CHICAGO — Former U.S. President Barack Obama returned to the national stage on Tuesday night to boost his longtime Democratic ally Kamala Harris in her 11th-hour presidential bid against Republican Donald Trump.
America’s first Black president, Obama has thrown his considerable political capital behind Harris as she seeks to make history herself on Nov. 5 as the first woman and first Black and South Asian person to be elected U.S. president.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling fired up! I am feeling ready to go,” Obama told delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, echoing his first presidential campaign slogan. “We have a chance to elect someone who has spent her entire life trying to give people the same chances America gave her.”
Obama was introduced by his wife, Michelle, who tops Democrats’ wish list as a future president.
“America, hope is making a comeback,” Michelle Obama said to roars from the crowd.
Pulling no punches, she cautioned that Trump would try to distort Harris’ truth, much as he did “everything in his power to try to make people fear us,” referring to her and her husband who served in the White House from 2009-2017.
“His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who also happened to be Black,” she said to deafening applause.
“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs’?” she asked, drawing laughter from the crowd.
DNC festivities kicked off for a second day on Tuesday at Chicago’s United Center but were marred by long delays to get into the security perimeter, leaving seats empty when it was time for a roll call of states’ delegates.
Harris joined virtually from a campaign rally in Milwaukee. Delegates in Chicago raised signs saying “FREEDOM” that mirrored those raised by supporters at her Wisconsin rally.
Harris and her vice presidential pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, took to the Milwaukee stage in the same venue as last month’s Republican National Convention, where Trump formally received his party’s nod.
In her speech, Harris criticized Trump for saying he had no regrets about the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had recognized women’s constitutional right to abortion. Three Trump-appointed justices joined a 6-3 majority on the high court.
“I do believe, you know, bad behavior should result in a consequence. Well we will make sure he does face a consequence and that will be at the ballot box in November,” Harris said.
Democrats see abortion rights as a winning issue in this campaign and Harris had led the charge as vice president.
The roll call at the DNC turned out to be a surprise star-studded event – rapper Lil Jon performed his hit “Turn Down For What” alongside the Georgia delegation, film director Spike Lee appeared with New York’s delegation and actor Sean Astin of “Rudy” fame spoke for Indiana.
Crossing the aisle
Republicans who have left the fold since Trump’s takeover of their party crossed the aisle on Tuesday night to address the convention, including Trump’s former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham and former Trump voter Kyle Sweetser.
Grisham described her journey from a Trump “true believer” to the first senior White House staffer to resign after the Jan. 6, 2021, assault by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol.
“He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth,” she said. “Kamala Harris tells the truth. She respects the American people. And she has my vote.”
Republican Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Arizona, remembered the late John McCain, the Republican U.S. senator from his state who made a point of reaching across the aisle.
“I have an urgent message for the majority of Americans who, like me, are in the political middle,” he said. “John McCain’s Republican Party is gone, and we don’t owe a damn thing to what’s been left behind.”
Conservative voters who dislike Trump have been one of the Democrats’ hoped-for prizes. The challenge will be persuading them to get to the ballot box and vote for Harris versus staying home or writing in a presidential candidate.
Outside the venue, a demonstration near Chicago’s Israeli consulate briefly turned violent after a group of about 50 separated from the larger protest and pushed against a police line. Several arrests were made, a Reuters witness said.
Protests against the U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza have overshadowed the convention, but most speakers avoided the topic.
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders was an exception, telling the audience, “We must end this horrific war in Gaza, bring home the hostages and demand an immediate ceasefire.”
Harris’ fledgling campaign, still light on policy specifics, has coasted on the enthusiasm of Democrats relieved by the departure of Joe Biden, a beloved 81-year-old president who had become a liability.
Trump and his vice presidential running mate, JD Vance, are barnstorming battleground states this week to try to steer attention away from the convention in Chicago and highlight Trump’s policy differences with Harris.
At a campaign stop in Howell, Michigan, Trump repeated unsupported claims that Harris took a permissive approach to law enforcement.
“You can’t walk across the street to get a loaf of bread. You get shot, you get mugged, you get raped,” he said.
Trump spoke one month after white supremacists rallied in the small town. Trump himself has made racist remarks about Harris.
The Obama impact
At 63, Obama looms large in moments of crisis, including during the messy deliberations that led Biden to step out of the race last month and endorse Harris, his vice president.
Along with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he is viewed by some as having been a driving force behind the party revolt.
Biden took center stage on Monday, the assembly’s opening night, drawing an extended standing ovation from the party faithful and delivering a speech that stretched well past midnight.
Like his successors, Obama presided over a closely divided country during his two White House terms. But his healthy electoral margins in 2008 and 2012 are now considered out of reach for Harris.
Trump launched his political career through racist attacks on Obama’s citizenship status and then succeeded him in the White House, a bitter legacy for liberals that Obama may reflect upon when he speaks.