Exactly 20 years ago, Barack Obama was a relatively unknown state legislator when he delivered a keynote address at the Democratic party’s convention.
“I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on Earth, is my story even possible,” Obama said that evening.
His 2004 speech offers one of the clearest examples of how convention speeches can elevate a rising political star to national prominence. Four years later, he returned to accept the party’s nomination for president.
In 2012, he made the case for his re-election bid; in 2016, he advocated for Hillary Clinton to succeed him in office; and during the 2020 convention, he issued an attack on Donald Trump and urged Americans to back Joe Biden for president.
Now, his speech will make the case for the Harris-Walz ticket and the need to defeat Trump.
Here’s what else to know about Obama’s speech tonight.
When is Obama’s convention speech?
Both Obamas are expected to deliver remarks on Tuesday during the evening’s 6pm-10pm main programming block.
The first night of the convention saw significant delays, with Biden’s speech pushed out of prime time. He took the stage later than expected and finished speaking well after midnight ET.
How can I watch the speech?
The party will livestream the convention on its Democratic national convention website and on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
The Guardian has a team of reporters in Chicago and will be covering the speech in depth, including in a live blog.
Major news networks are likely to carry prime-time programming. PBS will have live coverage beginning at 8pm each night.
What will Obama talk about?
Obama is expected to set out Harris’s qualifications for the world’s most powerful job, and touch on the day’s theme: “A bold vision for America’s future”.
Earlier this month he commended her on X, saying: “She has the vision, the character, and the strength that this critical moment demands, and I know she will deliver.”
Obama, along with his wife, Michelle, endorsed Harris for president on 26 July, five days after Joe Biden stepped aside. The endorsement was seminal in securing her the nomination, helping to bypass a potentially ugly internal fight.
“I can’t have this phone call without saying to my girl Kamala that I am so proud of you – this is going to be historic,” Michelle Obama told Harris in a recorded video of their phone conversation.
Will Michelle Obama be there?
Yes. Michelle Obama is confirmed to speak before her husband on Tuesday night.
She has spoken at each of the last four Democratic conventions and remains a hugely popular figure within the party. In her 2020 takedown of Donald Trump, she accused Trump of being the “wrong president for our country” and “clearly in over his head”.
Who else is speaking on Tuesday?
In addition to the Obamas, speakers include Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff; the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer; JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, who is hosting the convention; the Illinois senator Tammy Duckworth; Bernie Sanders, the progressive senator from Vermont; New Mexico’s governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham; and the mayor of Mesa county in the critical battleground state of Arizona, John Giles.
Who else is speaking at the convention?
The full lineup of speakers has not yet been released, but several big names – plus many new lawmakers and rising stars – are expected to appear.
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Wednesday 21 August: The former president Bill Clinton will join the Minnesota governor and nominee for vice-president, Tim Walz, on the convention’s third night.
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Thursday 22 August: The vice-president, Kamala Harris, will close out the fourth night of the convention.
What happened on Monday night?
The first night of the convention included speeches from Biden, Hillary Clinton and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the convention.
Joe Biden closed out the first night, delivering a reflective and optimistic 50-minute address, urging the nation to elect Kamala Harris to protect American democracy.