Michelle and Barack Obama gave a passionate endorsement of Kamala Harris on Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention, urging party supporters across the United States to get out to vote to defeat Donald Trump in November.
“Hope is coming back,” Mrs. Obama told a crowd at the DNC in Chicago, echoing her husband’s campaign promise of “hope and change.”
In successive speeches, Democratic favorites praised Harris while criticizing Trump, whose presidency has been marked by “flamboyance and chaos,” according to Obama.
But the pair also warned their party not to overlook the extremely tight race amid the enthusiasm for Ms Harris’s campaign, stressing that the election would be decided in a number of key swing states.
“Make no mistake, this is going to be a fight,” said former President Obama, 63.
Michelle Obama, 60, added to the point. “We need to vote in numbers that will put any doubt to rest,” she said. “We need to overwhelm any attempt to suppress us.”
Mr Obama stressed America’s preparation for a “new chapter”, adding: “We are ready for a President Kamala Harris. And Kamala Harris is ready for this job.”
The Obamas’ call to Democrats to vote in November revealed the party’s deeper anxiety about the tight race between Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump, who still holds a tight grip on loyal supporters across the country.
Ms Harris has a slight lead in national opinion polls but pollsters warn that the race remains close in a handful of battleground states that will decide who wins under the US electoral college system.
Although 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 excitement in the party since Ms Harris replaced President Joe Biden after he dropped out of the race — a reference to the enthusiasm that helped Mr Obama win the White House in 2008.
“Hope is coming back,” Mrs. Obama told a crowd at the DNC in Chicago, echoing her husband’s campaign promise of “hope and change.”
But Mrs. Obama, whose most memorable line from her 2016 convention speech was “when they bring us down, we raise us up,” did little to cool the bitter political debate that has divided the country over the past decade.
She attacked Donald Trump for attacking her family and continuing to push “ugly, misogynistic, racist lies in place of real ideas and solutions that can make people’s lives better.”
In a speech that drew the loudest cheers of the night, she mocked Trump for his use of the term “black jobs” during the campaign.
“Who is going to tell him that the job he is looking for might just be one of those jobs for black people?” she said, referring to her husband’s presidency.
Earlier in the night, Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, shared personal stories about the vice president, including how they were set up on a blind date in 2013 by one of his clients.
He spoke 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 put family first despite the demands of her career.
Ms Harris, who was flying back from a campaign rally in Milwaukee during her husband’s speech, kept Air Force Two in the air so she could watch her husband’s speech live, the White House said.
Mr Emhoff said the couple will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary on Thursday night, when Ms Harris formally accepts the party’s nomination in a prime-time speech.
“Kamala is the right person for me at a critical time in my life,” he said. “And at this moment in our country’s history, she is the right president.”
Donald Trump and vice presidential candidate JD Vance held rallies and events in swing states while Democrats gathered in Chicago.
On Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Vance used a press conference in neighboring Wisconsin to attack Ms. Harris for the “failures” of her vice presidency.
He focused on crime, public safety and the economy — two areas Republicans see as vulnerable.
Referring to protests in the city of Kenosha following the 2020 police shooting of black man Jacob Blake, he said: “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.”
ReutersIn Chicago, the second day of the convention also took place in a joyful and bustling atmosphere with the participation of delegates from each state – as well as US territories – casting symbolic votes for Ms. Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in the arena.
Although the vice president officially clinched the party’s nomination earlier this month, the symbolic gesture quickly turned into a dance party.
Lil Jon performed Turn Down For What before Georgia’s vote was announced. Actor Sean Astin spoke during Indiana’s turn, a nod to his role in the classic American football movie Rudy, which was filmed in the state.
A DJ on stage played songs for each state while delegates stood up and, wearing flashing red and white wristbands, gave short speeches about why they supported Ms Harris and Mr Walz.
The vice president then addressed the crowd virtually from a campaign rally in Milwaukee — 90 miles away — at the same location where Trump accepted his party’s nomination four weeks ago.
“We are honored to be nominated by you,” she said of herself and Mr. Walz. “I will see you in two days, Chicago.”
