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| Michelle Obama slams Trump as 'the wrong president' and 'in over his head' – DNC live | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Bernie Sanders urges supporters to vote for Joe Biden as woman blames Trump for her father’s death from coronavirus | |
| Michelle Obama’s pithy, understated rebuke of Trump: “It is what it is.” | |
| The former first lady here subtly referenced Donald Trump’s reaction to the staggering coronavirus death toll earlier this month. “They are dying. That’s true. And you – it is what it is,” Trump said in an interview with Axios. “But that doesn’t mean we aren’t doing everything we can. It’s under control as much as you can control it. | |
| Using the president’s own words against him, Obama said Trumo 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.” | |
| – Maanvi Singh | |
| Michelle Obama emphasized the urgency of this election, asking voters to understand the crucial need to defeat Trump in November. | |
| “If you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me, they can; and they will if we don’t make a change in this election,” Obama said. | |
| “If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it.” | |
| Obama specifically called out voters who might be considering supporting third-party candidates in November, which cost Hillary Clinton dearly in 2016. | |
| “This is not the time to withhold our votes in protest or play games with candidates who have no chance of winning,” Obama said. | |
| Michelle Obama offered a stinging rebuke of Trump’s leadership, saying he is the wrong man for the job at a critical moment for our country. | |
| Obama specifically referenced her words at the 2016 convention: “When they go lie, we go high.” Obama said tonight, “Going high is the only thing that works.” | |
| She then added, “But let’s be clear: going high does not mean putting on a smile and saying nice things when confronted by viciousness and cruelty. Going high means taking the harder path. It means scraping and clawing our way to that mountain top.” | |
| Obama followed that by taking direct aim at Trump, saying, “Let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can. 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.” | |
| Maanvi here, with more on Bernie Sanders: | |
| Bernie Sanders, who just urged his supporters to back Biden, has been working to unite Democrats to defeat Trump, even as some of those who lead his presidential campaign have critiqued the Democratic nominee’s moderate policies. | |
| Belén Sisa, the former National Latino Press Secretary, has commented that progressives need to keep pushing the policies Sanders championed, even though he’s not the nominee. | |
| The Sanders campaign’s former National Press Secretary Briahna Joy Gray echoed the sentiment: | |
| Michelle Obama noted she has seen the difficulties of the presidency firsthand, saying, “You simply cannot fake your way through this job.” | |
| The former first lady argued Trump has not provided the necessary moral leadership as the country faces crises on multiple fronts. | |
| Obama said, “Whenever we look to this White House for some leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division, and a total and utter lack of empathy.” | |
| Former first lady Michelle Obama is now addressing the Democratic convention, saying this election will determine the direction of the country. | |
| Repeating her words during the 2016 campaign, Obama said the job of the presidency is difficult and requires a strong leader. | |
| “A president’s words have the power to move markets,” Obama said. “As I said before, being president doesn’t change who you are. It reveals who you are.” | |
| In his convention remarks, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders strongly urged his supporters to vote for Joe Biden in the November election, warning that Trump represents a severe threat to US democracy. | |
| “Our great nation is now living in an unprecedented moment,” Sanders said, describing this election as the “most important in the modern history of this country.” | |
| “We need Joe Biden as our next president,” Sanders aid. | |
| He thanked his millions of supporters and emphasized he would continue fighting for the progressive causes he championed during his campaign. | |
| “Together, we have moved this country in a bold new direction, Sanders said. “Our campaign ended several months ago, but our movement continues and is getting stronger every day.” | |
| But Sanders emphasized the progressive progress made in recent years could be undone by Trump’s reelection. | |
| “Let us be clear: If Donald Trump is reelected, all of the progress we have made will be in jeopardy,” Sanders said, emphasizing the need to “preserve this nation.” | |
| “This president is not just a threat to our democracy, but by rejecting science he has put our lives and health in jeopardy,” Sanders said. | |
| Sanders added, “Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Trump golfs.” | |
| Christine Todd Whitman, the former governor of New Jersey who also ran the Environmental Protection Agency under George W Bush, kicked off a series of endorsements from Republicans backing Biden against Trump.Most recently, Whitman signed on to an open letter from six former EPA chiefs who seek to “raise a bipartisan call for a new forward-looking direction at EPA.”Whitman has harshly criticized Trump’s “erosion of trust in science,” as he has rollbacked pollution protections and ignored climate change, while boosting fossil fuels.“I’m a lifelong Republican...this isn’t about a Republican or a Democrat, it’s about a person. A person decent enough stable enough to get our economy back on track. A person who can work with everyone –Democrats and Republicans –to get things done. Donald Trump isn’t that person. Joe Biden is,” Whitman said. | |
| And the award for the heaviest handed visual metaphor of the night goes to … John Kasich, who literally stood at a fork in the road to prove his point. It’s the first moment of the night that’s getting memed, which is perhaps unsurprising given the mostly somber tone of the convention so far: | |
| Missing from the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate reunion video: | |
| Marianne Williamson, Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Buttigieg, Mike Bloomberg, Michael Bennett, Julian Castro, Steve Bullock, Joe Sestak, Bill de Blasio, John Hickenlooper, Eric Swalwell, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders. | |
| Many of them are expected to speak throughout the convention (and Sanders is on right now). Williamson has remarked: | |
| – Maanvi Singh | |
| Democrats just played a video featuring several of the candidates who ran against Joe Biden in the presidential primary. | Democrats just played a video featuring several of the candidates who ran against Joe Biden in the presidential primary. |
| Some of the former candidates, including New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, will also deliver longer speeches at the convention later in the week. | Some of the former candidates, including New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, will also deliver longer speeches at the convention later in the week. |
| The video marks Democrats’ latest effort to unify the party around Biden after they struggled to move past the contentious primary between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in 2016. | The video marks Democrats’ latest effort to unify the party around Biden after they struggled to move past the contentious primary between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in 2016. |
| Two Democratic senators, Catherine Cortez-Masto and Amy Klobuchar, both touched on the importance of the US Postal Service in their convention speeches. | Two Democratic senators, Catherine Cortez-Masto and Amy Klobuchar, both touched on the importance of the US Postal Service in their convention speeches. |
| Both senators criticized Trump for trying to weaken the USPS in an apparent attempt to hamper voting by mail before the election. | Both senators criticized Trump for trying to weaken the USPS in an apparent attempt to hamper voting by mail before the election. |
| Cortez-Masto noted many Americans receive medications through the postal service, saying Trump is “putting the lives of Nevada’s seniors at risk by trying to defund the post office.” | Cortez-Masto noted many Americans receive medications through the postal service, saying Trump is “putting the lives of Nevada’s seniors at risk by trying to defund the post office.” |
| Klobuchar opened her speech by describing the right to vote as “fundamental” and the work of USPS as “essential.” | Klobuchar opened her speech by describing the right to vote as “fundamental” and the work of USPS as “essential.” |
| “You know, the president may hate the post office, but he’s still going to have to send them a change of address card in January,” Klobuchar said. | “You know, the president may hate the post office, but he’s still going to have to send them a change of address card in January,” Klobuchar said. |
| In one of the most moving moments of the night so far, Kristin Urquiza mourned the loss of her father to Covid-19. | In one of the most moving moments of the night so far, Kristin Urquiza mourned the loss of her father to Covid-19. |
| Here’s how some commentators have reacted: | Here’s how some commentators have reacted: |
| Several longtime Republicans addressed the Democratic convention to endorse Joe Biden and argue against reelecting Trump. | Several longtime Republicans addressed the Democratic convention to endorse Joe Biden and argue against reelecting Trump. |
| “Donald Trump has no clue how to run a business, let alone an economy,” said Meg Whitman, the former CEO of HP and a major Republican fundraiser. | “Donald Trump has no clue how to run a business, let alone an economy,” said Meg Whitman, the former CEO of HP and a major Republican fundraiser. |
| Former Ohio Governor John Kasich, a frequent critic of the president, delivered his speech while standing at a literal crossroads. (Get it?) | Former Ohio Governor John Kasich, a frequent critic of the president, delivered his speech while standing at a literal crossroads. (Get it?) |
| “America is at a crossroads,” Kasich said. “The stakes in this election are greater than any in modern times.” | “America is at a crossroads,” Kasich said. “The stakes in this election are greater than any in modern times.” |
| Kasich acknowledged that he and Biden disagree on a number of policy issues, but he said he believed the Democrat was the right person to lead the nation in this time of crisis. | Kasich acknowledged that he and Biden disagree on a number of policy issues, but he said he believed the Democrat was the right person to lead the nation in this time of crisis. |
| “Whatever our difference, we respect one another as human beings,” Kasich said. | “Whatever our difference, we respect one another as human beings,” Kasich said. |
| Urquiza also published an op-ed in the Washington Post. She wrote that Trump and governors “have blood on their hands”. | Urquiza also published an op-ed in the Washington Post. She wrote that Trump and governors “have blood on their hands”. |
| – Maanvi Singh | – Maanvi Singh |
| In her convention speech, Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, credited Barack Obama and Joe Biden with saving the state’s auto industry. | In her convention speech, Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, credited Barack Obama and Joe Biden with saving the state’s auto industry. |
| Whitmer, who was considered as a potential running mate for Biden, contrasted the work of the Obama administration with Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. | Whitmer, who was considered as a potential running mate for Biden, contrasted the work of the Obama administration with Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. |
| “From the jump, we took this pandemic seriously in Michigan,” Whitmer said. “Just imagine if we had a national strategy.” | “From the jump, we took this pandemic seriously in Michigan,” Whitmer said. “Just imagine if we had a national strategy.” |
| Echoing other speakers, Whitmer argued Biden and Kamala Harris would provide the leadership needed to tackle this crisis. | Echoing other speakers, Whitmer argued Biden and Kamala Harris would provide the leadership needed to tackle this crisis. |
| “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will lead by example,” Whitmer said. “They know action begets action.” | “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will lead by example,” Whitmer said. “They know action begets action.” |
| Maanvi here: | Maanvi here: |
| Kristin Urquiza’s obituary for her father was a scathing condemnation of Arizona’s Republican governor, Doug Ducey. | Kristin Urquiza’s obituary for her father was a scathing condemnation of Arizona’s Republican governor, Doug Ducey. |
| She blamed her dad’s death on the “carelessness of the politicians who continue to jeopardize the health of brown bodies through a clear lack of leadership, refusal to acknowledge the severity of this crisis, and inability and unwillingness to give clear and decisive direction on how to minimize risk”. | She blamed her dad’s death on the “carelessness of the politicians who continue to jeopardize the health of brown bodies through a clear lack of leadership, refusal to acknowledge the severity of this crisis, and inability and unwillingness to give clear and decisive direction on how to minimize risk”. |
| Weeks later, Joe Biden sent her a letter, which she shared with the Arizona Republic. “The family bonds that Mark spent his life strengthening are meant for times like these,” Biden wrote. “They’re meant for you to lean on to share some of those burdens that are terribly difficult to bear alone. And they’re meant to continue to grow in your love and care for one another, no matter the adversity.” | Weeks later, Joe Biden sent her a letter, which she shared with the Arizona Republic. “The family bonds that Mark spent his life strengthening are meant for times like these,” Biden wrote. “They’re meant for you to lean on to share some of those burdens that are terribly difficult to bear alone. And they’re meant to continue to grow in your love and care for one another, no matter the adversity.” |