Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama came out in strong support of Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night and called on party supporters across the country to vote in November and defeat Donald Trump.
The pair, the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, praised Ms Harris in two consecutive speeches, describing her as a leader ready for the Oval Office while sharply criticising Mr Trump as a president whose term in office has been marked by “boastfulness and chaos”.
“America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story,” Obama said. “We are ready for a President Kamala Harris. And Kamala Harris is ready for the job.”
However, the Obamas also warned their party not to lose sight of the still extremely close election campaign in the face of enthusiasm for Harris’ campaign, stressing that the election would be decided in a handful of important swing states.
“Make no mistake, it’s going to be a fight,” Obama said.
Michelle Obama emphasized this point again.
“We must cast enough votes to remove all doubts,” she said. “We must destroy all attempts to suppress us.”
The Obamas’ call for Democrats to vote in November revealed a deeper concern within the party about the tight election race between Harris and Trump, which continues to command a loyal following across the country.
Harris is narrowly ahead in national polls, but pollsters warn that the seven swing states that will ultimately decide victory in the American electoral college system are virtually tied.
Although Ms Harris is formally the incumbent candidate, she described herself and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, as outsiders in the race.
The Obamas also addressed the renewed excitement within the party since Ms. Harris succeeded President Joe Biden after he dropped out of the race – a tacit nod to the enthusiasm that helped Mr. Obama win his 2008 presidential election.
“Hope is returning,” Mrs. Obama told the crowd, repeating her husband’s campaign promise: “Hope and change.”
But Mrs. Obama, whose most memorable line from her final convention speech in 2016 was, “When they go low, we rise high,” did little to lower the temperature of the heated political rhetoric that has divided the country for the past decade.
She accused Donald Trump of attacking her family and continuing to spread “ugly, misogynistic and racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that would actually improve people’s lives.”
In a broadside that drew the loudest cheers of the evening, she mocked Trump for his use of the term “black jobs” during the election campaign.
“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s looking for might be one of those black jobs?” she said, referring to her husband’s presidency.
Earlier, Ms Harris’ husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, shared personal stories about the Vice President, including how one of his clients set them up on a blind date in 2013.
He spoke of their “big, beautiful blended family,” referring to his son Cole and daughter Ella from his first marriage. He described Mrs Harris as a “joyful warrior” and supportive father who put family first despite the demands of her job.
According to the White House, Mrs Harris, who was flying back from a campaign rally in Milwaukee during her husband’s speech, kept Air Force Two in the air so she could watch his speech live.
Mr Emhoff said the two would celebrate their 10th anniversary on Thursday night, when Ms Harris formally accepts the party’s nomination in a prime-time speech.
“Kamala was exactly the right person for me at an important moment in my life,” he said. “And at this moment in our country’s history, she is exactly the right president.”
While Democrats gather in Chicago, Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance have held rallies and events in swing states.
On Tuesday afternoon, Mr Vance used a press conference in neighboring Wisconsin to attack Ms Harris for the “failures” of her vice presidency.
He focused on crime, public safety and the economy – two areas where Republicans see a weak spot.
Referring to the protests in the city of Kenosha following the police shooting of black man Jacob Blake in 2020, he said: “Wisconsin has suffered from a lack of good, smart, public safety-promoting leadership, and that is exactly what Donald Trump and I want to bring back to the White House.”
ReutersIn Chicago, too, there was a jubilant and star-studded roll call on the second day of the convention, with delegates from all states – and US territories – symbolically casting their votes for Mrs Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in the arena.
Although the vice president had already officially clinched her party’s nomination earlier this month, the symbolic gesture quickly turned into a dance party.
Lil Jon sang Turn Down For What before Georgia announced its vote. Actor Sean Astin gave a speech when it was Indiana’s turn, a nod to his role in the American football cult classic Rudy, which is set in the state.
On stage, a DJ played songs for each state while delegates, standing and wearing flashing red and white armbands, gave short speeches about why they supported Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz.
The vice president then addressed the crowd virtually from a campaign rally 90 miles away in Milwaukee, the same place where Trump accepted his party’s nomination four weeks ago.
“We are so honored to be your nominees,” she said of herself and Mr. Walz. “See you in two days, Chicago.”
