obama slams trump, rallies support for harris at chicago convention

Donald Trump is like a neighbour who keeps a leaf blower running all day; Kamala Harris is like a neighbour who comes to your aid, said former President Barack Obama during the Democratic convention in Chicago. He also made a suggestive gesture while talking about Trump’s “obsession with greatness,” eliciting applause from the audience.

During his speech, the highlight of the second day of the Democratic convention in Chicago, Obama paid tribute to President Biden, calling him “an outstanding president who defended democracy.” He also endorsed Kamala Harris as a candidate who will open a new chapter in America’s history and warned against the return of Donald Trump, comparing him to a “neighbour who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day.”

“This is a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. It’s been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that’s actually gotten worse now that he’s afraid of losing to Kamala. The childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories and weird obsession with crowd size,” Obama said, making a suggestive gesture. At this moment, the crowd burst into laughter and applauded the former president.

Obama stated that Trump is driven solely by his own interests and uses “the oldest tricks in politics,” preying on voters’ fears and basest instincts.

The former president simultaneously called for unity and upholding America’s core values as a nation built on ideas, not race or origin.

“That’s why when we uphold our values, the world’s a little brighter. When we don’t, the world’s a little dimmer, dictators and autocrats feel emboldened, and over time we become less safe,” the former president noted.

He also emphasized that Harris and vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz come from the middle class and are, in his view, models of the kind of people who should be in politics.

Even though Obama was the main speaker on Tuesday evening, the biggest impression on the 20,000-strong audience at the United Center in Chicago was made by his wife, Michelle, who urged Democratic supporters to make efforts to mobilize voters and win the election. She admitted that although recently, like many others, she felt a “tangible sense of fear about the future,” the past few weeks—and the improving electoral prospects for Kamala Harris—restored her hope.

“This is up to us, all of us, to be the solution that we seek. It’s up to all of us to be the antidote to the darkness and division. Look, I don’t care how you identify politically—whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or none of the above. This is our time to stand up for what we know in our hearts is right. To stand up, not just for our basic freedoms but for decency and humanity; for basic respect, dignity, and empathy; for the values at the very foundation of this democracy,” the former First Lady said. “It’s up to us to remember what Kamala’s mother told her: "Don’t just sit around and complain. Do something,” she added.

Like her husband, Michelle Obama criticized Trump, mocking him and recalling the conspiracy theories he promoted about the former president and his allegedly forged birth certificate.

“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happened to be Black. (...) Who’s going to tell him, who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs’?” quipped the former First Lady.