Former President Obama delivered a rousing and at times fiery speech to close out the second night of the Democratic convention on Tuesday, urging his party and all Americans to reject the divisive leadership of Donald Trump and elect Kamala Harris as president to “build a country that is safer and more just, more equal and more free.”
Obama's 33-minute speech was reminiscent of one he delivered two decades earlier at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. A little-known Illinois state senator, he insisted that many of the country's perceived divisions — along political parties, races and ethnicities — could be overcome. The speech made him a national figure.
The appearance by the 44th president in his second term was intended to highlight themes not unlike those that brought him to the White House in 2008, offering optimism and youthful vigor in the face of what Democrats described as the Republican Party's attempt to stoke fear and distrust.
Obama spoke after a state roll call ceremony orchestrated with hip-hop, rock and soul music, celebrating Vice President Harris's rise to the Democratic leadership, just a month after President Biden declared he would not seek a second term.
He spoke fervently on behalf of a political ally, Harris, who nearly 17 years ago, as San Francisco district attorney, stepped forward to support Obama’s then-improbable bid to outmaneuver Hillary Clinton on his way to winning the Democratic nomination and then defeating Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
Obama capped an evening that also featured former first lady Michelle Obama and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, keynote speakers who worked to present the Democratic ticket as true representatives of average Americans, against a Republican opponent they said only looked out for his rich friends and himself.
Obama lashed out at the man who replaced him in the White House, calling him a sad, distracted megalomaniac whose time has passed. He and the crowd laughed as he mocked Trump’s use of “childish nicknames … crazy conspiracy theories.” [and] “This strange obsession with crowd size.”
(From the tone of the one-time Oval Office Democrat and the laughter from the crowd, there seemed to be a sense that Trump might be fixated on the size of something else.)
Obama compared the Republican to “the neighbor who spends all day running his leaf blower outside your window,” adding: “You know, coming from a neighbor, that’s exhausting. Coming from a president, it’s just dangerous.”
Obama’s barbed humor followed the pattern of Harris’ campaign: treating Trump as both a threat and a buffoon. Analysts have said that previous attacks labeling Trump only as a threat to democracy had had the perverse result of increasing the Republican’s stature.
Obama criticized Trump for being someone who would concede another tax cut “that would mostly benefit him and his rich friends.” Meanwhile, he said, Trump had been an obstructionist, working to block an immigration reform bill — supported for a time by congressional Republicans, until Trump objected — that would have addressed the problem of overcrowding at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Obama said the only reason Trump insisted his party block the bill was “because he thought resolving the issue would hurt his campaign.” When the United Center audience responded with loud boos, Obama responded with a famous refrain from past campaigns: “Don’t boo. Vote!”
The Democrat called his successor's divisive style “the oldest trick in politics, from a guy whose behavior, let's face it, has gotten pretty stale. We don't need another four years of bluster, bungling and chaos. We've all seen that movie before. And we all know the sequel is usually worse!”
The faithful democrats again burst into applause and laughter.
Obama said his long alliance with the vice president convinced him that “Kamala Harris is up to the job. She is someone who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and an advocate.”
The former president followed his wife. After she introduced him, Obama said: “I feel ready to go, even if I am the only person stupid enough to speak after Michelle Obama.”
The former first lady made a forceful call to restore hope and reject Trump's divisive politics in her prime-time address to the convention and a national television audience.
Obama drew laughter and roars of approval from the audience as he praised “my girl,” Harris, whom he called “one of the most qualified people ever to run for president … and one of the most worthy.”
The indirect reference was clearly to Trump, as were a number of other comments from the former first lady, who mocked the Republican and said it was time to “defeat the demons of fear, division and hatred that have consumed us.”
In a sly allusion to Trump’s launching pad for the 2016 presidential race at Trump Tower in Manhattan, Obama said: “If we see a mountain in front of us, we don’t expect there to be an escalator that will take us to the top.”
Earlier, Democrats held a lively symbolic statewide vote, orchestrated by a DJ playing rock, hip-hop and soul, as their national convention celebrated Harris' nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate.
The list included appearances by entertainment celebrities such as film director Spike Lee, actress Eva Longoria and hip-hop star Lil Jon, and Harris appeared via video link from Milwaukee, where she was rallying with voters in the battleground state of Wisconsin.
“We are so honored to be your nominee,” said Harris, flanked by vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota. “This is a people-powered campaign, and together we will chart a new path forward.”
As the leader of Harris’s home state, California Gov. Gavin Newsom had the honor of announcing the final votes of the night and praising his longtime ally and perceived rival. The televised vote came weeks after Democrats held a virtual roll call to ensure Harris would be the party’s official nominee in time to appear on ballots in all 50 states.
Interviewed by CNN shortly after the vote, Newsom called Harris a “next-level talent” who, as a presidential candidate, “has the opportunity to shine.”
In a warm if slightly silly speech, with frequent references to Harris as the “glue,” Emhoff highlighted his wife’s personal side, describing their blended family and love story.
A video montage showed images of Emhoff and Harris, huddled at the Hollywood Bowl, cooking together in their Brentwood kitchen and side by side at Harris's inauguration as vice president in 2021.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff takes the stage Tuesday at the Democratic convention.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Earlier, Cole Emhoff said when introducing his father: “Next, he will make history again as the first first gentleman.”
Doug Emhoff recounted how he and Harris met: on a blind date, after he feared he had ruined his chances by leaving her a lengthy voicemail. The two will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary on Thursday, when Harris officially accepts the nomination.
“As I got to know her better, I quickly fell in love. I learned what drives Kamala,” Emhoff said. “And it’s what we’ve seen over these last four years and especially these last four weeks: She finds joy in the pursuit of justice.”
Harris was about to land in Chicago on Air Force Two when Emhoff's speech began, with top campaign leaders in the front cockpit cheering, “Doug! Doug! Doug!” The plane circled above the runway for about 10 minutes so she could finish watching his speech.
At the start of Tuesday's session, the convention heard warnings from the descendants of two Democratic presidents that Harris would carry on the legacies of John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter.
Jack Schlossberg, Kennedy's grandson and a close relative of potential independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the 2024 election, told thousands of delegates gathered for his party's national convention that his slain grandfather is his “hero.”
Caroline Kennedy's youngest daughter said, invoking JFK's words: “The torch has been passed to a new generation, to a leader who shares my grandfather's energy, vision and optimism for our future.”
Jason Carter, 49, compared Harris’s humility to that of his 99-year-old grandfather, who is in poor health but hopes to vote for the vice president this fall. “She knows what’s right and she fights for it,” Carter said. “She understands that leadership is about service, not selfishness.”
The audience also heard from a number of Republicans and former Trump allies, who described him as petty and insensitive to the needs of ordinary people.
Perhaps the most powerful testimony came from former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who described herself as a former “true believer” in Trump, forced to reconsider her loyalty after observing his behavior outside the public eye, including moments when he mocked his supporters as “basement dwellers.”
On one of his visits to a hospital ICU where people were dying, Trump only cared that his show of concern was caught on camera, Grisham said, when in fact he “has no empathy, no morals, no fidelity to the truth.” She said Trump often told her: “It doesn’t matter what you say, Stephanie. Say it enough and people will believe you.”
Rainey and Pinho reported from Chicago and Miller from Los Angeles. Times staff writer Seema Mehta in Chicago contributed to this report.
