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Former U.S. president also seemed eager to quell speculation of bad blood with Biden
Former U.S. president Barack Obama gave an emphatic endorsement of Kamala Harris while slamming his successor Donald Trump during a speech at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday evening.
During the address, Obama depicted Harris as a tough prosecutor and hard-working politician, illustrating her as a champion of working and underprivileged people, while painting his successor Trump as a childish, power-driven chaos mongerer who wedged the country apart to enrich his own interests.
Obama also stressed his longtime friendship with President Joe Biden, who served as his vice-president for eight years, weeks after Obama allegedly played a pivotal role in Biden's exit from the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Harris as the nominee.
Taking the stage to a roar from the crowd (though one not nearly as ferocious as the reception for his wife Michelle, 20 minutes earlier), Obama made reference to his infamous speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, the 16 minutes that propelled his rise to political stardom.
"My first big decision as your nominee turned out to be my best," he said, referring to his choice of his former Senate colleague Joe Biden to serve as his vice-president — echoing a line that Biden delivered about Harris on Monday night during a convention speech.
Amid media speculation that there was lingering bad blood between the two, Obama stressed Biden's record on COVID-19 recovery and the economy, and as a defender of democracy.
But he also referred several times to their close personal relationship: "I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend," Obama said.
'The sequel is usually worse,' Obama says of Trump
The former president then turned his attention to Trump, who he described as a "78-year-old billionaire" with a "constant stream of gripes and grievances," mixing strong criticism of Trump's record on taxes, immigration and reproductive rights with lighthearted jabs that played well with an audience of Democrats.
"We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse," Obama said, positioning a Harris-Walz administration as a "new chapter."
The speech drew subtle parallels between Harris's candidacy and his own. U.S. media has compared the fervour and excitement around Harris to the frenzy that propelled Obama to the presidency in 2008 and then to re-election in 2012.
Obamas give hope-filled endorsement of Harris at DNC
3 hours ago
Barack and Michelle Obama endorsed U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, returning to themes of hope over fear from their campaign.
In the most stark callback to his own campaign, Obama quipped, "yes she can," which the audience chanted back at him — and he revisited the message of hope that permeated his first campaign. And he wasn't the only one: during a similar moment in Michelle Obama's speech, the former first lady informed the audience that "hope is making a comeback."
Call for unity
The former president positioned Harris and Walz as envoys of that message, and ran through Harris's record as a prosecutor and her tenure as California attorney general, speaking of how she pressed Obama's administration to provide mortgage relief to homeowners.
He made the case for Harris as a champion of young and working people who would make it easier to own a home, limit drug costs, and make college education more accessible.
But he also called for unity and criticized political polarization — referencing the discord within his own party, even during a moment where Democrats have mostly fallen in line for Harris.
As an elder statesman of the Democratic Party, aides say Obama still wields enormous influence over party politics while maintaining popularity and cultural cachet with voters.
But his record was frequently cited as a mark on Biden during the 2020 presidential election, with candidates criticizing the Obama-Biden administration's record on trade, immigration and health care during a blistering primary debate.
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Before Obama took the stage Tuesday night in Chicago, Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, held a rally in Milwaukee, on the same stage where Republican rival Donald Trump accepted his party's presidential nomination last month.
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'The living legacy of our party'
The Harris campaign has in some ways sought to model itself after Obama's formula. U.S. media has compared the fervour and excitement around Harris to the frenzy that propelled Obama to the presidency in 2008 and then to re-election in 2012.
Kenny Nguyen, a 29-year-old delegate attending the DNC, voted for Obama that year, the first time he'd voted in a presidential election.
Today, he's a city councillor in Broomfield, Colo.
"I think Barack Obama is the living legacy of our party," he told CBC News. "He was the first African-American president. He's everything that our party and country should strive to be."
Nguyen likened the energy around Harris's campaign to that of Obama's when he first ran in 2008.
"He was the man who inspired me to run for office. Because of him, I started my career in politics," he said.
Harris campaign taps Obama staffers
Harris is looking to tap into some of that energizing power of the Obama legacy. She has recently rounded out her campaign team with several high-profile senior strategists from the Obama era, including his former campaign manager and senior aide David Plouffe, who joined the Harris campaign as a senior adviser on strategy.
She's also leaned into pop cultural and internet references to reach younger voters. Shepard Fairey, the artist who designed the iconic "Hope" poster art that became a symbol of Obama's campaign in 2008, has created a similar one of Harris, with the word "Forward."
Obama was in his political hometown of Chicago to deliver the address. Though they didn't immediately endorse her, the former president and former first lady Michelle Obama gave Harris their blessing a few days after she announced her run.
"We look forward to watching her unite our party and our country around a vision for a brighter, fairer, more prosperous future," the statement said, noting that the Obamas have known Harris for over 20 years.
Harris, after all, risked her own political capital when she backed then junior senator Obama in his bid for the presidency in 2008 when most of the party establishment backed Hillary Clinton.
"She was an early supporter of his, and he was an early admirer of hers, without question," David Axelrod, a longtime Obama adviser, told Reuters.
"He will not be talking about someone he doesn't know."
Kamala Harris tells DNC, 'We are moving forward’
1 day ago
U.S. Vice-President and Democratic party presidential nominee Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on the first night of the party convention in Chicago, thanking President Joe Biden and telling the crowd, 'We are moving forward.'
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Journalist
Jenna Benchetrit is the senior business writer for CBC News. She writes stories about Canadian economic and consumer issues, and has also recently covered U.S. politics. A Montrealer based in Toronto, Jenna holds a master's degree in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University. You can reach her at jenna.benchetrit@cbc.ca.
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