Obama reenters the public eye — and sharply criticizes Trump
The ex-president harshly criticized Trump, describing him as “a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.”
TroibNews 
CHICAGO — Former President Barack Obama delivered his most enthusiastic address in nearly a decade, striving to transfer his political legacy to Kamala Harris while critiquing Donald Trump.
Obama, who had mostly stepped back as other Democrats aimed to remove President Joe Biden from the ticket, took center stage on Tuesday night. He concluded the second night of the Democratic convention alongside his wife, Michelle.
Proclaiming that “the torch has been passed,” Obama praised Biden while highlighting the stark choice voters face between Harris and “a guy whose act has — let’s face it — gotten pretty stale.” He emphasized, “America is ready for a new chapter. America’s ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.”
His address served as a bridge between Biden’s farewell speech the previous night, which dwelled on their accomplishments over four years, and the two remaining nights focused on the revamped Democratic ticket.
Obama reaffirmed his status as one of the party’s most effective and beloved spokespersons, alongside Michelle, who delivered a stirring speech connecting the excitement of Harris’ fresh campaign to the hope inspired by Obama during his first historic run.
The former president, who spoke at the scaled-down Democratic convention four years ago and campaigned leading up to the 2022 midterms, has largely remained out of the public eye for the past two years. Advisors believe this strategy will make his sporadic appearances more impactful and lend greater significance to his words.
In front of a packed arena, where many delegates remained on their feet throughout his 35-minute address, Obama criticized the Republican nominee as “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 said.
He ridiculed Trump’s “childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories and weird obsession with crowd size,” adding humor by gesturing with his hands to illustrate his point about crowd sizes. “The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day.”
In contrast, he portrayed Harris as “not the neighbor running the leaf blower — she’s the neighbor rushing over to help when you need a hand.”
Obama detailed Harris’ background and career as a prosecutor, senator, and vice president, presenting her and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as politicians who “have kept faith with America’s central story.” He seemed particularly taken with Walz, joking about his time as a football coach and the authenticity of his flannel shirts.
This marks the second time the nation’s first Black president has encouraged the country to elect a woman, and in both cases, it has meant supporting alternatives to Biden. After advising his vice president not to challenge then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2016, Obama offered only a cursory defense of Biden following a challenging debate performance in June while privately supporting calls for Biden to step aside.
Obama commenced his speech by lauding Biden’s character, presidency, and his decision to step back after a long public service career. “We needed a leader who was steady, and brought people together and was selfless enough to do the rarest thing there is in politics: putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country.”
Harris was not present for Obama’s speech, having watched Biden’s address from a luxury box in the United Center the previous night. Instead, she and her running mate stirred enthusiasm among supporters in Milwaukee, the same venue where Republicans had convened a month earlier.
With Harris arriving back in Chicago just before he took the stage, Obama emphasized Harris’ campaign theme by contrasting the Democratic and Republican tickets regarding freedom.
“For them, one group’s gain is another group’s loss. For them, freedom means that the powerful can do what they please, whether it’s fire workers trying to organize a union or poison our rivers or avoid paying taxes like everybody else has to do,” he stated, asserting that Democrats adhere to “a broader idea of freedom.”
As he concluded, Obama reflected on the recent loss of Michelle Obama’s mother, as she had in her speech, and shared memories of his own mother, portraying both as “strong, smart, resourceful women” who worked diligently and “knew what was true and what mattered.”
He positioned Harris and her candidacy as reflecting those same values, presenting her as a strong woman who provides stability and a sense of security to a deeply divided nation.
“As much as any policy or program, I believe that’s what we yearn for — a return to an America where we work together and look out for each other. A restoration of what Lincoln called, on the eve of civil war, ‘our bonds of affection.’ An America that taps what he called ‘the better angels of our nature.’
“That’s what this election is about.”
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
Obama, who had mostly stepped back as other Democrats aimed to remove President Joe Biden from the ticket, took center stage on Tuesday night. He concluded the second night of the Democratic convention alongside his wife, Michelle.
Proclaiming that “the torch has been passed,” Obama praised Biden while highlighting the stark choice voters face between Harris and “a guy whose act has — let’s face it — gotten pretty stale.” He emphasized, “America is ready for a new chapter. America’s ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.”
His address served as a bridge between Biden’s farewell speech the previous night, which dwelled on their accomplishments over four years, and the two remaining nights focused on the revamped Democratic ticket.
Obama reaffirmed his status as one of the party’s most effective and beloved spokespersons, alongside Michelle, who delivered a stirring speech connecting the excitement of Harris’ fresh campaign to the hope inspired by Obama during his first historic run.
The former president, who spoke at the scaled-down Democratic convention four years ago and campaigned leading up to the 2022 midterms, has largely remained out of the public eye for the past two years. Advisors believe this strategy will make his sporadic appearances more impactful and lend greater significance to his words.
In front of a packed arena, where many delegates remained on their feet throughout his 35-minute address, Obama criticized the Republican nominee as “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 said.
He ridiculed Trump’s “childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories and weird obsession with crowd size,” adding humor by gesturing with his hands to illustrate his point about crowd sizes. “The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day.”
In contrast, he portrayed Harris as “not the neighbor running the leaf blower — she’s the neighbor rushing over to help when you need a hand.”
Obama detailed Harris’ background and career as a prosecutor, senator, and vice president, presenting her and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as politicians who “have kept faith with America’s central story.” He seemed particularly taken with Walz, joking about his time as a football coach and the authenticity of his flannel shirts.
This marks the second time the nation’s first Black president has encouraged the country to elect a woman, and in both cases, it has meant supporting alternatives to Biden. After advising his vice president not to challenge then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2016, Obama offered only a cursory defense of Biden following a challenging debate performance in June while privately supporting calls for Biden to step aside.
Obama commenced his speech by lauding Biden’s character, presidency, and his decision to step back after a long public service career. “We needed a leader who was steady, and brought people together and was selfless enough to do the rarest thing there is in politics: putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country.”
Harris was not present for Obama’s speech, having watched Biden’s address from a luxury box in the United Center the previous night. Instead, she and her running mate stirred enthusiasm among supporters in Milwaukee, the same venue where Republicans had convened a month earlier.
With Harris arriving back in Chicago just before he took the stage, Obama emphasized Harris’ campaign theme by contrasting the Democratic and Republican tickets regarding freedom.
“For them, one group’s gain is another group’s loss. For them, freedom means that the powerful can do what they please, whether it’s fire workers trying to organize a union or poison our rivers or avoid paying taxes like everybody else has to do,” he stated, asserting that Democrats adhere to “a broader idea of freedom.”
As he concluded, Obama reflected on the recent loss of Michelle Obama’s mother, as she had in her speech, and shared memories of his own mother, portraying both as “strong, smart, resourceful women” who worked diligently and “knew what was true and what mattered.”
He positioned Harris and her candidacy as reflecting those same values, presenting her as a strong woman who provides stability and a sense of security to a deeply divided nation.
“As much as any policy or program, I believe that’s what we yearn for — a return to an America where we work together and look out for each other. A restoration of what Lincoln called, on the eve of civil war, ‘our bonds of affection.’ An America that taps what he called ‘the better angels of our nature.’
“That’s what this election is about.”
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
