Before the rally, Obama spoke to volunteers at a local campaign office and said he had done so found a lack of enthusiasm for Harris, particularly among black men.

“You think about sitting out or even supporting someone who has often denigrated in the past YouBecause you think that’s a sign of strength, because that’s what it means to be a man and put women down?” he said. “This is not acceptable.”

Obama’s accusation of Trump’s masculinity comes amid a stark gender divide in this election. Polls show that Harris enjoys significantly more support among women than men, and that Trump performs significantly better among male voters than among women. (Be sure to read my MSNBC colleague Ja’han Jones’ series on Trump-driven hypermasculinity in right-wing circles.)

Both camps try to increase their candidate’s appeal to the opposite sex. For the Harris campaign, this includes Obama’s commitment to supporting her. For Trump, that means making condescending assurances that he will be a “protector” of women while ramping up his ugly personal attacks on Harris.