What did Obama say in his Democratic National Convention speech?
Former President Barack Obama headlined the second night of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday.
In a hopeful and forceful speech of just over half an hour, Obama plugged Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’s long experience in government and hyped her capability as a moral leader able to unify the country.
He slammed former President Donald Trump’s policies and character, landing a sly dig that was one of the biggest laugh lines of the night.
He laid out the philosophy behind the Democratic platform in moderate, common-sense terms and expressed cautious optimism for the future.
“I don’t know about you but I’m feeling fired up,” Obama began, with a sentiment that he carried throughout his remarks.
Nominee Kamala Harris
Obama described Harris as both strong and compassionate, focusing on her career prosecuting child sexual abuse and bank fraud in California and initiatives to lower healthcare costs as vice president.
"America is ready for a new chapter ... And Kamala Harris is ready for the job."
“We have a chance to elect someone who has spent her entire life trying to give people the same chances America gave her, someone who sees you and hears you and will get up every single day and fight for you," he said.
“She had to work for what she’s got. And she actually cares about what other people are going through.”
Joe Biden’s legacy
“I can say, without question, that my first big decision as your nominee turned out to be one of my best. And that was asking Joe Biden to serve by my side as vice president,” Obama said, pointing to Biden’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy and healthcare.
“History will remember Joe Biden as an outstanding President who defended democracy at a moment of great danger,” Obama said, as the crowd chanted “Thank you, Joe.”
The 2024 election
"For all the incredible energy we’ve been able to generate over the last few weeks, for all the rallies and the memes, this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country," Obama said.
“Do not boo,” he said after the crowd reacted to his criticism of Trump’s policy of high-income tax cuts and his fatal opposition to a bipartisan immigration bill earlier this year.
“Vote,” he said.
"Our job is to convince people that democracy can actually deliver."
Donald Trump
Obama painted Trump as out of touch and self-interested, calling him “dangerous” and his message “stale.”
“There’s the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes,” Obama said, smirking and mimicking the signature Trump gesture of moving his hands closer and farther apart in front of him, as though demonstrating the length of something.
As he said, “crowd sizes,” Obama paused and looked down at his hands, now close together, in a moment of subtle mock surprise.
Tim Walz
“I love this guy,” Obama said of vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz, describing him as salt of the earth and genuine.
“You can tell those flannel shirts he wears don’t come from some political consultant; they come from his closet, and they have been through some stuff.”
Democratic Party beliefs
In concrete terms, Obama summarized the party's broader ideological underpinnings of harnessing the power of government, stressing housing affordability, health and reproductive care and labor rights.
Democrats, he said, “have a broader idea of freedom. We believe in the freedom to provide for your family if you’re willing to work hard... We believe that true freedom gives each of us the right to make decisions about our own life.”
On reaching across the aisle
In what seemed like an appeal to moderates and centrists, Obama called for a kind of political de-escalation, saying that a "sense of mutual respect has to be part of our message."
"Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they’ll extend to us," he said. "That’s how we can build a true Democratic majority, one that can get things done."