Barack Obama gives rousing endorsement for Kamala Harris at DNC; warns about Trump

Obamas urge nation to support Kamala Harris in fiery DNC speeches, emphasizing urgency to prevent second Trump presidency.

Warning of a difficult fight ahead, former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama on Tuesday (August 20, 2024) called on the nation to embrace Kamala Harris in urgent messages to the Democratic National Convention that were at times both hopeful and combative.

“America, hope is making a comeback,” the former first lady declared. She then tore into Republican Donald Trump, a sharp shift from the 2016 convention speech in which she told her party, “When they go low, we go high.”

“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,” Ms. Obama said of Mr. Trump.

Mr. Obama, the former president, called Mr. Trump “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,” he charged.

The fiery messages from two of the Democratic Party's biggest stars underscored the urgency of the moment as Ms. Harris works to stitch together a broad coalition in her bid to defeat Mr. Trump this fall. She is drawing on stars like the Obamas and other celebrities, officials from the far left to the middle, and even some Republicans to boost her campaign.

And while the theme of the night was “a bold vision for America’s future,” the disparate factions of Ms. Harris’ evolving coalition demonstrated, above all, that they are connected by a desire to prevent a second Trump presidency.