Former President Obama to speak on second night of Democratic National Convention and voice support for Harris

Former President Barack Obama will speak tonight on the second night of the four-day convention of the Democratic Party of the United States. According to Reuters, he will give a speech in which he will lay out why he believes Vice President Kamala Harris is the right choice for the next U.S. president, while he will warn Democrats that they still have a difficult road ahead in the upcoming election week. In addition to the president from 2009 to 2017, former first lady Michelle Obama or Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff will also speak, according to the Associated Press.

On the first night of the convention in Chicago, Harris received the endorsement of President Joe Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president for eight years. The White House chief dropped out of the re-election race in late July after a poor performance in the pre-election debate with Republican former President Donald Trump on June 27, and sharply criticized Trump in his speech as an “informal farewell,” according to the Associated Press. He called Harris a liar and a convicted felon, among other things, and called on voters to help Harris win.

After the speech, the president left Chicago, so he will not attend Obama’s speech today. After withdrawing from the race, Biden immediately proposed Harris as an alternative candidate. Harris’s nomination was confirmed by the party in early August. Harris will give a speech on Thursday (the last day of the convention) to formally accept the party’s nomination.

Nearly eight years after his term ended, Obama remains one of the most popular members of the Democratic Party, enjoying higher approval ratings in opinion polls than Harris or the current Biden administration, Reuters reported. Millions of people streamed the election video, in which the Obamas expressed their support for Harris, their longtime political ally, in her run for the White House.

Now, Obama will again express his support for Harris, but this time in a prime-time evening address. According to Reuters sources, in his speech at the convention, the former president will describe why he thinks Harris will win the November presidential election, but he will also warn Democrats that the next 11 weeks will be more difficult. Obama adviser Eric Schultz said that in the coming months, the former president will give speeches in support of Harris in several key states to convince undecided voters.

Trump is currently slightly behind his new opponent in the polls, and so far he seems to have not found an effective campaign formula against Harris, who is nearly 20 years younger. Meanwhile, Democrats are buoyed by a wave of enthusiasm, epitomized by Harris’s rallies with thousands of supporters. Polls show the next president will be decided in a series of key states.