Washington — Former President Barack Obama on Tuesday tried to convince Americans to leave behind the “chaos” of former President Donald Trump’s administration and begin a “new chapter” ushered in by Vice President Kamala Harris.
Obama was enthusiastically received by Democratic delegates, elected officials and other party leaders when he delivered a speech on the second night of the presidential election. Democratic National Convention.
The former president attempted to draw a distinction between the Democratic ticket of Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and their Republican opponents, warning of what a second term for Trump would entail.
“We don’t need four more years of bluster, bungling and chaos. We’ve seen that movie before, and we all know the sequel is usually worse,” he said. “America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We’re ready for a President Kamala Harris.”
The former president returned to his hometown of Chicago to close out the second night of the convention. Obama, a historic president himself, urged voters to support the candidate who would break barriers as the first woman to hold the presidency if elected.
“We have the opportunity to elect someone who has spent her life trying to give people the same opportunities that America gave her, someone who sees you, hears you, and gets up every day and fights for you: the next president of the United States, Kamala Harris,” he said.
Harris is already a history-making figure as the first woman and the first Black and South Asian American vice president. She became the first Black woman to top a major party’s presidential ticket when Democratic delegates formally selected her hair earlier this month as their presidential candidate. Harris will address the convention on Thursday, the final night, to accept the nomination.
The former president’s comments came 20 years after he made a rousing debut at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston as an Illinois state legislator. He was elected to the U.S. Senate months later and in 2008 became the nation’s first black president.
“I’m hopeful because this Congress has always been very good for kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible,” Obama said, referencing a line from his 2004 speech to the convention.
Seven years after Obama left the White House, he is still a key figure in the Democratic Party. He immediately endorsed Harris after President Biden announced a month ago that he would withdraw his candidacy for a second term in the White House.
Obama’s relationship with Harris spans two decades, as the two met on the campaign trail during the former president’s Senate race. Harris supported Obama’s presidential campaign and knocked on doors for him in the Iowa caucuses.
But the former president has of course long had political ties to Biden, who served as his vice president during Obama’s two terms.
Obama recalled accepting the Democratic nomination for president 16 years ago and said choosing Biden as his running mate was one of his best decisions.
“What I admired most about Joe was not just his intelligence, his experience. It was his empathy and his decency and his hard-won resilience, his unwavering belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair chance,” he said.
According to Obama, Biden has demonstrated these values during his nearly four years in office.
“History will remember Joe Biden as an outstanding president who defended democracy at a time of great danger,” he said. “And I’m proud to call him my president, but I’m even prouder to call him my friend.”
Obama slammed Trump for what he called repeated “complaints” and “grievances,” and for promoting conspiracy theories and using “childish nicknames.”
“Here’s a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he went down that golden escalator nine years ago,” he said.
Obama tried to paint Trump as a dangerous candidate seeking a second term in the White House for his own personal gain, and he accused Republicans of spreading a message of fear. But he said Democrats must show voters that government can help them and must pursue new ideas to address current challenges.
“Kamala and Tim have stayed true to the central story of America, a story that says we are all created equal, that we all have certain inalienable rights, and that everyone deserves a chance. Even when we disagree, we have to find a way to live with each other,” he said.
Obama warned about the country’s current cultural landscape, saying politicians and algorithms developed by tech companies are exploiting divisions to teach Americans to fear each other.
“We live in a time of so much confusion and resentment, with a culture that puts a premium on things that don’t last, money, family, status, likes,” he said. “We chase approval from strangers on our phones. We build all these walls and fences and then we wonder why we feel so alone.”
But he focused on a message of hope, pointing to the spirit of volunteerism and national pride that he said shows most Americans do not want to live in a polarized country.
“We want something better,” he said. “We want to be better and the joy and excitement that we see around this campaign tells us that we are not alone.”
The former president said he believes voters are eager to see an end to the divisions that have emerged in recent years, and he called the 2024 election the key to easing those divisions.
“If we all do our part over the next 77 days, if we knock on doors, if we make phone calls, if we talk to our friends, if we listen to our neighbors, if we work like we’ve never worked before, if we stand by our beliefs, we will elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States and Tim Walz as the next vice president of the United States,” he said. “We will elect leaders who will fight for the hopeful, progressive America that we believe in. And together, we too will build a country that is safer and more just, more equal and more free.”
