Former President Barack Obama recently suggested that the presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris is lacking energy. 

Obama did so, according to the New York Post, during a recent campaign for Harris.

In addition to this, Obama, during the event, also made some controversial remarks that even had some of his former Democrats criticizing him.

With all this being said, one has to wonder whether Obama is doing more help or harm to Harris.

No energy

It was actually all at once that Obama admitted that the Harris campaign is lacking energy and that he managed to land himself at the center of a controversy.

He did so by saying:

We have yet to see the same kinds of energy and turnout in all corners of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running. I also want to say that that seems to be more pronounced with the brothers.

By "brothers," Obama, of course, was referring to Black males. This all took place at a "Black Voters for Harris" event.

Obama's remark comes as there have been polls that have suggested that former President Donald Trump could receive above-average support from the Black community - especially from Black males - in the upcoming election.

Obama continued:

[Y]ou’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses. I’ve got a problem with that. 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.

The controversy

Now, many - including some Democrats - are criticizing Obama for the remark.

Former Democratic Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner - who is also the former national co-chair of the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign - is among those leading the criticism of Obama.

During a recent appearance on CNN, she said, "Now, a lot of love for former President Obama, but for him to single out Black men is wrong, and some of the Black men that I have talked to have their reasons why they want to vote a different way, and even if some of us may not like that, we have to respect it."

"So unless President Barack Obama is gonna go out and lecture every other group of men from other identity groups, my message for Democrats is don’t bring it here to Black men who, by and large, don’t vote much differently from Black women," Turner added.

Obama, for his part, has not released a further statement on the matter.