'I'm feeling fired up!' Barack Obama speaks at the DNC convention: Watch
Former president Barack Obama took the stage Tuesday night in a headliner speech for the Democratic National Convention, praising the new Democratic presidential nominee as "the neighbor rushing over to help when you need a hand."
After President Joe Biden made the momentous decision to step out of the 2024 election, Democrats have rallied around Vice President Kamala Harris in a way that many have compared her campaign to the grassroots excitement that led to Obama's historic election to office in 2008. Obama has endorsed Harris and offered to help with mobilization, policy, fundraising, and more, USA TODAY previously reported.
In his speech, he praised Harris' record and her economic agenda aimed at lowering costs for the middle class.
"Kamala Harris won't be focused on her problems," Obama said, accusing Trump of using power for his own benefit. "She'll be focused on yours."
Watch former President Barack Obama's complete DNC convention speech
Democratic convention live updates: Barack Obama, Michelle Obama set to take the stage
Barack Obama at 2024 DNC convention
Who is he: The 44th president of the United States and the first Black president
What role does he play: Biden was Obama's vice president between 2009 and 2017. Earlier this year, people close with Obama said he was increasingly concerned about the 2024 election. When Biden dropped out, Obama praised the move and called him "a patriot of the highest order."
Key quotes: "Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided between us and them, between the real Americans who of course, support him, and the outsiders who don't," Obama said. "It is one of the oldest tricks in politics from a guy whose Act has, let's face it, gotten pretty stale. We do 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." "Kamala Harris and Tim Walz believe in an America where 'we the people,' includes everyone, because that's the only way this American experiment works," Obama said. "And despite what our politics might suggest, I think most Americans understand that democracy isn't just a bunch of abstract principles and and dusty laws in some book somewhere, it's the values we live by."
How to watch and stream the 2024 DNC
The convention is taking place Monday through Thursday in Chicago, Illinois. Chicago has hosted the Democratic Convention 11 times, most recently in 1996 when the United Center saw President Bill Clinton was nominated for a second time.
The convention will air live on its website, from the United Center in Chicago between 6:15 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern (5:15 p.m. to 10 p.m Central) on Monday, and 7 p.m to 11 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central) the other days.
USA TODAY will provide livestream coverage on YouTube each night of the DNC, Monday through Thursday.
What are the themes for each night of the DNC?
The DNC announced nightly themes for the convention. The title of the convention is "For the People, For Our Future."
Here are the themes for each night:
Monday: "For the People"
Tuesday: "A Bold Vision for America's Future"
Wednesday: "A Fight for our Freedoms"
Thursday: "For our Future"
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch: Barack Obama's DNC speech in support of Harris felt familiar