The US is “ready” for Harris’ presidency, Obama told the crowd. “America is waiting for a new chapter, America is waiting for a better story. We are ready for President Kamala Harris, and Kamala Harris is ready for the job,” the former US president said at the DNC.
Read more: US presidential election 2024: “Hope is returning,” says Michelle Obama at the DNC in Chicago
Obama, America’s first black president, has put his considerable political capital behind Harris, who is seeking to make history herself on November 5 by becoming the first woman and the first black and South Asian person to be elected U.S. president.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m fired up! I feel ready to go,” Obama told delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, repeating his first campaign slogan. “We have the chance to elect someone who has spent his entire life trying to give people the same opportunities that America has given her.”
His speech was not complete without attacking Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump. “This is one of the oldest tricks in politics — from a guy whose act is pretty stale. We don’t need four more years of bluster and mayhem. We’ve seen that movie — and we all know the sequel is usually worse,” Obama said. He dismissed Trump’s time in office as a series of complaints and conspiracies, pointing to Trump’s fixation on crowds and nicknames. “Here’s a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator,” Obama quipped. While addressing the crowd gathered in Chicago, former President Joe Biden remembered. “History will remember Joe Biden as an outstanding president who defended democracy at a moment of great peril. I am proud to call him my president, and even prouder to call him my friend…” Barack Obama said.
