Former President Barack Obama delivered a speech during the Democratic National Convention that touched on everything from his hope for the future, his trust in Joe Biden's candidacy, and his disappointment in Donald Trump.
"This president and those in power—those who benefit from keeping things the way they are—they are counting on your cynicism. They know they can’t win you over with their policies. So they’re hoping to make it as hard as possible for you to vote, and to convince you that your vote doesn’t matter," he said referring to the current administration's rhetoric around mail-in voting.
"That’s how they win. That’s how they get to keep making decisions that affect your life, and the lives of the people you love…That’s how a democracy withers until it’s no democracy at all. We can’t let that happen. Do not let them take away your power. Don’t let them take away your democracy. Make a plan right now for how you’re going to get involved and vote."
He also addressed Trump's time as president directly. "I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president. I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously; that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care," Obama said. "But he never did. For close to four years now, he’s shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves."
Then he delivered what is being looked at as his most scathing criticism of the Trump administration to date, highlighting the coronavirus deaths, and job loss in the country. "Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t. And the consequences of that failure are severe," he stated. "170,000 Americans dead. Millions of jobs gone while those at the top take in more than ever. Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished, and our democratic institutions threatened like never before."
On Tuesday night, former First Lady Michelle Obama also delivered a speech about democracy and the importance of the November election. "Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is," she said.
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