Former US President Barack Obama called on the Democratic Party to unite around candidate Kamala Harris. She is "ready,", Obama said on the second day of the party's National Convention in Chicago, using the old slogan, "Yes, we can!" in a new version - "Yes, she can!".
"We have the chance to elect a person who has fought all her life to help people, to give them the opportunities that she herself received from America. A person who sees you and listens to you,'' Obama said in Chicago. "She will stand up for every American."
"It won't be easy"
The race for the White House will be tough, Obama warned. "It won't be easy," he added, quoted by ARD. Still, if the Democratic Party can rally over the next 11 weeks, Harris could become the next president of the United States. Barack Obama also praised the president and his former vice president, Joe Biden. The former president called his colleague and friend the "guardian of democracy". However, it was not Barack Obama who received the most applause on the second night of the National Convention of the Democratic Party, writes ARD. His wife, Michelle, definitely caused the most excitement. Shortly before Barack Obama took the stage, Michelle said there was "something magical in the air" and that "hope is returning". According to her, Kamala Harris is one of the most qualified politicians for the Oval Office.
Official confirmation of application
Democratic Party members had previously officially confirmed, but during the National Convention all delegates voted for Harris again. Although her candidacy was already confirmed, the vote by the more than 4,500 delegates in the hall in Chicago was more of a symbolic ceremony to announce the decision. Kamala Harris herself was actually not in Chicago yesterday - instead, the Democratic candidate was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she continues to campaign.
"Behind closed doors, Trump mocks his supporters"
Among the speakers on the second day of the National Congress was an unexpected person - the former spokeswoman for Donald Trump. Stephanie Grisham said that after years of working for Trump, she now supports Harris' candidacy, ARD writes. Grisham said she was an ardent Trump supporter, but things changed when she started seeing him behind the scenes. "Behind closed doors, he mocks his supporters," she said. According to the former spokeswoman for the 45th US president, he lacks empathy, morality and loyalty to the truth. Grisham says Trump always advised her that it didn't matter what he said, as long as he said it often enough, people would believe it. On Friday night, Kamala Harris is expected to give her big speech and accept the nomination - traditionally the presidential candidate's speech closes the party's National Convention on its final night.
Author: Ralf Borchardt (ARD)