Former President Barack Obama had supporters cheering at a Harris campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan, after he was introduced by rapper Eminem and showed off his rap skills by breaking into the rap icon's Academy Award-winning chart-topper "Lose Yourself," to the delight of the crowd.
Eminem—a Detroit native—issued the following remarks ahead of Obama's appearance, responding to former President Donald Trump's recent suggestion that the military should handle “radical left lunatics” and whomever he considers an “enemy from within”:
“I’m here tonight for a couple of reasons. As most of you know, the city of Detroit and my home state of Michigan mean a lot to me. Going into this election, the spotlight is on us more than ever and I think it’s important to use your voice. So, I’m encouraging everyone 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 would do if you make your opinion known. I think Vice President Harris supports a future for this country, where this freedom and many others will be protected and upheld.”
"Here to tell you more about that is President Barack Obama."
Obama then took the stage, saying:
“I gotta say, I’ve done a lot of rallies. So, I don’t usually get nervous, but I was feeling some kind of way following Eminem.”
He then broke into the first verse of "Lose Yourself" to underscore the mood he was in:
"Palms were sweaty, knees weak/ Arms are heavy, vomit on my sweater already/ Mom’s spaghetti/ I’m nervous but on the surface, I’m calm and ready to drop bombs, but I keep on forgetting!”
The crowd went wild, prompting Obama to joke:
“I thought Eminem was going to be performing and I was going to jump out.”
You can watch what happened below.
People loved every second of it.
Eminem—whose real name is Marshall Mathers—has been vocally anti-Trump and very direct about his support for Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign.
The artist, who grew up in poverty, has criticized Trump's supporters and addressed the irony of "middle-class" white individuals backing an alleged billionaire who has never faced significant struggles in his life.
In an undated video that went viral last year, Eminem said he gets "flustered and frustrating watching him [Trump] play to his base that thinks that he cares about them and it’s actually the people that he cares about the f**king least."
He was firm in his belief that Trump still enjoys support "because he’s brainwashing them into thinking something great is going to happen" even though "nothing's happening."
@mehcadbrooks/Threads