Obama derides Trump's antics, champions Harris at Chicago convention

Former President Barack Obama said during the Democratic convention in Chicago that Donald Trump is like a neighbour who keeps a leaf blower running all day; Kamala Harris is like a neighbour who comes to your aid. Obama also made a suggestive gesture while talking about Trump's "obsession with greatness," eliciting applause from the audience.

During his speech, which was the highlight of the second day of the Democratic convention in Chicago, Obama paid tribute to President Biden, calling him "an outstanding president who defended democracy." He also endorsed Kamala Harris as a candidate who will open a new chapter in America's history and warned against the return of Donald Trump, comparing him to "a neighbour who keeps a leaf blower running outside your window every minute of every day."

Trump is a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn't stopped complaining about his problems since he descended those golden escalators nine years ago. It's a constant stream of complaints and grievances that keeps getting worse because he's afraid of losing to Kamala. There are childish nicknames, crazy conspiracy theories, and a strange obsession with crowd size, Obama said, making a suggestive gesture. At this moment, the crowd laughed and applauded the former president.

Let us recall: Trump recently argued on his social media platform that Kamala Harris "doctors" her crowd sizes in photos and videos using artificial intelligence.

Obama stated that Trump is driven solely by his own interests and uses "the oldest tricks in politics," preying on voters' fears and basest instincts.

The former president simultaneously called for unity and upholding America's core values as a nation built on ideas, not race or origin.

- That is why when we uphold our values, the world becomes a little brighter, and when we don't, it gets a little darker. Dictators and autocrats feel emboldened, and we become a bit less safe - the former president noted.

He also emphasised that both Harris and vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz come from the middle class and are, in his view, models of the kind of people who should be in politics.

Even though Obama was the main speaker of Tuesday evening, the biggest impression on the 20,000-strong audience at the United Center in Chicago was made by his wife Michelle, who urged Democratic supporters to make efforts to mobilise voters and win the election. She admitted that although recently, like many others, she felt a "tangible sense of fear about the future," the past few weeks - and the improving electoral prospects for Kamala Harris - restored her hope.

- It should be us who are the antidote to this darkness and division. I don't care how you identify politically, whether you are a Democrat, a Republican, an Independent, or none of the above. Now is the time to stand up for what we know in our hearts to be right - not only our basic freedoms but also dignity and humanity, basic respect, empathy, and the values that form the entire foundation of this democracy - the former First Lady said. - Our business is to remember what Kamala's mother told her: don't sit around and complain, just do something! - she added.

Like her husband, Michelle Obama criticised Trump, mocking him and recalling the conspiracy theories he promoted about the former president and his allegedly forged birth certificate.

- For years, Donald Trump has done everything in his power to make people fear us. His limited, narrow worldview made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, well-educated, successful people who just happened to be Black. (...) But who will tell him that the job he's running for might be one of those jobs for Black people? - the former First Lady quipped.