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Trump also spent part of the day in Michigan courting Arab-American voters, declaring at a rally in the Detroit suburb of Novi that “they could turn the election one way or the other”.

While Michelle Obama did not specifically mention the war, she acknowledged “there are a lot of angry, disillusioned people out there, upset with the slow pace of change, and I get it – it is reasonable to be frustrated”.

“We all know we have a lot more work to do in this country,” she said, “but to anyone out there thinking about sitting out this election or voting for Donald Trump or a third-party candidate in protest because you’re fed up, let me warn you, your rage does not exist in a vacuum. If we don’t get this election right, your wife, your daughter, your mother, we as women will become collateral damage to your rage.”

Obama’s appearance came a day after singer Beyoncé campaigned alongside Harris in Texas, in a rally designed to throw the spotlight on the severe abortion restrictions in that state and across the US.

The night before, former president Barack Obama appeared at another star-studded rally in Georgia, with figures such as Bruce Springsteen, Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee.

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Michelle Obama, however, is seen as a popular figure to the masses, and arguably the person best placed to not only motivate Democrats, but also appeal to disengaged Americans more broadly.

In the aftermath of Biden’s disastrous debate in June, for instance, a Reuters/Ipsos poll asked Americans which Democrat they would vote for in a hypothetical match-up against Trump.

Michelle Obama was the only candidate who could resoundingly beat him, according to the poll, with 50 per cent of voters saying they would vote for her, compared with 39 per cent for Trump.

All the other hypothetical candidates performed similarly or worse than Biden did against Trump. That list included Harris, who, according to the poll, hypothetically won 42 per cent of registered voters to Trump’s 43 per cent.

Obama’s Michigan rally on Saturday was in the regional city of Kalamazoo, which Biden narrowly secured in 2020. The former first lady has always been open about her disdain for Trump, who perpetuated the racist “birther” conspiracies against her husband when he was president.

After walking on stage to Beyoncé’s Freedom, Obama said: “Well, let me just start by saying hello, Kalamazoo! Or should I say Kamala-zoo?”

“Y’all know I hate politics,” she added, but “I wanted to do everything in my power to remind the country that I love that there is too much we stand to lose if we get this one wrong.”

In her fiery address, she also highlighted the issue of reproductive rights, specifically talking to “the men in our lives” about the dangers of “what could happen if we keep dismantling parts of our reproductive care system piece by piece, as Trump intends to do”.

And she addressed conservative women who might be considering voting for Harris but were worried about a backlash: “If you are a woman who lives in a household of men that don’t listen to you or value your opinion, just remember that your vote is a private matter. Regardless of the political views of your partner, you get to choose.”

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