Former U.S. President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Warning of a difficult fight ahead, former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama on Tuesday (August 20, 2024) called on the nation to embrace Kamala Harris in urgent messages to the Democratic National Convention that were at times both hopeful and combative.
“America, hope is making a comeback,” the former first lady declared. She then tore into Republican Donald Trump, a sharp shift from the 2016 convention speech in which she told her party, “When they go low, we go high.”
“His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black,” Ms. Obama said of Mr. Trump.
Mr. Obama, the former president, called Mr. Trump “a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.”
“It’s been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that’s actually gotten worse now that he’s afraid of losing to Kamala,” he charged.
Harris’s coalition
The fiery messages from two of the Democratic Party’s biggest stars underscored the urgency of the moment as Ms. Harris works to stitch together a broad coalition in her bid to defeat Mr. Trump this fall. She is drawing on stars like the Obamas and other celebrities, officials from the far left to the middle, and even some Republicans to boost her campaign.
And while the theme of the night was “a bold vision for America’s future,” the disparate factions of Ms. Harris’ evolving coalition demonstrated, above all, that they are connected by a desire to prevent a second Trump presidency.
Just ahead of the Obamas’ remarks, Ms. Harris addressed an estimated 15,000 people in battleground Wisconsin in the arena where Republicans held their convention last month. She declared that she was running “a people-powered campaign.”
“Together we will chart a new way forward,” the vice president said in remarks that were partially broadcast to the DNC. “A future for freedom, opportunity, of optimism and faith.”
Schumer, Sanders praise Harris
Back in Chicago, Senators Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, and Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent beloved by progressives, both praised Ms. Harris. And in an appearance perhaps intended to needle Mr. Trump, his former press secretary Stephanie Grisham — now a harsh critic of her former boss — also took the convention stage.
Senator Bernie Sanders gestures onstage during Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
Mr. Trump “has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth,” Ms. Grisham said. “I love my country more than my party. Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people. And she has my vote.”
Still, it was not all serious on the second night of the four-day convention.
A symbolic roll call in which delegates from each State pledged their support for the Democratic nominee turned into a party atmosphere. A DJ played a mix of state-specific songs — and Atlanta native Lil Jon ran out during Georgia’s turn to his hit song with DJ Snake, “Turn Down for What,” to the delight of the thousands inside the cavernous United Center.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who would become the nation’s first gentleman if his wife wins the presidency, shared personal details about his relationship with Ms. Harris — their cooking habits, their first date and her laugh, which is often mocked by Republican critics.
“You know that laugh. I love that laugh!” Mr. Emhoff said as the crowd cheered. Later, he added, “Her empathy is her strength.”
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, was out on the campaign trail as part of his weeklong swing-State tour during the Democratic convention. He went to Howell, Michigan, on Tuesday and stood aside sheriff’s deputies as he labelled Harris the “ringleader” of a “Marxist attack on law enforcement” across the country.
“Kamala Harris will deliver crime, chaos, destruction and death,” Mr. Trump said.
