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Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally for Richard Cordray, Democratic candidate for governor of Ohio, in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States, Thursday, September 13, 2018.
Allison Farrand | Bloomberg | Getty Images
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will deliver a dazzling critique of his successor, President Donald Trump, during his opening address Wednesday night at the virtual Democratic National Convention.
Obama will speak live from Philadelphia, where he will also describe why his former vice president, Joe Biden, is the right man for the White House.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Obama’s comments from CNBC.
Below are excerpts from Obama’s speech, which were released on Wednesday afternoon:
“I sat in the Oval Office with the two men running for president. I didn’t expect my successor to embrace my vision or pursue my policy. I hoped, for the good of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously, so that he could come to feel the weight of the office and discover a certain reverence for the democracy entrusted to him.
“But he never did. He showed no interest in participating in the work; no interest in finding common ground; no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone. other than himself and his friends; no interest in treating the presidency like anything, but another reality show that he can use to get the attention he needs.
“Donald Trump didn’t get the job because he can’t. And the consequences of that failure are dire. 170,000 Americans dead. Millions of jobs gone. Our worst impulses are unleashed, our reputation proud in the world democratic institutions threatened as never before.
“I am well aware that in times as polarized as these, most of you have already made a decision. But maybe you still don’t know which candidate you will vote for – or whether you will vote at all. Maybe you are tired of the direction we’re headed, but you can’t see a better path yet, or you just don’t know enough about who wants to lead us there.
“So let me tell you about my friend Joe Biden.
“Twelve years ago, when I started my search for a vice president, I had no idea that I would eventually find a brother. Joe and I came from different places and from different generations. But what I quickly admired about him was his resilience, born from too many struggles; his empathy, born of too much grief. Joe is a man who learned early on to treat everyone he meets with respect and dignity, living by the words his parents taught him: “ No one is better than you, but you are better than no one. ‘”
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“For eight years Joe was last in the room every time I faced a big decision. He made me a better president. He has the character and the experience to make us a better country. “
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“Tonight I ask you to believe in Joe and Kamala’s ability to lead this country out of dark times and to rebuild it better. But here’s the problem: No American can fix this country alone. Democracy was never meant to be transactional – you give me your vote; I improve everything. So I also ask you to believe in your own ability – to assume your own responsibility as citizens – to ensure that the fundamental principles of our democracy endure. Because that’s what’s at stake now. Our democracy. “
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