Former President Barack Obama appeared to be critical of black men who have refused to support Vice President Kamala Harris while going so far as to suggest that sexism might be a factor.

Hours before his first campaign rally for the Democratic nominee, Obama made an unplanned visit to a Harris campaign field office in Pittsburgh. There, he stated his intention to “speak some truths” and specifically address Black men, delivering his most direct comments yet regarding their reluctance to support Harris to date, the Washington Post

“My understanding, based on reports I’m getting from campaigns and communities, is that we have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all quarters of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running,” Obama said, adding that it “seems to be more pronounced with the brothers.”

Obama questioned why voters, especially Black voters, remain undecided about supporting Harris or the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, the Post noted further.

“On the one hand, you have somebody who grew up like you, knows you, went to college with you, understands the struggles and pain and joy that comes from those experiences,” Obama said, recounting a list of Harris’s flip-flop policy proposals. In Trump, he falsely claimed, “you have someone who has consistently shown disregard, not just for the communities, but for you as a person … And you are thinking about sitting out?”

The former president then discussed what he believed was causing black men’s lukewarm support for Harris, suggesting that some were uncomfortable with the idea of electing the first female president, the Post noted.

“And you’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses. I’ve got a problem with that,” he said. “Because part of it makes me think — and I’m speaking to men directly — 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’s remarks marked a historic moment: the United States’ first Black president encouraging fellow Black men to support Kamala Harris, who has the potential to become the first woman of color to hold the White House. Harris herself is both black and Indian-American.

The “women in our lives have been getting our backs this entire time,” Obama said. “When we get in trouble and the system isn’t working for us, they’re the ones out there marching and protesting. And now, you’re thinking about sitting out or supporting somebody who has a history of denigrating you, because you think that’s a sign of strength, because that’s what being a man is? Putting women down? That’s not acceptable.”

On Thursday, the Post said, Obama kicked off his campaign trail with a stop in Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state vital to Harris’s chances of winning. In all seven swing states—including Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona—Trump and Harris are virtually tied. The Harris campaign anticipates a highly competitive presidential race that will ultimately be decided by razor-thin margins.

Trump and his allies claim he is gaining support among black men, even as black women continue to back Harris, believing that his economic policies would benefit all Americans. Several polls over the past months have indicated that support is especially rising among black males.

Nevertheless, Obama continued to make baseless claims about Trump.

“There is absolutely no evidence that this man thinks about anybody but himself,” Obama said, according to the Post. “I’ve said it before: Donald Trump is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.”