- Obamas endorse Harris, urge voter turnout
- Election still close despite enthusiasm
- Trump criticized for “bluster and chaos”
On Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention, Michelle and Barack Obama issued thundering endorsements to Kamala Harris, exhorting party members around the country to vote in November to defeat Donald Trump.
“Hope is making a comeback,” Mrs. Obama told the crowd at the DNC in Chicago, repeating her husband’s campaign pledge of “hope and change.”
In back-to-back addresses, the Democratic Party’s most prominent politicians hailed Ms. Harris while condemning Trump, whose presidency was marked by “bluster and chaos,” in the words of Mr. Obama.
However, the couple advised their party not to lose sight of what remains an exceedingly close election despite the enthusiasm for Ms. Harris’ candidacy. They underlined that the election would be decided in a few critical swing states.
“Make no mistake, it will be a fight,” warned 63-year-old former President Barack Obama.
Michelle Obama, 60, stressed the point further. “We need to vote in numbers that erase any doubt,” she told the crowd. We must overcome any attempt at silence.
Mr. Obama underlined America’s readiness for a “new chapter,” saying, “We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.” Kamala Harris is prepared for the job.”
The Obamas’ appeal to Democrats to vote in November revealed deeper party concern about the close contest between Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump, who has a strong hold on his loyal network of supporters across the country.
Ms. Harris has a slight lead in national polling averages, but pollsters warn that the election is still a virtual tie in the handful of battleground states that will eventually determine who wins under America’s electoral college.
Despite being the incumbent candidate, Ms. Harris has branded herself and her campaign companion, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, as underdogs in the contest.
The Obamas also acknowledged a renewed sense of excitement within the party after Ms. Harris replaced President Joe Biden when he dropped out of the race, alluding to the fervor that propelled Mr. Obama to victory in his 2008 presidential campaign.
“Hope is making a comeback,” Mrs. Obama told the crowd at the DNC in Chicago, repeating her husband’s campaign pledge of “hope and change.”.
But Mrs. Obama, whose most remembered statement from her last convention speech in 2016 was, “When they go low, we go high,” did little to cool the caustic political vitriol that has split the country over the past decade.
She chastised Donald Trump for attacking her family and pushing “ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better.”.
In a tirade that elicited some of the night’s loudest cheers, she attacked Trump’s usage of the term “black jobs” throughout the campaign.
“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those black jobs?” she asked, referring to her husband’s presidency.
Earlier in the night, Ms. Harris’ husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, offered personal stories about the vice president, including how one of his clients set them up on a blind date back in 2013.
He referred to his first marriage’s son, Cole, and daughter, Ella, as their “big, beautiful, blended family.” He praised Ms. Harris as a “joyful warrior” and a devoted mom who prioritised their family over her career responsibilities.
Ms. Harris, who was travelling back from a campaign rally in Milwaukee at the time of her husband’s speech, kept Air Force Two in the air to watch it live, according to the White House.
Mr. Emhoff said the two would mark their tenth anniversary on Thursday night, when Ms. Harris will formally accept the party’s nomination in a primetime speech.
“Kamala was exactly the right person for me at an important moment in my life,” he told me. “And at this moment in our nation’s history, she is exactly the right president.”
Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance have been holding rallies and events in battleground states while the Democrats congregate in Chicago.
Mr. Vance used a news conference in adjacent Wisconsin on Tuesday afternoon to criticize Ms. Harris for her “failures” as vice president.
He focused on crime and public safety, as well as the economy, both of which Republicans perceive as vulnerable.
Referring to riots in Kenosha following the police shooting of black man Jacob Blake in 2020, he stated, “Wisconsin has suffered when you don’t have good, smart, pro-public safety and leadership, and that’s what Donald Trump and I want to bring back to the White House.”
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In Chicago, day two of the convention saw a joyous and star-studded roll call, with delegates from each state—as well as US territories—symbolically voting for Ms. Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in the arena.
Though the vice president officially received her party’s candidacy earlier this month, the symbolic gesture swiftly evolved into a dance celebration.
Lil Jon played “Turn Down For What” before Georgia declared its vote. Actor Sean Astin spoke during Indiana’s turn, referring to his role in the cult classic American football film Rudy, which is based in the state.
An on-stage DJ played songs for each state as delegates stood on their feet, wearing red and white bracelets, and offered brief statements about why they supported Harris and Walz.
The vice president then virtually addressed the gathering from a campaign rally in Milwaukee, 90 miles away, at the same venue where Donald Trump accepted his party’s nomination four weeks earlier.
We are quite delighted to be your nominees, she remarked of herself and Mr. Walz. I’ll see you in two days in Chicago.
