Former President Barack Obama on Tuesday urged the audience at the Democratic National Convention to work hard to avoid another term of Donald Trump in the White House, warning that “we all know that the sequel is usually worse.”
After eight years as president, Obama handed the reins to Trump following his win in the 2016 presidential election.
But he warned another term of Trump in office could be dire for the country, while noting that his tactics of trying to divide the country for his own political benefit have become “stale.”
“We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos,” Obama said. “We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse.”
Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama both delivered electrifying speeches at the DNC, in an effort to encourage Americans to rally support for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz in November.
Obama said Harris has the qualifications to excel as president.
“America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris,” he said. “And Kamala Harris is ready for the job.”
Obama praised Harris’ background, noting that she wasn’t born into privilege and had to work her way up to where is now. If elected, he said, she would serve as a selfless leader.
“Kamala Harris won’t be focused on her problems,” Obama said. “She’ll be focused on yours. As president, she won’t just cater to her own supporters and punish those who refuse to kiss the ring or bend the knee. She’ll work on behalf of every American.”
The Obamas endorsed Harris in late July following Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race.
“We called to say Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” Obama said at the time.
During his DNC speech, Obama also took the time to praise his former running mate for passing the torch to the next generation.
“And at a time when the other party had turned into a cult of personality, 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,” he said.