Former President Barack Obama finished off the second day of the DNC in Chicago with a fiery speech, calling on Democrats to unite behind Vice President Kamala Harris and to oppose former President Donald Trump’s attempt to get back into the White House.
Obama, speaking in his hometown of Chicago, also took opportunities to praise President Joe Biden, who worked by his side during eight years in the Oval Office.
You can watch his full speech here, and you can also get the full text of his remarks here.
He described Harris as a fighter for working class Americans, who lets compassion and determination guide her approach to public office.
“This is a person who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a champion,” he said. “As you heard from Michelle (Obama), Kamala wasn’t born into privilege. She had to work for what she’s got, and she actually cares about what other people are going through.”
Obama wasted no time in criticizing Trump, whom he characterized as a selfish leader who is obsessed with “gripes and grievances” rather than serving the country.
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“The truth is, Donald Trump sees power as nothing more than a means to his ends,” he said. “He wants the middle class to pay the price for another huge tax cut that would mostly help him and his rich friends. He killed a bipartisan immigration deal that would’ve helped secure our southern border because he thought trying to actually solve the problem would hurt his campaign. He doesn’t seem to care if more women lose their reproductive freedoms since it won’t affect his life.”
The former president touted what a Harris-Walz administration would do in office, but also took Democrats to task, calling on them to appeal to their best selves and to try to build a broad coalition to help ensure the success of the United States.
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“The vast majority of us don’t want to live in a country that’s bitter and divided,” he said. “We want something better. We want to be better. And the joy and excitement we’re seeing around this campaign tells us we’re not alone.”
He ended his speech with a call for Democrats to “get to work,” and to get in touch with the “better angels of our nature” on the road ahead.
“If we work like we’ve never worked before – we will elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States, and Tim Walz as the next Vice President of the United States,” he said. “We’ll elect leaders up and down the ballot who will fight for the hopeful, forward-looking America we believe in.”
