Is Obama's legacy at risk if Trump wins the 2024 presidential election?
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Barack Obama mocked Trump at the Democratic National Conference, but does he have a personal stake in keeping the Republican out of office?
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In brief...
- Barack Obama was met with cheers as he addressed the Democratic National Conference on it's second day in Chicago.
- He mocked Donald Trump's obsession with crowd sizes and praised Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
- The News Agents say Obama, and other Democrats, reputation may be at stake if the Republican nominee takes power in November.
What’s the story?
Barack Obama was among the “rockstars on the bench” who took to the stage on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), as he mocked Donald Trump and pledged his support for Kamala Harris’s nomination to the sound of cheers – and laughter – from Democrat voters.
His speech included praise for Harris, Walz and Biden, plus plenty of digs at Trump.
But there's a good reason why Obama, Clinton – and even Joe Biden – are so focused on taking down Trump, and it’s not only to secure a Democrat win in November.
The News Agents believe their own reputations are at stake if the problematic and divisive Republican candidate wins in November.
The News Agents on Barack Obama's DNC speech
What did Barack Obama say at the DNC?
The former president told delegates that the US does not need "four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos."
“We have seen that movie before and we all know that the sequel is usually worse," he said.
"America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris."
Obama went on to compare Trump to a "neighbour who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day.
"From a neighbour, that’s exhausting. From a president, it’s just dangerous," he added, claiming the Republican nominee's behaviour and rhetoric had become worse now he faces a loss to Harris, rather than Biden.
He also mocked Donald Trump's arrival on the US political scene in 2015 (descending Trump Tower in New York on a golden escalator), and described his attempts to drum up hate towards the "other" in society as an act that has gotten "pretty stale".
But it was Obama's joke about Donald Trump's "obsession with crowd sizes" (and what he was suggesting with his hand gestures) that drew the biggest laugh, applause, and celebration on social media.
I cannot believe this moment happened… pic.twitter.com/u14mY9GD9E
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) August 21, 2024
The News Agents are currently in Chicago for the DNC, and Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodal praised Obama’s speech, and how he motivated the crowds of Democratic delegates.
"Barack Obama is completely and utterly still being able to enchant the Democrats and the Democratic Party, moving between serious themes and lighter themes – basically taking the piss out of Trump repeatedly," says Lewis.
"That magic is still completely there. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.
Jon adds: "When it comes to pure political theatrical ability to deliver a speech, I think he is without parallel."
What’s The News Agents take? ?
Most people in US politics will be focused on 5 November, but The News Agents believe people such as the Obamas, and Hillary Clinton, are looking far beyond the election date.
"If Trump wins again, historians will judge Obama's own presidency," says Lewis.
"Historians will conclude that it was in the Obama years, under his presidency, that he allowed these dark forces of populism to grow, to incubate, to metastasize, and he, at least to some extent, fairly or unfairly, will be blamed for that.
"So in terms of Harris's chances, they all want her to win, of course, for her role in history and for the sake of history itself, but also for how history will judge them."
Listen in full on The News Agents.
