Barack Obama and Michelle delivered strong endorsements of Kamala Harris on Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention, urging party supporters across the United States to vote in November to defeat Donald Trump.
“Hope is making a comeback,” Mrs Obama told the crowd at the DNC in Chicago, echoing her husband’s campaign promise of “hope and change”.
In their back-to-back speeches, the Democratic Party’s most popular figures praised Ms Harris, while excoriating Trump – whose presidency was characterised by “bluster and chaos”, in the words of Mr Obama.
But the couple also warned their party not to lose sight of what remains an extremely tight race amid the enthusiasm for Ms Harris’s campaign. They stressed the election would be decided in a handful of key swing states.
“Make no mistake, it will be a fight,” said the 63-year-old former president Mr Obama.
Michelle Obama, 60, stressed the point further. “We need to vote in numbers that erase any doubt,” she said. “We need to overwhelm any effort to suppress us.”
Mr Obama emphasised America’s preparedness for a “new chapter”, adding: “We are ready for a President Kamala Harris. And Kamala Harris is ready for the job.”
The Obamas’ call for Democrats to turn out in November revealed a deeper concern within the party about the close race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, who maintains a strong grip on his loyal base across the country.
While Ms. Harris holds a slight lead in national polling averages, pollsters warn that the race remains a virtual tie in the key battleground states that will ultimately determine the outcome under America’s electoral college system.
Though Ms. Harris is technically the incumbent, she has portrayed herself and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, as underdogs in the race.
The Obamas also acknowledged the renewed enthusiasm within the party following Ms. Harris’s replacement of President Joe Biden after his departure from the race—subtly referencing the hope and excitement that propelled Mr. Obama to victory in his 2008 presidential run against Republican John McCain.
Mr. Obama went on to serve a second term before Trump won the White House in 2016.
Mrs. Obama, who is known for her memorable line from her 2016 convention speech, “when they go low, we go high,” did little to temper the heated political rhetoric that has divided the country over the last decade.
She criticized Trump for attacking her family and continuing to promote “ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually improve people’s lives.”
In one of the night’s most well-received moments, she mocked Trump for his use of the term “black jobs” on the campaign trail, eliciting some of the loudest cheers from the audience.
“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those black jobs?” she said, referring to her husband’s presidency.
Mrs Obama also used her platform to remember her late mother, Chicago-raised Marian Robinson, who died earlier this year aged 86.
“I wasn’t even sure if I could be steady enough to stand before you tonight, but my heart compelled me to,” she told the audience.
Vance and Harris host competing events
Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, have been actively holding rallies and events in swing states while Democrats convene in Chicago.
On Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Vance held a news conference in neighboring Wisconsin, where he criticized Ms. Harris for the “failures” of her vice-presidency. He focused on crime, public safety, and the economy—areas where Republicans see potential vulnerabilities for the Democrats.
Referring to the protests in Kenosha following the 2020 police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, Mr. Vance stated, “Wisconsin has suffered when you don’t have good, smart, pro-public safety leadership, and that’s what Donald Trump and I want to bring back to the White House.”
Ms. Harris, who had traveled to Wisconsin, was absent from the second day of the convention in Chicago. However, the event featured a lively and star-studded roll call, with delegates from each state and U.S. territories symbolically casting their votes for Ms. Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Though the vice president had already secured her party’s nomination earlier this month, the symbolic roll call quickly turned into a celebration. Lil Jon performed “Turn Down For What” before Georgia announced its vote, while actor Sean Astin spoke during Indiana’s turn, a nod to his role in the cult classic American football film *Rudy*, which is set in the state.
An on-stage DJ played songs for each state as delegates, wearing red and white flashing bracelets, delivered brief speeches explaining their support for Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz.
Ms. Harris then addressed the crowd virtually from her rally in Milwaukee, 90 miles away, at the same venue where Trump had accepted his party’s nomination four weeks earlier.
“We are so honoured to be your nominees,” she said of herself and Mr Walz. “I’ll see you in two days, Chicago.”
Doug Emhoff takes the stage
Before the Obamas delivered their speeches, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris’s husband, took the stage to share personal stories about the vice president. He recounted how they were set up on a blind date in 2013 by one of his clients.
Emhoff spoke warmly of their “big, beautiful, blended family,” referring to his son, Cole, and daughter, Ella, from his first marriage. He described Ms. Harris as a “joyful warrior” and a supportive parent who always prioritized their family, despite the demands of her career.
Ms. Harris, who was flying back from her rally during her husband’s speech, kept Air Force Two in the air so she could watch his speech live, according to the White House.
Emhoff also mentioned that the couple would celebrate their 10th anniversary on Thursday night, when Ms. Harris is scheduled to formally accept the party’s nomination during a primetime speech.
“Kamala was exactly the right person for me at an important moment in my life,” he said. “And at this moment in our nation’s history, she is exactly the right president.”