familiar said.
The working speaking schedule, which can always change, is as follows, according to the sources:
Monday: President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Tuesday: Former President Barack Obama Wednesday: Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, former President Bill Clinton Thursday: Vice President Kamala Harris
-ABC News’ MaryAlice Parks and Fritz Farrow
Trump posts on X ahead of Musk interview
Trump posted on X for the first time in nearly a year ahead of his conversation with Elon Musk scheduled for Monday night.
The video posted is a previously released campaign ad referencing his multiple indictments and telling supporters, “They are not coming after me, they are coming after you.”
The last time Trump posted on X was Aug. 24, 2023. It was a picture of his mugshot from Fulton County, when he turned himself in to authorities following his election interference indictment in Georgia.
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Kelsey Walsh, Soorin Kim
Trump to be interviewed by Elon Musk tonight
Trump, in a post to his conservative social media site Truth Social, announced he will be interviewed live by Musk on X at 8 p.m. ET.
It will mark a major return for Trump to X, formerly known as Twitter, since he was banned from the site following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump was reinstated in late 2022 but declined to become active on the site again, despite boasting 88 million followers.
Musk endorsed Trump following the July 13 assassination attempt against the former president. Recently, Musk has amplified misinformation about voting and elections on his X feed.
Walz discusses ‘whirlwind’ 1st week on the campaign trail
In a video posted on his X account, the Minnesota governor discussed what he called “not a normal week” since being named as Harris’ running mate.
Walz confirmed some details reported previously by ABC News and others, including that he informed Harris’ vetting team that he had not used a teleprompter before.
“Not a normal week, which is a good thing. Started by missing a call from the Vice President, pretty important one. And then got that call and honored to join the ticket with Kamala Harris to take us in a great direction,” Walz said.
“After that, it has been a whirlwind. We got on a plane and we flew to Philly, and they told me that in an hour I’d be giving a speech and there would be a teleprompter, something I had never used in my life, so certainly terrified, but was lifted up by the folks in Philly.”
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie
Harris wraps battleground state blitz, Vance makes rounds on Sunday shows
Over the weekend, Harris closed out a cross-country tour that included stops in battleground states Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Arizona, as well as North Carolina and Nevada.
New polling released Saturday showed Harris taking the lead over Trump in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin among likely voters. The New York Times/Siena College polls showed Harris at 50% among likely voters in each state, while Trump polled at 46%.
Vance, too, campaigned in key 2024 states and made the rounds on the Sunday shows. During his cable news appearances, Vance reiterated campaign talking points on immigration and repeatedly hit Harris for not sitting down for extensive media interviews and laying out her agenda. Harris has done brief gaggles with reporters and said she’d unveil an economic policy platform this week.
Vance responds to mass deportation plan: ‘Let’s start with one million’
Sen. JD Vance told ABC News he blamed Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden administration’s policies, such as ending “Remain in Mexico,” for the ongoing migrant crisis.
When asked how he and Trump would accomplish their stated goal of mass deporting as many as 20 million immigrants — a proposal experts previously told ABC News would be a “nightmare” — Vance said they would take a “sequential approach.”
“I mean do you go knock on doors and ask people for their papers? What do you do,” Karl asked.
“You start with what’s achievable,” Vance said. “I think that if you deport a lot of violent criminals and frankly if you make it harder to hire illegal labor, which undercuts the wages of American workers, I think you go a lot of the way to solving the illegal immigration problem.”
“I think it’s interesting that people focus on, well, how do you deport 18 million people? Let’s start with one million. That’s where Kamala Harris has failed. And then we can go from there,” Vance said.
Harris cautions donors to ‘not take anything for granted’
Vice President Kamala Harris attended a fundraiser in San Francisco Sunday where she maintained her campaign “will win this election,” but cautioned donors to “not take anything for granted.”
“I know there’s a lot of enthusiasm out there,” Harris said, adding, “And you know, I’ve never been one to really believe in the polls — whether they’re up or they’re down.”
“What we know is the stakes are so high and we can take nothing for granted in this critical moment,” she continued. “So we will fuel our campaign as we have, with enthusiasm and optimism, but also with a deep commitment to the hard work it’s going to take, and to campaign.”
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi introduced Harris at the event, touting the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration and the background of vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, several times calling the Harris-Walz ticket “the freedom ticket.”
“[Harris] makes us all so proud. She brings us so much joy. She gives us so much hope,” Pelosi said, calling the vice president “politically very astute.”
(CHICAGO) — Former first lady Michelle Obama took center stage at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, along with her husband former President Barack Obama, to throw their formidable political weight behind Kamala Harris.
“Something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn’t it?” Michelle Obama said after a long standing ovation that followed her entrance at the United Center in Chicago, where she grew up and her husband began his political career.
“You know, we’re feeling it here in this arena, but it’s spreading all across this country,” she continued. “We love a familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep for far too long. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the contagious power of hope.”
The opening message was a callback to the campaign slogan that defined Barack Obama’s White House run in 2008 when he became the first Black man elected president.
Harris, who is just the second woman to ever receive a major party’s nomination for president, will try to become the first woman to serve as president.
“The anticipation, the energy, the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day,” Michelle Obama continued. “The chance to vanquish the demons of fear, division and hate that have consumed us and continue pursuing the unfinished promise of this great nation, the dream that our parents and grandparents fought and died and sacrificed for. America, hope is making a comeback.”
Michelle Obama remains one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, despite her aversion to partisan politics. Her goodwill with the party is so high that when President Joe Biden struggled in his campaign this past year, her name was floated as a possible alternative to take his place atop the ticket, even though she’s repeatedly said she would never run for office.
That star power was on display as she addressed the convention for 20 minutes. Despite maintaining a relatively low profile this election cycle, previously appearing only in a campaign video endorsing Harris after Biden dropped out of the race, the crowd was rapt during her remarks.
“My girl, Kamala Harris, is more than ready for this moment,” she said. “She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency. And she is one of the most dignified.”
She sought to contrast Harris’ background and record with that of Donald Trump, who she expected to launch similar personal attacks against Harris that he did to the Obamas.
“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black,” she said.
“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs?'” she added, prompting thunderous applause from the crowd. “It’s his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better.”
Michelle Obama advised that while Harris’ candidacy has reenergized the party, the matchup with Trump will still be a fight — a warning similar to that issued by former Secretary Hillary Clinton in her convention speech on Monday.
“We cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right,” Michelle Obama said. “We cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected.”
The former first lady made an appeal to all voters, regardless of political party, to stand up “stand up for what we know in our hearts is right.”
After recounting a story about Harris’ mother telling her not to complain about things but to “do something,” Michelle Obama made a similar plea to those watching to take action throughout the campaign to help Harris get elected.
“So consider this to be your official ask: Michelle Obama is asking you to do something,” she said. “Because this is going to be close. In some states, just a handful of votes in every precinct could decide the winner. So we need to vote in numbers that erase any doubt. We need to overwhelm any effort to suppress us.