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Obama unleashes on Trump’s ‘China-made’ bibles in attack-filled Tucson rally

Barack Obama ridiculed Donald Trump claiming the special-edition bibles being sold by the former president are “China-made”.

The former president joined the Democrats’ campaign trail for the second time in two weeks on Friday night - this time in the battleground state of Arizona.

In an attack-filled speech in Tucson, Mr Obama unleashed on Donald Trump for his various money making schemes, most recently launching a branded bible, that he claimed is made in China.

“He wants you to buy the work of God, Donald Trump edition. His name’s gonna be on there embossed, right next to Luke and Mark,” the former president said.

“Mr tough guy on China, except talking [about] his Trump-edition bibles.”

It comes after a report that thousands of Trump’s “God Bless the USA” bibles were printed in China, despite the former president repeatedly accusing the country of stealing American jobs and promising to raise sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports.

Mr Obama also took a swipe at the Republican candidate’s “word salad” speeches and his decision to dance to music instead of answering questions at a campaign town hall earlier this week.

“The point of a town hall is to take questions,” said Mr Obama of Trump’s appearance in Oaks, Pennsylvania, when the former president swayed back and forth to music for nearly 40 minutes after two audience members fainted. “He just decided, you know what, I’m going to stop taking questions, and then he’s just swaying to Ave Maria and YMCA.”

Poking fun at Trump’s musical taste, he added: “Our playlist would probably be better.”

Trump’s record on healthcare was also derided by Mr Obama, who mocked the Republican candidate for pronouncing himself the “father of IVF” in front of an all-female audience at a Fox town hall event earlier this week. “You would be worried if your grandpa was acting like this,” he said.

The two-term president then turned his attention to Kamala Harris, praising her record as a prosecutor and claiming she is “as prepared for the job as any nominee” for the presidency.

The loudest cheers of the night came when Mr Obama attacked Trump on the issue of abortion, accusing the former president of tying himself “into a pretzel” on the issue.

In an effort to reach across partisan divides, Mr Obama said: “I’ve always said there are good people of conscience on both sides of the abortion divide...but if we believe in freedom, then we should at least agree that such a deeply personal decision should be made by the woman whose body is involved, not politicians.”

The former president’s Arizona address comes amid a media blitz by the Democrats, with Ms Harris deploying some of her most powerful surrogates in Mr Obama and Bill Clinton on the campaign trail.

In the coming days, Mr Obama will appear at rallies in Las Vegas on Saturday, followed by further events in Detroit and Wisconsin on Tuesday. Ms Harris is due to join him for their first joint event next Thursday in Georgia.

01:55 AM BST

That’s all for tonight

Thank you for tuning in to our liveblog of former president Barack Obama’s rally in Tucson, Arizona.

We’ll be back tomorrow to bring you all the latest from the campaign trail.

01:13 AM BST

Vote for Kamala, says Obama

Barack Obama ends his speech with a flourish and a final exhortation for the crowd to vote.

“If there’s enough of us making our voices heard, we will leave no doubt about the outcome of this election,” he says.

“We will leave no doubt about who we are and what America stands for, and together, we will keep building a country that that is more fair and more just and more equal and more free.

“That is our job. That’s our responsibility. Tucson, let’s do it.”

The former president’s address has come to a close.

01:09 AM BST

Obama slams Trump over bullying

“I’ve noticed this especially with some men, I think that Trump’s behaviour the bullying and putting people down and somehow that’s a sign of strength,” says Barack Obama.

“I am here to tell you that is not what ral strength is. Real strength is about working hard and carrying a heavy lad without complaining,” he continues.

“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’s what we should want for our daughter and our sons. That’s what I want to see in the president of the United States of America.”

The former president’s comments echo those he made last week in Pennsylvania, when he questioned whether sexism might be at play in some men’s refusal to back Kamala Harris.

01:04 AM BST

Republicans have discarded values of John McCain, says Obama

“Being here in Tucson I’m thinking about my friend John McCain,” says Barack Obama.

“John was conservative, to put it mildly. Ran against me in 2008, talked about me on the campaign trail But you know what? He understood that some values transcend parties. He believed in honest argument and hearing the views of other people.He didn’t demonise his political opponents.”

The former president goes on to cite an example of Mr McCain shutting down a conversation with one of his supporters who claimed Mr Obama was an Arab.

“He’s an honourable man. He’s a patriotic American,” says the former president. “One of the most disturbing things about this election and Donald Trump’s rise in politics is how we seem top have set aside the values that people like John McCain stood for.”

12:58 AM BST

Trump ties himself into a pretzel on abortion, says Obama

Mr Obama trains his sights on Donald Trump over abortion, which is on the ballot in ten states this election.

In an effort to reach across partisan divides, Mr Obama says: “I’ve always said there are good people of conscience on both sides of the abortion divide...but if we believe in freedom, then we should at least agree that such a deeply personal decision should be made by the woman whose body is involved, not politicians.”

His comments receive some of the loudest applause of the evening so far.

“It’s fascinating to watch Donald Trump just tying himself into a pretzel on this issue,” Mr Obama continues, before outlining how the Republican candidate has flip-flopped on this issue.

12:55 AM BST

For Trump, freedom is getting away with stuff, says Obama

“For Donald Trump and his cronies, freedom means the power to do whatever they want,” says Barack Obama.

The former president goes on to say: “They want the freedom to throw out votes if they lose an election.

“They want to control what women can and can’t do to their bodies.

“For Trump, freedom is getting away with stuff.”

Mr Oabma contrasts that with the Democrats’ vision of freedom: “We believe that true freedom gives each of us the right to make decisions about our own lives.”

12:52 AM BST

Shipping away immigrants won’t solve the border, says Obama

Barack Obama criticises Donald Trump on his plans to solve the border situation by deporting immigrants.

“He wants you to believe if you let him round up whoever he wants and ship them out. All your problems will be solved.

“We can’t pretend there are not [problems with the border], we are a nation of laws and we are a nation of immigrants.”

Turning to Trump’s record on the border while in office, he says that the former president had “mean and ugly” concepts of the plan.

He adds that the Republican candidate “cared more about winning an election than he did to actually solve the problem”, referring to Trump’s decision to block the border security act.

12:47 AM BST

Obama sings Harris’ praises on policy

Barack Obama hones in on Kamala Harris’ policy agenda, listing of her plans to lower the cost of groceries and prevent price-gouging.

On housing, he says she will cut red tape and build three million new homes to make housing more affordable.

On healthcare, he adds that she will call out drug companies and find ways to bring down the cost of prescription drugs.

On taxes, he contrasts Ms Harris’ proposal to support working people with Trump’s plans to cut taxes for the wealthy.

12:44 AM BST

Trump tried to dismantle affordable care act, says Obama

Donald Trump tried to dismantle affordable care act, says Barack Obama.

The former president adds that even this effort was thwarted by Trump’s predecessor John McCain.

Mr Obama goes on to ridicule Trump over his “concepts of a plan” comment on healthcare, stating: “Students here in Arizona, you can try [that] with your professors.”

12:42 AM BST

Obama takes a swipe at Trump over tariffs

Barack Obama repeats his talking points from last week that Trump’s record on the economy was bolstered by his own economic stewardship.

“We had 75 straight months of job growth!” he says.

Mr Obama goes on to bash Trump’s plans for tariffs, claiming, in line with most economists, that they will lead to soaring prices.

“If you think prices are high now, Donald Trump’s message is you ain’t seen nothing yet,” says Mr Obama.

12:39 AM BST

Trump has never changed a tire, says Obama

Barack Obama says it’s “just cool” that Tim Walz has the know-how to put a vintage truck back together, which he contrasts with Donald Trump.

The former president adds that Trump has probably never changed a tyre, adding that he gets “Jeeves” to do it.

12:37 AM BST

Harris ready for the presidency, says Obama

“Kamala Harris is ready to do the job,” Barack Obama says.

“This is a leader who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice, who need a champion.”

He adds that Ms Harris is “as prepared for the job as any nominee” for the presidency.

12:35 AM BST

Obama mocks Trump over townhall dance

“The point of a townhall is to take questions,” says Barack Obama. “He just decided, you know what, I’m going to stop taking questions, and hen he’s just saying to Ave Maria and YMCA.”

Taking a further swipe at Trump’s musical taste, he says: “Our playlist would probably be better.

“You would be worrying if your grandpa was acting like this.”

12:33 AM BST

Trump sees power as a means to his ends, says Obama

Donald Trump sees power as a means to his ends, says Barack Obama.

“He’s not thinking about you. Donald Trump sees power as nothing more than a means to his ends,” he says. “He wants the middle class to pay the price for another huge tax cut that would mostly help him in his country club base.”

As the crowd starts to boo, the former president issues his now infamous refrain: “Don’t boo. Vote!”

12:31 AM BST

Obama: I’m sometimes frustrated with politics

Barack Obama leans into the crowds frustrations, telling them: “I’m sometimes frustrated with politics.”

“I understand why people are looking to shake things up,” he says. “What I cannot understand is why anyone would think Donald Trump will shake things up in a way that is good for you.”

The former president continues with his stump speech from last week, poking fun at Trump over his various endorsements - the latest being $100,000 Trump watches and a Trump bible.

“His name could be on there embossed, right next to Luke and Mark,” he says.

12:28 AM BST

Obama struggling with a sore throat

Barack Obama apologises to the crowd for having “something in my throat”.

“I’m a little out of practice,” he quips, before going on to explain that his message is more important.

“What I have to say is going to make much more sense even if I’m coughing a little bit,” he says.

12:24 AM BST

Obama up next

Barack Obama is about to take to the stage.

Dressed in a white shirt and grey trousers, the former president points to the crowd as he saunters towards the microphone.

“Hello Arizona!” He bellows to rapturous applause.

12:23 AM BST

Ruben Gallego takes the stage

Democratic senate candidate Ruben Gallego has taken to the stage.

The marine corps veteran urges his supporters to get out and vote, reminding them of what is at stake were Donald Trump to win back the White House.

He then takes aim at Kari Lake, his rival for the senate and one of Trump’s most outspoken supporters.

“She will do anything, she will say anything, she will do anything to gain power and hurt Arizonans in the process,” he says. “Kari Lake is not looking ut for you, but we are.”

12:17 AM BST

How close is Arizona race?

Arizona is one of the seven battleground states in the 2024 election.

The sunbelt state traditionally leans Republican, with the GOP winning every presidential race from 2000 - 2016.

However, President Biden managed to flip the state in 2020, winning by a razor-thin margin of 0.3 percentage points.

The extremely narrow margin of victory led Republicans to lodge a series of legal complaints claiming foul play that were ultimately dismissed.

The latest polls this cycle show Donald Trump holds a narrow two percentage point lead over Kamala Harris, with the former president on 48.7 per cent of the vote to Ms Harris’ 46.7.

12:09 AM BST

Obama introduced by Arizona Governor

Arizona governor Katie Hobbs has taken to the stage to introduce Barack Obama.

The governor calls on the crowd to vote Democrat both in the presidential race and the down-ballot contest between Kari Lake and Ruben Gallego.

“It is time to put an end to the darkness,” she says. “It is time to move beyond the division and chart a new way forward with vice president Harris and governor Walz.”